CHAPTER 846
MORTGAGES

      Sec. 49-10a. Request for payoff statement. (a) A mortgagee shall, upon written request of the mortgagor or the mortgagor's attorney or other authorized agent provide a payoff statement in writing to the person requesting the payoff statement on or before the date specified in such request, provided such request date is at least ten business days after the date of receipt of the written request for a payoff statement. If the request is made in connection with a default, the mortgagor's attorney may make such written request directly to the mortgagee, provided such written request contains a representation that the person requesting the payoff statement is the mortgagor's attorney and that the mortgagor has authorized the request.

      (b) If the mortgagee fails to provide the payoff statement on or before such request date, the mortgagee shall not be entitled to the payment of any interest on the mortgage loan which is secured by such mortgage which accrues after the expiration of such request date. If the mortgagee provides the payoff statement to the person requesting the payoff statement after the expiration of such request date, interest on the mortgage loan which accrues after the receipt of the payoff statement by the person who has requested it shall again be payable. The burden of proof shall be on the mortgagor with respect to the receipt by the mortgagee of the mortgagor's request for a payoff statement of the mortgage loan, and thereafter shall be on the mortgagee with respect to the receipt of the payoff statement by the mortgagor or the mortgagor's attorney or other authorized agent.

      (c) The mortgagee shall not impose any fee or charge for the first payoff statement requested within a calendar year, unless the mortgagor or the mortgagor's attorney or other authorized agent requests expedited delivery of the payoff statement, agrees to pay a fee for such expedited delivery and the payoff statement is provided by the agreed upon date.

      (P.A. 83-564, S. 2; P.A. 86-341, S. 2; P.A. 95-102, S. 3; P.A. 01-34, S. 15; P.A. 07-210, S. 2.)

      History: P.A. 86-341 deleted former provisions and added new provision re request for payoff statement for mortgage on real estate located in this state which has been assigned; P.A. 95-102 deleted condition limiting applicability of provisions to assignments of mortgages on real estate located within state; P.A. 01-34 added provisions re fee or charge for the first payoff statement provided in a calendar year; P.A. 07-210 inserted Subsec. designators (a), (b) and (c), amended Subsec. (a) to make technical changes and add provision authorizing mortgagor's attorney to make written request directly to mortgagee if request is made in connection with a default and contains a representation that the requester is mortgagor's attorney and mortgagor has authorized request, and amended Subsec. (b) to make technical changes.

      Sec. 49-11. Release of mortgage by executor, administrator, spouse, next of kin, guardian, conservator or other suitable person. The executor of the will or administrator of the estate of any deceased mortgagee, or the spouse or next of kin, or other suitable person whom the court considers to have a sufficient interest, to whom a decree is issued under section 45a-273, and any guardian whose ward, or conservator whose conserved person, as defined in section 45a-644, is a mortgagee, may, on the payment, satisfaction or sale of the mortgage debt, release the legal title to the party entitled thereto.

      (1949 Rev., S. 7115; P.A. 79-193, S. 2; P.A. 80-483, S. 131, 186; P.A. 81-82, S. 2; P.A. 07-116, S. 30.)

      History: P.A. 79-193 authorized spouse or next of kin to release legal title; P.A. 80-483 made slight change in wording for clarity; P.A. 81-82 permitted any suitable person deemed to have a sufficient interest by the court to release a mortgage of a deceased mortgagee; P.A. 07-116 substituted "considers" for "deems", added "or conservator whose conserved person, as defined in section 45a-644" and made a conforming change.

      Sec. 49-26. Conveyance; title of purchaser.

      Motion to open and set aside approval of sale filed during an appeal period stays proceedings until court rules on the motion. 98 CA 72.

      Sec. 49-31f. Application for protection from foreclosure action. Qualifications. Court determination of eligibility. Stay of foreclosure action. (a) Subject to the provisions of subsection (b) of this section, a homeowner who is underemployed or unemployed against whom a foreclosure action is brought may make application, together with a financial affidavit, to the court having jurisdiction over the foreclosure action for protection from foreclosure if: (1) The mortgage being foreclosed encumbers the residential real property, which property has served as such homeowner's principal residence, for a period of not less than two years, (2) such homeowner has not had a foreclosure action commenced against such homeowner in the preceding seven-year period, and (3) such homeowner has not received an emergency mortgage assistance loan and has not applied for emergency mortgage assistance for two years before the application under the provisions of sections 8-265cc to 8-265ii, inclusive.

      (b) If the residential real property which is the subject of a foreclosure action is owned by more than one person, (1) no homeowner shall be deemed an unemployed person or an underemployed person, for the purposes of sections 49-31d to 49-31i, inclusive, unless the aggregate earned income of all the homeowners of the residential real property which is the subject of such foreclosure action during the twelve-month period immediately preceding the commencement of the foreclosure action is less than fifty thousand dollars and less than seventy-five per cent of the average aggregate annual earned income during the two years immediately preceding such twelve-month period for all such homeowners, and (2) all homeowners of such property other than the homeowner making application in accordance with subsection (a) of this section shall file a financial affidavit in connection with such application.

      (c) The court shall determine the eligibility of such homeowner for protection from foreclosure pursuant to the provisions of sections 49-31d to 49-31i, inclusive.

      (d) In determining the eligibility of a homeowner for protection from foreclosure under the provisions of sections 49-31d to 49-31i, inclusive, the court may consider any relevant facts and shall consider:

      (1) The likelihood that the homeowner will be able to make timely payments on the restructured mortgage commencing at the end of the restructuring period; and

      (2) The presence of any substantial prejudice to the lender or any subordinate lienor or encumbrancer which would result from a restructuring of the mortgage debt.

      (e) If the court determines the equity the homeowner has in the property and hears testimony from an appraiser produced by the lender in connection with such determination, (1) the reasonable cost of the appraisal and the appraiser's appearance as a witness shall be part of the court costs to be added to the principal balance pursuant to subdivision (4) of subsection (a) of section 49-31i if a restructuring order is granted, and (2) the reasonable cost of such appraiser's appearance as a witness shall be part of the taxable costs of the action, in addition to the taxable costs for such appraisal and the appraiser's appearance as a witness at a subsequent hearing for a judgment of foreclosure if such order is not granted.

      (f) If the court approves the application for protection from foreclosure and restructures the mortgage debt, the foreclosure action shall be stayed for the restructuring period. If, for a period of three months following the end of the restructuring period, there are no further proceedings to continue the foreclosure proceedings based upon a default on the mortgage as restructured, the foreclosure action shall be dismissed. The restructured mortgage debt shall have the same priority as if it had been advanced at the time the mortgage was delivered.

      (g) No homeowner who files a defense to any action for foreclosure shall be eligible to make application for protection from such foreclosure pursuant to the provisions of this section.

      (P.A. 83-547, S. 8; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 83-29, S. 73; P.A. 84-373, S. 3; 84-546, S. 109, 173; P.A. 93-414, S. 8, 10; P.A. 07-217, S. 182.)

      History: June Sp. Sess. P.A. 83-29 revised section, making various technical changes, inserting "homeowner who is underemployed or unemployed" for "person" in Subsec. (a) and "lender or any subordinate lienor or encumbrancer" for "financial institution" in Subsec. (c)(5), and adding provisions in Subsec. (d) re dismissal of foreclosure action and priority of restructured mortgage debt; P.A. 84-373 inserted new Subsec. (b) to establish eligibility requirements for real property owned by more than one homeowner, relettered former Subsecs. (b) and (c) accordingly and deleted duration of unemployment, record of payment and amount of equity as criteria to determine eligibility, inserted new Subsec. (e) to provide for payment of appraisal costs, relettered former Subsec. (d) as (f) and added Subsec. (g) to deny availability of protection for persons who file any defense to the foreclosure action; P.A. 84-546 made technical changes; P.A. 93-414 added Subsec. (a)(3) making mortgagors who received emergency mortgage assistance loans and applied for such assistance within two years ineligible for protection, effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 07-217 made technical changes, effective July 12, 2007.

      Subsec. (a):

      Clear language of subsec. denies foreclosure protection to anyone who has had a foreclosure action filed against him or her within prior 7-year period regardless of reason for its commencement and even if it was subsequently withdrawn. 103 CA 264.