Outstanding mortgage balance that much higher than original!?

[Robert Steele]

I know it is not possible to get the mortgage balance without permission/info from the borrower.

I also know you can get a rough estimate by pulling the mortgage doc from public records, lookup the prevailing interest rate at the time, and plug it into an amortization calculator. But..

I've been seeing judicial foreclosures with balances that are almost 50% higher than the original loan amount. I know there are some legal costs in there but does that explain most of it? Can being delinquent on your mortgage really rack up that much in fees!?

In another context if I am buying subject to the existing mortgage it is pretty damn important to know what the loan balance is. If I can be off by that much then it is a very risky proposition indeed.