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Foreclosure mediation in Illinois

Illinois has no single statewide foreclosure mediation program. Illinois Supreme Court Rule 99.1 lets each judicial circuit run its own program, and the rule was updated effective March 1, 2026. The two programs we confirmed on court pages are Cook County's Mortgage Foreclosure Mediation Program and the 17th Judicial Circuit's Residential Mortgage Foreclosure Mediation Program for Winnebago and Boone counties.

Ask for help in Illinois Free HUD counselor: (800) 569-4287

Reviewed against Illinois law and official sources on October 11, 2026. General information, not legal advice.

How foreclosure mediation works in Illinois, step by step

  1. Find out if your county has a program

    As soon as you are served

    Rule 99.1 lets each circuit choose whether to run a foreclosure mediation program, with access to HUD-certified housing counseling and free legal help built in. Ask the circuit clerk or the judge at your first court date whether your county has one and what the deadline is.

    Ill. S. Ct. R. 99.1

  2. Cook County: start with the helpline

    After you receive a court summons

    Cook County homeowners who have received a summons can call (855) 452-2637 to schedule a free meeting with a housing counselor, the first step in the program. Cook County Legal Aid for Housing and Debt says the program is open to owners of 1 to 4 unit homes that are their primary residence, and offers counseling, legal advice and mediation.

  3. 17th Circuit: apply online by the deadline

    21 days after service, or 28 days after first publication

    In Winnebago and Boone counties, residential foreclosure complaints are marked subject to mediation and a Notice of Mediation is served with the summons. You opt in by completing the online application by the deadline. Missing it counts as opting out, but you can ask the judge by motion to refer your case for good cause.

    17th Cir. Local Rule 2.14(K), (L)

  4. 17th Circuit: what pauses

    When the Notice of Entry issues

    Once you are entered into the program, the lender cannot get a judgment or confirm a sale until mediation ends. You do not have to file an answer or appearance to take part.

    17th Cir. Local Rule 2.14(N)

  5. Documents and pre-mediation conference

    Within 30 days of your application

    An intake coordinator meets with you to see if mediation can work and helps you assemble a loss mitigation package: financial worksheet, hardship letter, Dodd-Frank certification, IRS forms 4506-C and 4506-T, Uniform Borrower Assistance Form and Request for Mortgage Assistance. Meet every document deadline the program sets.

    17th Cir. Local Rule 2.14(M), (O)

  6. Who attends and good faith

    At each session

    In the 17th Circuit, sessions are usually by secure video. You, the lender's lawyer and a lender representative with full authority to decide must attend. A lender that does not take part in good faith can be sanctioned, up to dismissal of the foreclosure.

    17th Cir. Local Rule 2.14(T), (W)

  7. If there is no agreement

    When mediation ends

    Mediation does not decide your case. If no agreement is reached, the stay ends and the foreclosure goes forward in court, so keep watching your court dates and deadlines.

The program in Illinois

Foreclosure mediation

Program available

There is no single statewide program. Illinois Supreme Court Rule 99.1 lets each judicial circuit run its own mortgage foreclosure mediation program, so it depends on your county. We confirmed two programs from court pages. Cook County's Mortgage Foreclosure Mediation Program gives homeowners who have received a summons free housing counseling, legal help and mediation; call (855) 452-2637. The 17th Judicial Circuit (Winnebago and Boone counties) has a free, voluntary program you opt into by application or by filing a motion asking for referral. Illinois Legal Aid Online lists other counties with programs, but rules differ and programs change, so ask your circuit clerk or the judge at your first court date whether mediation is offered and what the deadline is to sign up.

Official program page

Common questions in Illinois

Does it cost anything to use Illinois foreclosure mediation?

The two programs we confirmed are free to homeowners. Cook County offers free housing counseling and legal help, and the 17th Circuit program is free to homeowners in Winnebago and Boone counties. In the 17th Circuit, the lender pays a $150 extra filing fee that funds the program.

I missed the 17th Circuit mediation deadline. Can I still get in?

Yes, possibly. Local Rule 2.14 lets a homeowner who missed the deadline file a motion asking the court to refer the case to mediation for good cause. The judge can also refer a case on the court's own motion. The 17th Circuit posts Motion for Referral forms for Winnebago and Boone counties.

Do I need a lawyer to take part in Illinois foreclosure mediation?

No. In the 17th Circuit you do not even need to file an answer or appearance to take part, though the program itself cannot give legal advice and refers people to Prairie State Legal Services. In Cook County, the program connects homeowners with free legal help.

Step by step

More on foreclosure in Illinois

Understand the process

What is happening and how much time there is.

Weigh your options

What can stop it, and what happens if it goes ahead.

Get help now

Who to call, and what to do when a sale is scheduled.

Also in Illinois

Foreclosure mediation (this page)Property tax foreclosure Claim surplus funds Deficiency judgments Letters you may get

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Sources for this page

  1. 735 ILCS 5/12-108: Limitation on enforcement
  2. 735 ILCS 5/13-218: Revival of judgment
  3. 735 ILCS 5/2-1602: Revival of judgment (consumer debt judgments)
  4. 735 ILCS 5/12-803: Wages subject to collection
  5. 17th Judicial Circuit Local Rule 2.14: Residential Mortgage Foreclosure Mediation Program
  6. 735 ILCS 5/15-1502.5 (grace period notice, repealed effective 7-1-16)
  7. 735 ILCS 5/15-1504.5: Homeowner notice to be attached to summons
  8. 735 ILCS 5/15-1505.5: Payoff demands
  9. 735 ILCS 5/15-1506: Judgment
  10. 735 ILCS 5/15-1507: Judicial sale
  11. 735 ILCS 5/15-1508: Report of sale and confirmation of sale
  12. 735 ILCS 5/15-1511: Deficiency
  13. 735 ILCS 5/15-1512: Application of proceeds of sale and surplus
  14. 735 ILCS 5/15-1602: Reinstatement
  15. 735 ILCS 5/15-1603: Redemption
  16. 735 ILCS 5/15-1604: Special right to redeem
  17. 735 ILCS 5/15-1701: Right to possession
  18. 735 ILCS 5/15-1401: Deed in lieu of foreclosure
  19. 735 ILCS 5/15-1402: Consent foreclosure
  20. 735 ILCS 5/15-1219: Residential real estate (definition)
  21. 765 ILCS 940/15: Mortgage Rescue Fraud Act, rescission of consultant contract
  22. 765 ILCS 940/35: Mortgage Rescue Fraud Act, cancellation of conveyance contract
  23. 765 ILCS 940/50: Mortgage Rescue Fraud Act, violations
  24. 765 ILCS 940/70: Mortgage Rescue Fraud Act, consultant compensation
  25. Illinois Supreme Court Rules (index showing Rule 99.1 and Rule 114)
  26. Illinois Supreme Court Rule 99.1: Mortgage Foreclosure Mediation Programs (amended Dec. 2, 2025, eff. Mar. 1, 2026)
  27. Illinois Supreme Court Rule 114: Loss Mitigation Affidavit (form)
  28. Illinois Courts: Approved Statewide Forms, Mortgage Foreclosure
  29. Illinois Courts: How to Respond to a Mortgage Foreclosure Complaint
  30. Circuit Court of Cook County: Chancery Division Mediation
  31. Cook County Legal Aid for Housing and Debt
  32. 17th Judicial Circuit Court: Mortgage Foreclosure Program
  33. Illinois Attorney General: Home Ownership and Rental Issues
  34. Illinois Legal Aid Online: Mortgage foreclosure
  35. Illinois Legal Aid Online: Options for dealing with foreclosure
  36. Illinois Legal Aid Online: Collecting a surplus after a foreclosure sale
  37. State of Illinois press release on the Illinois Homeowner Assistance Fund (opened April 11, 2022, closed October 31, 2023)
  38. U.S. Department of the Treasury: Homeowner Assistance Fund
  39. Illinois Housing Development Authority: Saving My Home
  40. Illinois Department of Revenue: Property Tax Relief (Senior Citizens Real Estate Tax Deferral Program)
  41. IDFPR Division of Banking: File a Complaint
  42. Illinois State Bar Association: Illinois Lawyer Finder