Wyoming Foreclosure Laws and Procedures

What are the foreclosure laws in Wyoming? Find out here.

By , Attorney · University of Denver Sturm College of Law

Before the foreclosure crisis, federal and state laws regulating mortgage servicers and foreclosure procedures were relatively limited and tended to favor foreclosing lenders. However, many federal and state laws now give protections to borrowers. Servicers generally must provide borrowers with loss mitigation opportunities, account for each foreclosure step, and carefully comply with foreclosure laws.

Also, most people who take out a loan to buy a residential property in Wyoming sign a promissory note and a mortgage. These documents give homeowners some contractual rights in addition to federal and state legal protections.

So, don't get caught off guard if you're a homeowner behind in mortgage payments. Learn about Wyoming foreclosure laws and how the foreclosure process in Wyoming works, from missing your first payment to a foreclosure sale.

What Are My Rights During Foreclosure in Wyoming?

In a Wyoming foreclosure, you'll most likely get the right to:

  • receive a preforeclosure notice, called a "breach letter"
  • apply for loss mitigation
  • receive certain foreclosure notices
  • get current on the loan and stop the foreclosure sale
  • receive special protections if you're in the military
  • pay off the loan to prevent a sale
  • redeem the property after a foreclosure sale, and
  • get any excess money after a foreclosure sale.

Once you understand the Wyoming foreclosure process and your rights, you can make the most of your situation and, hopefully, work out a way to save your home or at least get through the process with as little anxiety as possible.

What Is Preforeclosure?

The period after you fall behind in payments, but before a foreclosure officially starts, is generally called the "preforeclosure" stage. (Sometimes, people refer to the period before a foreclosure sale happens as "preforeclosure," too.)

During the preforeclosure period, the servicer can charge you various fees. Also, in most cases, federal law requires the servicer to let you know how to avoid foreclosure, and most mortgage contracts require the servicer to send you a breach letter.

Fees the Servicer Can Charge During Preforeclosure

If you miss a payment, most loans include a grace period of ten or fifteen days, after which time the servicer will assess a late fee. Each month you miss a payment, the servicer will charge this fee. To find out the late charge amount and grace period for your loan, look at the promissory note you signed. You can also find this information on your monthly mortgage statement.

Also, most Wyoming mortgages allow the lender (or the current loan holder, referred to as the "lender" in this article) to take necessary steps to protect its interest in the property. Property inspections are performed to ensure that the home is occupied and appropriately maintained. Inspections, which are generally drive-by, are usually ordered automatically once the loan goes into default and typically cost around $10 or $15.

Additional types of fees the servicer might charge include, among others, fees for broker's price opinions, which are like appraisals, and property preservation costs, such as for yard maintenance or winterizing an abandoned home.

Federal Mortgage Servicing Laws and Foreclosure Protections

Under federal mortgage servicing laws, the servicer must contact, or attempt to contact, you by phone to discuss loss mitigation options, like a loan modification, forbearance, or repayment plan, no later than 36 days after you miss a payment and again within 36 days after each following delinquency. (12 C.F.R. § 1024.39),

No later than 45 days after missing a payment, the servicer has to inform you in writing about loss mitigation options that might be available and appoint personnel to help you try to work out a way to avoid foreclosure. A few exceptions are in place for some of these requirements, though, like if you've filed bankruptcy or asked the servicer not to contact you pursuant to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. (12 C.F.R. § 1024.39, 12 C.F.R. § 1024.40).

Federal mortgage servicing laws also prohibit dual tracking (pursuing a foreclosure while a complete loss mitigation application is pending). (12 C.F.R. § 1024.41).

What Is a Breach Letter?

Many Wyoming mortgages have a provision that requires the lender to send a notice, commonly called a "breach letter," informing you that the loan is in default before the lender can accelerate the loan. The breach letter gives you a chance to cure the default and avoid foreclosure.

When Can a Foreclosure in Wyoming Start?

Under federal law, the servicer usually can't officially begin a foreclosure until you're more than 120 days past due on payments, subject to a few exceptions. (12 C.F.R. § 1024.41). This 120-day period provides most homeowners with ample opportunity to submit a loss mitigation application to the servicer.

What Types of Foreclosure Are Available in Wyoming?

If you default on your mortgage payments in Wyoming, the lender may foreclose using a judicial or nonjudicial method.

How Judicial Foreclosures Work

A judicial foreclosure begins when the lender files a lawsuit asking a court for an order allowing a foreclosure sale. If you don't respond with a written answer, the lender will automatically win the case.

But if you choose to defend the foreclosure lawsuit, the court will review the evidence and determine the winner. If the lender wins, the judge will enter a judgment and order your home sold at auction.

How Nonjudicial Foreclosures Work

If the lender chooses a nonjudicial foreclosure, it must complete the out-of-court procedures described in the state statutes. After completing the required steps, the lender can sell the home at a foreclosure sale.

Most lenders opt to use the nonjudicial process because it's quicker and cheaper than litigating the matter in court.

How Do Nonjudicial Foreclosures Work in Wyoming?

Again, most residential foreclosures in Wyoming are nonjudicial. Here's how the process works.

At least ten days before publishing a notice of sale, the lender mails you (the homeowner) and the home's occupant, if different than the homeowner, a notice of intent to foreclose. (Wyo. Stat. § 34-4-103).

Next, the lender publishes a notice of sale in a newspaper once a week for four consecutive weeks prior to the sale. (Wyo. Stat. § 34-4-104).

Also, before the first date of publication, the lender must send a copy of the notice of sale to you and various other parties by certified mail. (Wyo. Stat. § 34-4-104).

How Do Foreclosure Sales Work in Wyoming?

At the sale, the lender usually makes a credit bid. The lender can bid up to the total amount owed, including fees and costs, or it may bid less. In some states, including Wyoming, when the lender is the high bidder at the sale but bids less than the total debt, it can get a deficiency judgment against the borrower. If the lender is the highest bidder, the property becomes what's called "Real Estate Owned" (REO).

But if a bidder, say a third party, is the highest bidder and offers more than you owe, and the sale results in excess proceeds—that is, money over and above what's needed to pay off all the liens on your property—you're entitled to that surplus money.

What Are the Options Available for Borrowers During Foreclosure in Wyoming?

A few potential ways to stop a foreclosure and keep your home include reinstating the loan, redeeming the property before or after the sale, or filing for bankruptcy. Working out a loss mitigation option, like a loan modification, will also stop a foreclosure.

Or you might be able to work out a short sale or deed in lieu of foreclosure and avoid foreclosure. (But you'll have to give up your home with a short sale or deed in lieu of foreclosure transaction.)

Reinstating the Loan

While Wyoming law doesn't provide the homeowner with the right to reinstate the loan, the mortgage contract might provide a reinstatement right. Check your mortgage to find out if you get the right to complete a reinstatement and, if so, the deadline for doing so. Or the lender might permit you to bring the account current.

What Is the Redemption Period for Foreclosure in Wyoming?

One way to stop a foreclosure is by "redeeming" the property. To redeem, you have to pay off the full amount of the loan before the foreclosure sale.

Some states also provide foreclosed borrowers with a redemption period after the foreclosure sale, during which they can buy back the home. In Wyoming, foreclosed homeowners may redeem the property within:

  • three months of the sale date, or
  • twelve months of the sale date, if the property is considered agricultural under state law. (Wyo. Stat. § 1-18-103(a),(b)).

As of July 1, 2019, Wyoming law gives the purchaser from the foreclosure sale a limited right to inspect the home during the redemption period. The purpose of this law is so that the purchaser can ensure that the property doesn't significantly deteriorate during the full redemption period. Under the law, a "limited right of entry" means entrance into a premises that's not occupied by a legal inhabitant. (Wyo. Stat. § 1-18-111).

Filing for Bankruptcy

If you're facing a foreclosure, filing for bankruptcy might help. In fact, if a foreclosure sale is scheduled to occur in the next day or so, the best way to stop the sale immediately is by filing for bankruptcy.

Once you file for bankruptcy, something called an "automatic stay" goes into effect. The stay functions as an injunction, which prohibits the lender from foreclosing on your home or otherwise trying to collect its debt, at least temporarily.

In many cases, filing for Chapter 7 bankruptcy can delay the foreclosure by a matter of months. Or, if you want to save your home, filing for Chapter 13 bankruptcy might be the answer. To find out about the options available to you, speak with a local bankruptcy attorney.

Foreclosure Protections and Military Servicemembers

The federal Servicemembers Civil Relief Act provides legal protections to military personnel who are at risk of foreclosure.

Under state law, the legal protections under the federal Servicemembers Civil Relief Act are extended to members of the Wyoming national guard ordered to active state service by the state or federal government for a period of more than 30 consecutive days. (Wyo. Stat. § 19-11-122).

Are Deficiency Judgments Allowed in Wyoming?

In a foreclosure, the borrower's total mortgage debt sometimes exceeds the foreclosure sale price. The difference between the total debt and the sale price is called a "deficiency." For example, say the total debt owed is $400,000, but the home sells for $350,000 at the foreclosure sale. The deficiency is $50,000.

In some states, the lender can seek a personal judgment against the debtor to recover the deficiency. Generally, once the lender gets a deficiency judgment, the lender may collect this amount—in our example, $50,000—from the borrower.

In Wyoming, the lender can seek a deficiency judgment against you by filing a lawsuit following the foreclosure. (Wyo. Stat. § 34-4-113 and § 1-18-113).

What Are the Potential Consequences of Foreclosure?

A foreclosure could result in serious consequences, like lower credit scores, a deficiency judgment (as discussed above), or tax consequences.

More Foreclosure Information

For more information on federal mortgage servicing laws, as well as foreclosure relief options, go to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) website.

Read More Articles

Get tips on what to do—and what not to do—if you're facing a foreclosure.

Find out if foreclosures are on the rise.

Getting Help

If you have questions about Wyoming's foreclosure process or want to learn about potential defenses to a foreclosure and possibly fight the foreclosure in court, consider talking to a foreclosure attorney. Talking to a HUD-approved housing counselor about different loss mitigation options is also a good idea.

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