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Maine · What this letter means

Maine foreclosure letters and notices

The papers Maine homeowners receive, in the order they usually arrive. Each page uses the name on the Maine document, explains the deadline it starts under Maine law, and lists what to do this week.

  1. Step 1

    Notice of Default and Right to Cure

    In Maine, your lender cannot speed up the loan or start a foreclosure case until at least 35 days after it gives you a written notice of your right to cure. If you pay the past due amount in the notice by its deadline, the loan goes back to normal as if the default never happened. A second letter from the state usually follows within days.

    What it means
  2. Step 2

    Foreclosure Summons and Complaint, with the Response to Complaint and Request for Mediation form

    The summons and complaint start the court case your lender must win before it can sell your Maine home. A one-page Response to Complaint and Request for Mediation form is attached to the front. Returning it within 20 days after you are served counts as your answer and gets you into court mediation if you live in the home.

    What it means
  3. Step 3

    Foreclosure Mediation Scheduling Notice (Informational Session and first mediation)

    This notice from the court clerk sets the date, time and place of your Informational Session and first mediation session in the Foreclosure Diversion Program. Mediation must usually be finished within 90 days after the notice is sent, and no final foreclosure judgment can be entered until the mediator's report is done. Missing a session can send your case back to the regular court schedule.

    What it means
  4. Step 4

    Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale

    A Maine judgment of foreclosure and sale says the lender won the court case and states how much you owe. It does not end your ownership that day. For most mortgages you then have 90 days to pay the judgment amount and keep the home, and you can stay there during that time.

    What it means
  5. Step 5

    Notice of Public Sale

    A Maine notice of public sale gives the time, place and terms of the auction of your home after the redemption period has ended. It runs in a local newspaper once a week for 3 weeks, and if you appeared in the court case it must be mailed to you at least 30 days before the sale. Your right to redeem has ended, but the lender can still agree to let you pay off or catch up.

    What it means
  6. Step 6

    Report of Sale

    The report of sale shows what your home sold for and how the money was paid out. The lender must file it with the court and mail you a copy. You have 30 days after you receive it to challenge the accounting, and it decides whether you are owed surplus money or face a deficiency.

    What it means

Got a letter not listed here? See every foreclosure letter explained, or how foreclosure works in Maine.