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Pennsylvania · What this letter means

Pennsylvania foreclosure letters and notices

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

  1. Step 1

    Act 91 Notice (Save Your Home From Foreclosure)

    The Act 91 Notice is the official Pennsylvania notice a mortgage lender must send before it can foreclose on most home loans. It tells you that you may qualify for a HEMAP loan from the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency. You have 33 days from the date on the notice to meet face to face with an approved counseling agency, and meeting in time can pause the foreclosure.

    What it means
  2. Step 2

    Act 6 Notice of Intention to Foreclose

    Pennsylvania's Act 6 requires a residential mortgage lender to give you at least 30 days' written notice, by registered or certified mail, before it speeds up the loan or sues. The notice must state the default and exactly what you must pay to cure it. For most loans this information comes inside the Act 91 Notice; a separate Act 6 notice is used when Act 91 does not apply.

    What it means
  3. Step 3

    Complaint in Mortgage Foreclosure and Notice to Defend

    A Pennsylvania foreclosure starts when the lender files a complaint in mortgage foreclosure in the county Court of Common Pleas. The Notice to Defend on top says you must act within 20 days after it is served. If you do not, the lender must send a 10-day notice before it can enter a default judgment.

    What it means
  4. Step 4

    Notice of Sheriff's Sale

    After a judgment, the sheriff posts a handbill on the home and you are served with written notice at least 30 days before the sheriff's sale. You can still cure the default up to one hour before bidding begins, and a court can postpone the sale for good reason.

    What it means
  5. Step 5

    Sheriff's Schedule of Proposed Distribution

    Within 30 days after a Pennsylvania sheriff's sale, the sheriff files a schedule showing who gets the sale money. Anyone who disagrees has 10 days after it is filed to file exceptions. The sheriff's deed is delivered 20 to 40 days after the schedule is filed, and any money left after liens and costs belongs to you as the former owner.

    What it means

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