Talk with an attorney→Foreclosure Clarity · Connecticut foreclosure questions
Before court papers
When mortgage payments are missed, the servicer starts its own process of contact and talking about options. A foreclosure court case may come later. A missed payment or a letter is not a court case. Which options exist depends on the loan, the loan owner, and the servicer. Ways to get oriented include reading your mail, calling the number on your statement, and looking at free or public help.
These words show up on letters, court papers, and phone calls. They are not always the same company or person, so check each document.
Servicer. The company that collects your mortgage payments and handles your loan day to day. The phone number on your monthly statement is the servicer's number. This is who you talk to about payment help.
Lender or bank. The company that made your loan, or the company that owns it now. The owner of the loan can be a different company from your servicer. The owner affects which help options exist, and the servicer works within that.
Plaintiff. In a foreclosure court case, the plaintiff is the party that started the case. The summons names the plaintiff and its attorney. The name can be different from the name on your statement.
State marshal. An officer who delivers court papers such as a summons and complaint. Papers can be handed to you or left at your home. Whether papers were delivered properly is a legal question for individual review.
Court clerk. The staff of the court where the case is pending. The clerk's office keeps the court file and takes filings. The summons shows the clerk's address. The Judicial Branch says court staff give information about court procedure, not legal advice.
Court Service Center. A help desk in many courthouses for people handling a case without an attorney. Staff can help with court forms, e-filing, and calendar and docket information. The Judicial Branch says staff give information, not legal advice. Hours and locations vary, so check before you go.
HUD-approved housing counselor. A counselor at a nonprofit agency approved by HUD, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. A counselor can explain options and help you talk with your servicer. A counselor cannot promise you will keep your home. HUD is a federal agency. The counselors work at separate agencies. CFPB notes that if you have been served with legal papers, you might also need to talk with an attorney.
Federal servicing rules set several steps after a missed payment. Each step has its own day count. The days are counted from a missed payment. They are separate from the Return Date and from any court filing period. See These are different steps. The rules cover loans secured by a principal residence. Some loans and servicers are covered differently, including reverse mortgages and small servicers. Whether a rule applies to a loan is a question for individual review.
A federal rule limits when a servicer may make its first foreclosure filing.
Foreclosure Clarity cannot tell you whether this rule applies to your loan.
A servicer can talk with a homeowner about ways to avoid foreclosure. The umbrella term is loss mitigation. A servicer is not required to offer any particular option. Which options exist depends on the loan owner, the servicer, and the loan type.
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) describes three common options:
Other options can include a short sale or a deed in lieu of foreclosure. Each one has its own terms. Foreclosure Clarity does not say which, if any, fits a particular loan.
You can search the Connecticut Judicial Branch case look-up by name, docket number, or property address. Check what you find with the court clerk. A search with no result does not prove there is no case.
Connecticut has a Judicial Branch foreclosure mediation program for eligible owner-occupants. It is requested separately from an Appearance, it does not by itself stop a case, and the lender does not have to change the loan.
A letter is not a lawsuit. A court case exists only when a plaintiff has started one with a summons and complaint that is delivered to you and filed with the court.
You may receive letters before any court case exists. Examples are late-payment notices, notices from your servicer about help options, a demand letter or notice of intent to accelerate the loan, a letter from a law firm, and, for some mortgages, a Connecticut EMAP notice sent by certified or registered mail. These can be serious and you should read and keep them. They are still letters.
Court papers come with a summons and complaint delivered by a state marshal or other officer. They name a court, a Return Date, and the plaintiff's attorney, and they come with court forms attached.
A letter alone does not tell you whether a court case has been filed. Some servicer notices say whether the servicer has started foreclosure, but the court record is the place to check. Search the case look-up or ask the court clerk.
If you have court papers, go to "I was served foreclosure papers. What now?" If you have only letters, go to "I'm behind on my mortgage. What should I do?"
Have court papers? I was served foreclosure papers. What now?
Connecticut has a state loan program for some homeowners who fall behind.
EMAP is the Emergency Mortgage Assistance Program. CHFA runs it. CHFA is the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority. The program is set up under Connecticut law.
It is a loan, not a grant. CHFA says the EMAP loan is not a grant but a mortgage with a lien on your property. Under CHFA's description, repayment is deferred until the home is sold or refinanced, or until you stop living there as your primary residence.
What it may do. CHFA says EMAP may provide emergency mortgage or lien assistance to eligible homeowners who have fallen behind, or expect to fall behind, because of a financial hardship beyond their control.
It is not for everyone and it is not guaranteed. There are eligibility tests, including about the hardship, whether you live in the home, assets, and credit history. CHFA says that if you received a notice to foreclose, you must first work with your lender. If a bankruptcy is open, CHFA's application says trustee or court permission is needed. Funding is "within available funds," and CHFA can stop taking applications if the money runs out. Foreclosure Clarity cannot tell you whether you would qualify, which hardships count, or whether the program is open right now.
The EMAP notice. For some mortgages, the lender must mail a notice by certified or registered mail before it starts a foreclosure. That notice gives 60 days from the date of the notice to meet or talk with the lender or a credit counseling agency, and to contact CHFA. The notice is not required while CHFA has posted a notice that funds are not available. Do not assume you will get one. Whether your mortgage is covered is a question for individual review.
CHFA's review period. If you apply, CHFA decides within 30 calendar days of receiving the application. During that period, for a covered mortgage, the statute says no judgment of strict foreclosure or foreclosure by sale may be entered. That is a hold on entering a judgment. It does not cancel the case.
To ask whether applications are open, contact CHFA directly. See the help page.
These steps are information, not advice for your case. You can do some, all, or none of them.
People in trouble with a mortgage are often targeted by scams. These are warning signs.
Federal guidance says a lawyer can ask for money up front only if all of these are true:
A Connecticut Department of Banking page and a court notice (JD-CV-126) also say you should never pay an attorney you have not met.
The Connecticut Department of Banking can tell you whether a company is licensed, and it takes complaints. You can also report to the Connecticut Attorney General, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and the Federal Trade Commission. See the help page for contact details.
You can use one path, two, or all three.
There is more than one way to get help. You can use one, two, or all three. You do not have to start with a lawyer.
Read plain-language explanations, look at your own papers, and check official court pages. This is a good place to start if you want to know what you are looking at before you talk to anyone.
Read the sections above and check the case look-up.
Government agencies, courts, and nonprofits run their own programs. Some cost nothing, some cost a little, and some depend on your income or where you live. Some give information or advice. Advice is not the same as having a lawyer represent you in your case. Foreclosure Clarity does not run these programs. The help page says what each one does, what it cannot do, and when we last checked it.
See HUD-approved counseling, state help lines, and court programs, with what each can and cannot do.
A private attorney can look at your papers and your facts and give advice about your situation. This is one path, not the only one. Attorneys charge fees and set their own terms. Foreclosure Clarity does not rank, rate, or recommend attorneys.
An attorney can look at your papers and your facts and give advice about your situation.
Picking one path does not close off the others.
Sources are listed below. We last checked them on October 2, 2026.