West Virginia Foreclosure Laws and Procedures

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 West Virginia sign a promissory note and a deed of trust. These documents usually give homeowners certain contractual rights after a mortgage loan default.

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

What Are My Rights During Foreclosure in West Virginia?

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

• apply for loss mitigation
• receive notice of the foreclosure
• receive special protections if you're in the military
• pay off the loan to prevent a sale
• file for bankruptcy, and
• get any excess money after a foreclosure sale.

Once you understand the West Virginia 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 (a preforeclosure notice).

When Can a Foreclosure Start in West Virginia?

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 couple of exceptions. (12 C.F.R. § 1024.41). This 120-day period provides most homeowners ample opportunity to submit a loss mitigation application to the servicer.

What Is the Foreclosure Process in West Virginia?

If you default on your mortgage payments in West Virginia, 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.

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 for the nonjudicial process because it's quicker and cheaper than litigating the matter in court.

Which Is the Most Common Foreclosure Process in West Virginia?

Again, most residential foreclosures in West Virginia are nonjudicial. The foreclosing lender first gives a notice of default to you (the borrower), which provides ten days to cure the default (get current on the loan). (W. Va. Code § 46A-2-106).

The trustee then mails you a notice of sale within a reasonable time before the sale, as well as publishes the notice in a newspaper. The notice requirement is complete when the trustee mails the notice of sale, regardless of whether the mail is returned as refused or is undeliverable. (See Joy v. Chessie Employees Fed. Credit Union, 411 S.E.2d 261 (W.Va. 1991). In Joy v. Chessie, the court said 18 days was reasonable notice. See also W. Va. Code § 38-1-4).

How Do West Virginia Foreclosure Sales Work?

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 West Virginia, 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 (see below).

If the lender is the highest bidder, the property becomes "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 West Virginia?

A few potential ways to stop a foreclosure and keep your home include reinstating the loan, redeeming the property before 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

Again, the notice of default gives the borrower ten days to reinstate the loan. You'll lose the right to reinstate after three defaults. (W. Va. Code § 46A-2-106). But the lender might agree to let you complete a reinstatement.

Does West Virginia Have a Right of Redemption for Foreclosure?

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 a redemption period after the foreclosure sale, during which they can buy back the home. But West Virginia law doesn't provide a redemption period following a nonjudicial foreclosure.

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 the options available, speak with a local bankruptcy attorney.

Foreclosure Protections and Military Servicemembers

The federal Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) provides legal protections to military personnel facing foreclosure.

Are Deficiency Judgments Allowed in West Virginia?

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.

West Virginia allows deficiency judgments.

West Virginia Deficiency Judgment Laws

Deficiency judgments are allowed under West Virginia law. (W. Va. Code § 38-1-7). To get a deficiency judgment after a nonjudicial foreclosure, the lender must file a lawsuit against the borrower.

What Are the Potential Consequences of Foreclosure?

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

Learn More About Foreclosure

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

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Learn about last-minute strategies to stop foreclosure.

Find out if foreclosures are on the rise.

Getting Help

If you have questions about West Virginia'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. It's also a good idea to talk to a HUD-approved housing counselor about different loss mitigation options.