Teresa came to Legal Aid seeking help after she fell a few months behind in her mortgage payments. She had originally taken the loan out to pay for repairs on her home, and had been faithful in making payments for many years so that her remaining loan balance was very low. However, following the death of her husband in 2012 and loss of his income, she fell behind in her payments and could not bring her account current. Her mortgage company threatened foreclosure if she did not act fast to bring the loan current.
When the mortgage company gave her a deadline to become current or else the file would be referred to foreclosure, she came to Legal Aid for help. Upon meeting with Teresa and reviewing her case, her Legal Aid attorney took action in a few different directions. Requests for Information were sent to her lender seeking a payoff quote for the entire mortgage and a full account history so as to understand exactly how far behind Teresa was in her payments. Teresa’s Legal Aid attorney prepared Missouri Property Tax Credit Claims so that she could obtain three years of tax refunds that she was owed due to her limited income. Upon receiving the payoff quote and payment history from her mortgage company, Teresa’s Legal Aid attorney found that the tax refunds were sufficient to pay her mortgage in full. She used her refunds to pay off her mortgage, her account was then marked as “paid in full,” and the final lien against her property was lifted.
Teresa now owns her home free and clear of any liens or mortgages, and has since worked with her Legal Aid attorney in drafting and recording a Beneficiary Deed to ensure that the home stays in the family for the next generation.
Teresa was lucky. She got the legal help she needed. Your donation will help another client…a client just like Teresa!
