Your Hudson County Foreclosure Defense Attorneys

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Your Hudson County Foreclosure Defense Attorneys

If you are a New Jersey resident living in Hudson County and are looking for local foreclosure counsel near you, the Hoboken-based attorneys at Fazzio Law Offices represent homeowners going through foreclosure in Hudson County.

The foreclosure process can be long and confusing.  But, you don’t have to go it alone.  Mortgage servicers and banks will stop at nothing to turn a profit and are notorious for violating homeowner rights by failing to review homeowners for foreclosure alternatives.  The banks are represented by teams of aggressive plaintiff’s foreclosure attorneys who have one goal in mind – to sell off your home to make sure the bank is paid back in full.  Unfortunately, as common as bank abuses are these days, standing up to the bank can be a daunting task.

Foreclosures can move quickly in Hudson County, due to the high demand for real estate and high property values.  Hudson County is a busy metropolis in its own right, sprawling along the Hudson River and sitting at the doorstep of New York City.  It is also the fastest-growing county in New Jersey.

If you are facing foreclosure in Hudson County, you are most likely looking for a loan modification, trying re-finance, gathering funds to propose a short pay, considering a short sale to tap your equity, or fighting hard to stop a Sheriff Sale.  But, which option is best for you and your family?  If you are looking for a home retention option, what kind of modification can you qualify for?  How can you obtain a re-finance when your credit has been hit from a foreclosure?  These are the type of questions we can help answer for you.

Cities and Municipalities in Hudson County

How Does the Hudson County New Jersey Foreclosure Process Work?

In Hudson County, as is true throughout New Jersey, the foreclosure process plays out in Court.  The bank’s attorneys will prosecute the foreclosure case and seek a judgment allowing the bank to sell your property at auction.  A Judge presides over the proceedings.

It is important to understand that you most likely will not “win” your foreclosure case in dramatic fashion with the Judge banging the gavel and declaring the case “dismissed.”  This does happen from time to time.  But, even when you hand the bank an epic beating, it can be a hollow victory.  In those circumstances, the mortgage still encumbers your property and prevents you from selling without removing this cloud on your title.  So, if you are fortunate enough to stop your foreclosure in its tracks, you still need to create a plan to satisfy your loan and quiet title to your home.

In foreclosure cases in Hudson County, the odds are not in your favor.  The fact is that if the bank has recorded a mortgage securing their loan against your home, Judge Costello or Judge Jablonski are going to be hard-pressed to find that the bank does not have a “right” to look to the collateral to satisfy the debt.  However, it is still important to contest the foreclosure proceedings if you have grounds to do so and your rights have been violated.  This is because you are going to need time to work on one of the foreclosure alternatives listed above: (1) loan modification; (2) re-finance; (3) short pay; or (4) short sale.

The banks and their servicers are heavily regulated and must comply with the Loss Mitigation Rules under 12 CFR 1024.41.  They also must comply with the New Jersey Fair Foreclosure Act, N.J.S.A. 2A:50-53 et seq. and various federal laws, including the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (“F.D.C.P.A.”), 15 U.S.C. §§1692 et seq.  Suffice it to say, a complete and total victory when you are being foreclosed on is a long shot.  By contrast, a plethora of bank abuses and violations in their handling of your mortgage account is virtually a sure thing.

Common Mortgage Lenders Who Foreclose in Hudson County

Your Mortgage Servicer

What Judge Will Be Assigned to My Hudson County NJ Foreclosure?

Currently the Presiding Chancery Judge is Judge Mary K. Costello.

What Are My Options for Stopping a Hudson County NJ Foreclosure?

There are a variety of tools to stop foreclosure in Hudson County, New Jersey.  The options available depend on what stage you are at in the foreclosure process.

  1. Cure Your Mortgage Default – Before a Foreclosure is Filed: Under the New Jersey Fair Foreclosure Act, N.J.S.A. 2A:50-53 et seq., and under N.J.S.A. 2A:50-56 - Notice of intention to foreclose, the Bank has to send you a “Notice of Intent to Foreclose” at least 30-days before initiating a foreclosure lawsuit and advise you that you have the right to cure your arrears within 30 days of receipt of the Notice.  Under subsection (c)(5) of the Statute, you can stop the initiation of foreclosure proceedings by paying the arrears current within the 30 days allotted and the Bank has to accept the payment. 
  2. Cure Your Mortgage Default – Before a Final Judgment is Entered: In fact, the bank is required to accept reinstatement even after the case is filed and all the way up until the point of a Final Judgment being entered. Under J.S.A. 2A:50-58 - Application for entry of final judgment; entry of order of redemption, subsection (a)(2), the Bank has to give you a chance to reinstate your loan and cure the default if you are able to do so within 45 days.  If you inform the bank you intend to cure, they must wait those 45 days before moving for Final Judgment and Sheriff Sale.  So, while the best time to cure your default is as early as possible, curing the arrears and reinstating the mortgage remains an option, in most cases, all the way up until a Sheriff Sale is scheduled, and beyond. 
  3. Cure Your Mortgage Default – After Your Property Goes to Sheriff Sale: In fact, even if your property goes to Sheriff Sale, you still have a 10 day Right of Redemption under 4:65-5 and N.J.S.A. 2A:50-4 – time for bringing action to redeem before the Purchaser is permitted to record the Deed, during which time you can pay the full amount of the Foreclosure Judgment, including reasonable expenses the purchaser expended. The Rule is designed to protect a homeowner’s equity in their home from a purchaser who might be unjustly enriched at the homeowner’s expense if the sale were not reversed. Hardyston Nat. Bank of Hamburg, N.J. v. Tartamella, 56 N.J. 508, 513 (1970).  You can even extend the 10-day redemption period permitted by state law by filing a bankruptcy case. Under 11 U.S.C. § 108(b), the state law redemption period is extended an additional sixty (60) days from the date of the filing of a bankruptcy petition. In re Hric, 208 B.R. 21, 25 (Bankr. D.N.J. 1997), see also In re Little, 201 B.R. 98, 105 (Bankr. D.N.J. 1996).
  1. Stop Foreclosure by Applying for a Loan Modification – Before a Foreclosure Is Filed: Under 12 CFR 1024.41 – loss mitigation procedures, subsection (f)(2) your Servicer cannot initiate foreclosure proceedings if you have a “complete loss mitigation application” under review.  If you are behind on your mortgage and have been trying to get a straight answer from your Servicer as to what options are available or to get any kind of concrete decision on your application, you may understandably be getting very frustrated and annoyed.  Your gut instincts here are not wrong.  Because banks know that many modifications re-default and because loans like yours are not profitable for the bank when loss mitigation is granted, the Servicer’s job is to screen applicants carefully so that only the most intrepid get through the roadblocks the Servicer puts in your way.  In this way, Servicers tell their client’s – your Bank – that they are providing a valuable service by dissuading delinquent homeowners who are not absolutely confident in their ability to keep the home from going through the process.  Moreover, Servicers make money the longer they Service a delinquent loan and facilitate the foreclosure process.  For this reason, the Servicers have an incentive to drag things out.  This is exacerbated if you have a higher-than-market-interest-rate because a common strategy of Servicers and Banks when dealing with delinquent borrowers who have equity is to engage in “equity stripping” by dragging out foreclosure proceedings to run up costs and fees so that the Servicer, the Bank, and their Law Firm eat up as much of your equity as possible, enhancing their margins and unjustly enriching themselves at your expense.  Wells Fargo has recently been in the news for discriminatory “equity stripping” practices. See Fulton County, Georgia, et al., Plaintiffs, v. Wells Fargo & Co., et al.
  2. Stop Foreclosure by Applying for a Loan Modification – After a Foreclosure Is Filed & Before a Sheriff Sale is Scheduled: Under 12 CFR 1024.41 – loss mitigation procedures, subsection (g) your Servicer cannot move for a judgment or sheriff sale without providing a loss mitigation review decision and unless you reject any/all options provided by the Bank.
  3. Stop Foreclosure by Applying for a Loan Modification – After a Sheriff Sale is Scheduled, But 37 Days Before Sale Occurs: Under 12 CFR 1024.41 – loss mitigation procedures, subsection (g) your Servicer cannot proceed with a sheriff sale as a matter of law if you submit a “complete loss mitigation application” more than 37 days before that sheriff sale is scheduled.

Helpful Hudson County NJ Foreclosure Resources

Hudson County Courthouse

583 Newark Avenue, Jersey City, NJ 07306

Hudson County Courthouse
William Brennan Courthouse
583 Newark Avenue, Jersey City, NJ 07306

Hudson County Chancery Division Judges:

Presiding Judge Mary K. Costello, P.J.Ch.Div.

Phone: 201-748-4400 ext 60270    

Fax: 201-748-4439   

W.J. Brennan Courthouse

583 Newark Ave., 2nd Floor

Jersey City, NJ 07306

Hudson County Sheriff's Office

Hudson County Sheriff’s Office Sheriff Frank X. Schillari

Hudson Plaza
257 Cornelison Avenue
Jersey City, NJ 07302

Hudson County Sheriff’s Office

Sheriff Frank X. Schillari

SHERIFF’S SALES & FORECLOSURE LISTINGS

Foreclosure Sales are conducted on Thursdays, twice a month, at 2:00 pm.

For foreclosure sale listings, click here.

The Sheriff’s Business Office is located in Room 2001 at Hudson Plaza. 

     Hudson Plaza

     257 Cornelison Avenue

     Jersey City, NJ 07302

SALES SCHEDULE

Foreclosure sales are currently scheduled for the following dates in 2022:

August 4th & August 25th

September 8th & September 22nd

October 6th & October 20th

November 3rd & November 17th

December 1st & December 15th

SALES LOCATION & RESTRICTIONS

Foreclosure Sales are held in Room 400 at the Hudson County Administration Building located at 595 Newark Avenue in Jersey City, N.J. 07306.  All sales will begin promptly when the doors close at 2:00 pm.

FORECLOSURE PREVENTION RESOURCES

You may not have to lose your home.  The first step towards getting assistance is to seek help from a free HUD-certified housing counselor.  A counselor will assess your current situation and advise you of your available options.  Call the Waterfront Project for assistance at  (551) 256-7578   

  • To search for other agencies, please visit portal.hud.govor call (888) 955-4673.  Phone based counseling is available in 170 languages.
  • Affordable Refinancing: If you have stable income, the following agencies may be able to assist you:
    • Stabilizing Urban Neighborhoods (SUN) (855) 604-4463 bostoncommunitycapital.org(Free to apply)
    • NJ Mortgage Finance Agency (HMFA) (855) 647-7700 njhousing.gov/foreclosure(Free to apply)
  • Download the Foreclosure Assistance Brochure by clicking here.

RESOURCES FOR TENANTS AND LANDLORDS

Free HUD-certified counseling

AFFORDABLE HOUSING RESOURCES

Affordable apartments and homes in Hudson County can be found through www.nj.gov/njhrc/find/