Maine Foreclosure Laws - Foreclosures in Maine

Maine Foreclosure Laws

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Maine Foreclosure is Judicial.

Commencement of foreclosure by civil action

The foreclosure must be commenced in accordance with the Maine foreclosure Rules of Civil Procedure, and the mortgagee shall also record a copy of the complaint or a clerk's certificate of the filing of the complaint in each registry of deeds in which the mortgage deed is or by law ought to be recorded and such recording thereafter constitutes record notice of commencement of foreclosure. The complaint must allege with specificity the plaintiff's claim by mortgage on such real estate, describe the mortgaged premises intelligibly, state the existence of public utility easements, if any, that were recorded subsequent to the mortgage and prior to the commencement of the foreclosure proceeding and without mortgagee consent, state the amount due on the mortgage, state the condition broken and by reason of such breach demand a foreclosure and sale. Service of process on all parties in interest and all proceedings must be in accordance with the Maine foreclosure Rules of Civil Procedure.

"Parties in interest" include mortgagors, holders of fee interest, mortgagees, lessees pursuant to recorded leases or memoranda thereof, lienors and attaching creditors all as reflected by the indices in the registry of deeds and the documents referred to therein affecting the mortgaged premises, through the time of the recording of the complaint or the clerk's certificate. Failure to join any party in interest does not invalidate the action nor any subsequent proceedings as to those joined. Failure of the mortgagee to join, as a party in interest, the holder of any public utility easement recorded subsequent to the mortgage and prior to commencement of Maine foreclosure proceedings is deemed consent by the mortgagee to such easement. Any other party having a claim to the real estate whose claim is not recorded in the registry of deeds as of the time of recording of the copy of the complaint or the clerk's certificate need not be joined in the foreclosure action, and any such party has no claim against the real estate after completion of the foreclosure sale; provided that any such party may move to intervene in the action for the purpose of being added as a party in interest at any time prior to the entry of judgment.

Maine Foreclosure Hearing and Judgment

Maine foreclosure law states that after the hearing, the court shall determine whether there has been a breach of condition in the plaintiff's mortgage, the amount due thereon, including reasonable attorney's fees and court costs, the order of priority and those amounts, if any, that may be due to other parties that may appear and whether any public utility easements held by a party in interest survive the proceedings.

If the court determines that such a breach exists, a judgment of foreclosure and sale shall issue providing that if the mortgagor, his successors, heirs and assigns do not pay the sum that the court adjudges to be due and payable, with interest within the period of redemption, the mortgagee shall proceed with a sale as provided. If the mortgagor, his successors, heirs and assigns pay to the mortgagee the sum that the court adjudges to be due and payable to the mortgagee with interest within the period of redemption, then the mortgagee shall forthwith discharge the mortgage and file a dismissal of the action for foreclosure with the clerk of the court.

On mortgages executed prior to October 1, 1975, unless the mortgage contains language to the contrary, the period of redemption shall be one year from the date of the judgment. On mortgages executed on or after October 1, 1975, the period of redemption shall be 90 days from the date of the judgment. In either case, the redemption period shall begin to run upon entry of the judgment of foreclosure, provided that no appeal is taken.

Maine Foreclosure Sale following expiration of Period of Redemption

Upon expiration of the period of redemption, if the mortgagor, or the mortgagor's successors, heirs or assigns have not redeemed the mortgage, any remaining rights of the mortgagor to possession terminate, and the mortgagee shall cause notice of a public sale of the premises stating the time, place and terms of the sale to be published once in each of 3 successive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation in the county in which the premises are located; the first publication to be made not more than 90 days after the expiration of the period of redemption. The public sale must be held not less than 30 days nor more than 45 days after the first date of that publication and may be adjourned, for any time not exceeding 7 days and from time to time until a sale is made, by announcement to those present at each adjournment. The mortgagee, in its sole discretion, may allow the mortgagor to redeem or reinstate the loan after the expiration of the period of redemption but before the public sale. The mortgagee may convey the property to the mortgagor or execute a waiver of foreclosure and all other rights of all other parties remain as if no foreclosure had been commenced. The mortgagee shall sell the premises to the highest bidder at the public sale and deliver a deed of that sale to the purchaser. The deed conveys the premises free and clear of all interests of the parties in interest joined in the action. The mortgagee or any other party in interest may bid at the public sale. If the mortgagee is the highest bidder at the public sale, there is no obligation to account for any surplus upon a subsequent sale by the mortgagee. Any rights of the mortgagee to a deficiency claim against the mortgagors are limited to the amount established as of the date of the public sale. The date of the public sale is the date on which bids are received to establish the sales price, no matter when the sale is completed by the delivery of the deed to the highest bidder.

In foreclosures by civil action commenced on or after January 1, 1995, the mortgagee shall cause notice of the public sale to be mailed by ordinary mail to all parties who appeared in the foreclosure action or to their attorneys of record. The notice must be mailed no less than 30 calendar days before the date of sale. Failure to provide notice of the public sale to any party who appeared does not affect the validity of the sale.

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