PROBATE Question - TROUBLE obtaining a loan payoff from Reverse Mortgage Lender

[Michael Morrongiello]

Situation: Owner who took out a RV- Reverse Mortgage back in 2007 originally thru Wells Fargo passed away recently in 2023. 
That RV loan was transferred to HUD, then serviced by Champion Mortgage and most recently by Nationstar

The daughter of the Decedent (the Father who passed away) has been left with a MESS.
She called Nationstar and informed them that her Father has passed away. They told her that they would give her 6 months to sell the property or pay off the loan. However she and the family cannot find any will that exists, and NO SPECIFIC Information about the Reverse Mortgage loan at all. When they attempted to call BOTH Champion Mortgage and also Nationstar they were told that they could NOT speak with her nor provide her with any information about the loan because she has no evidence to show she is the executor of her Fathers estate (and they have the same last name)

Before we spend a LOT of time and money ($$) going down this rabbit hole with this property we really NEED to know WHAT may be still due on the Reverse Mortgage Loan.

Any TRICKS to getting more information from the loan servicer or a loan payoff generated by them?

[Tom Gimer]

The lender will only provide information about the loan to a successor in interest. In this case the SII would the the executor or personal representative (depending on the jurisdiction) of the decedent’s estate. 

If the decedent died intestate (without a will) the family can still open an estate. They should do so in the county where the decedent resided at the time of his death. The court will appoint the executor/pr and issue letters of administration or whatever the evidence of the appointment is referred to locally. That evidence along with the death certificate should be sufficient for the lender to update the account with SII information and discuss the loan. 

If the payoff exceeds the value of the property, I believe federal law allows the family to purchase the property for 95% of its appraised value. Good luck.