Sheriff’s Office to continue foreclosure process

Curran

Updated: August 2, 2011 12:15AM

Foreclosures will continue to be handled by the Lake County Sheriff’s Office after the Illinois House rejected a bill in the final hours of the recently ended legislative session that would have allowed banks to choose private firms.

“I care deeply about our residents, especially those who are going through the painful experience of losing their home. I want to thank our state delegation for doing the right thing. This is a win for Lake County residents,” said Sheriff Mark Curran.

The sheriff and Lake County Board, as well as sheriff’s departments across the state, lobbied against the bill that would allow foreclosure plaintiffs, such as banks, to choose if the county sheriff or a private firm would handle the foreclosure sale process.

Curran said if the bill had passed, homeowners would be deprived of a fair and transparent process now provided by the Sheriff’s Office.

In Lake County, the Sheriff’s Office conducts a mortgage foreclosure sale, providing information about the homeowner’s rights under the law, and connects them to available social or legal services.

The Sheriff’s Office also maintains a Web site with information on every foreclosure case where parties can go to one location for up-to-date information on a property or a foreclosure case.

“The banks and the for-profit foreclosure sale companies aggressively lobbied our legislators to support this bill because there was a lot of money at stake for them. I would like to thank our delegation for standing up to the intense lobbying efforts, and voting in the best interest of the homeowner,” said Lake County Board Chairman David Stolman.