What to do when a CrossCountry Mortgage account holder dies

A successor in interest is someone who receives an ownership interest in the home after the borrower dies — for example a surviving spouse, a joint owner, or an heir who inherits the property. Under the CFPB successor-in-interest rules (Regulation X, 12 CFR 1024.30 through 1024.41), once CrossCountry confirms a successor in interest, that person can receive account information and apply for loss mitigation and is treated as a borrower for most servicing purposes, without being required to assume personal liability for the debt. Confirmation requires documents such as a deed, will, Letters of Testamentary, a probate order, or an affidavit of heirship.

No. A mortgage is a debt secured by the home, not an asset with a payable-on-death or beneficiary designation. When the borrower dies, the loan does not disappear; it becomes an obligation that the estate or the person who inherits the home resolves through payoff, keeping the loan as a successor, or sale.

The federal Garn-St. Germain Depository Institutions Act (12 U.S.C. 1701j-3(d)) prevents a lender from enforcing the due-on-sale clause when a relative who inherits the home moves in and takes over the mortgage. The same protection covers a transfer to a surviving spouse or joint tenant and certain transfers into the borrower's living trust. This lets an inheriting family member continue the existing loan rather than being forced to refinance or pay it off immediately. CrossCountry still requires documentation confirming the death and your ownership interest before releasing information.

CrossCountry accepts one or more of: the death certificate; evidence of family relationship (marriage or birth certificate); the will; a judge-signed probate proceeding order; court documents such as Letters of Testamentary, Letter of Personal Representative, or Letter of Fiduciary; the deed; and, where there is no will, an intestate heirs affidavit or recorded affidavit of heirship. Recorded Life Estate, Lady Bird, or Transfer Upon Death deeds are accepted when the property passed automatically.

Yes. The death of a borrower does not pause the monthly payment obligation. Payments continue to be due while the estate or a successor works out how to resolve the loan, and missed payments can lead to late fees and, eventually, foreclosure. Payments go to PO Box 650783, Dallas, TX 75265, or through the online servicing account. If payments cannot be kept current, mortgage assistance options can be discussed with servicing at 833-755-2066.

Estate and deceased-customer documents go to CrossCountry Mortgage, PO Box 612488, Dallas, TX 75261, or by fax to 469-322-4655. Payments go to PO Box 650783, Dallas, TX 75265 (overnight payments to 3000 Kellway Drive, Suite 120, Carrollton, TX 75006). General written correspondence goes to 8950 Cypress Waters Blvd., Coppell, TX 75019, and notices of error go to PO Box 619098, Dallas, TX 75261. Sending estate documents to the payment address can delay processing.