Act 91 Notice Required

Anyone who has had any dealings with mortgage foreclosures has heard of the ACT 91 NOTICE FORM.  The Act 91 notice is required to be sent to homeowners because of the Homeowner’s Emergency Mortgage Assistance Program (HEMAP).   HEMAP is a program administered by the Pennsylvania Housing Financing Agency that provides emergency assistance to qualifying Pennsylvania residents who cannot make their mortgage payments.  HEMAP was discontinued in July of 2011 due to insufficient funding.  Thus, because that program was not accepting applications, Act 91 Notices were no longer required to be sent to the homeowner. 

However, following a settlement with top mortgage companies, the program was reinstated when, on June 22, 2012, Governor Tom Corbett signed the “Homeowner Assistance Settlement Act” (Senate Bill 1433).  This Act provides for funding for the HEMAP program.  In fact, ninety percent of the settlement funds will go toward this program.  Once again, mortgage holders will be required to send the Act 91 Notice before beginning foreclosure proceedings.  This Notice informs the homeowner of the HEMAP program, explains how the program works, and provides other detailed information about the homeowner’s options.

On August 18, 2012, the PA Bulletin published a notice announcing that mortgage holders will once again be required to send these Act 91 notices beginning October 2, 2012.  The announcement also made it clear that these notices must meet the specific requirements of the Act.  A copy of the current Act 91 notice can be found on our blog under forms.

For more information about Act 91 notices and other foreclosure procedures, seek the help of a professional business and real estate attorney.  The attorneys at the Scolieri-Beam Law Group, P.C. can help you with the foreclosure process.  Contact us today at (412)765-0546 or info@scolierilaw.com.