Illinois Sheriff To Resume Mortgage Foreclosure Evictions From Monday

October 17, 2008 5:10 a.m. EST

Chicago, Illinois (AHN) - An Illinois sheriff announced that he will resume performing evictions in foreclosure cases on Monday, following the suspension of the process last week.

Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart said he will start mortgage foreclosure evictions after reaching a deal with the courts to prevent innocent tenants from being victimized.

Sheriff Dart had announced a moratorium on foreclosure evictions last week as the authorities found innocent tenants were being removed during the process.

He added that these tenants had actually paid rents on time, but did not know that their landlords went into foreclosure as they were behind on payments.

On Thursday, Sheriff Dart announced that he has discussed and decided on new legal safeguards with Judge Dorothy K. Kinnaird, supervisor of the Cook County Chancery Court.

Under the new rules, the bank holding the mortgage will have to provide the court with a detailed description of the foreclosed property or building and identify all its renters.

According to the sheriff's office, in the month of May 2008, foreclosure filings increased by 57 percent to around 6,000 in Cook County, higher than a year ago period. In the county, one out of every 362 homes is in foreclosure.

In Illinois, the number of foreclosure filings have been at record level and increased by 58 percent during the second quarter of 2008. So one out of every 193 homes is in foreclosure.