@Anthony Dooley A quit claim deed DOES give you ownership, that is what the document is for. What you are talking about is getting a Warranty Deed which means the title is free and clear of any liens.
@Andrew Postell & @Darrin Carey Bankruptcy DOES not clear the debt on a house because it is secured, only the unsecured debt is wiped out in CH 7. Each state has an amount of equity the owners can keep in a CH 7 BK but if the equity is more than that then the BK courts will sell the property to get the income to pay off as much of the debt as possible, starting with the secured debt.
@Davido Davido is partially right. The only way you can talk to the bank that has a lien against the house is to get the current owner to sign a Release of Information giving you the right to talk to the bank. Just because you are the new owner DOES NOT give you the right to talk to the bank about the loan, because of the Privacy Act.
The real question here is did the mortgage company file for a foreclosure?