What to do when a Fay Servicing account holder dies
Contact Fay Servicing — 5-step process, 6 required documents, and fay does not publish a fixed timeline for a deceased-borrower account. notify customer service and submit the death certificate as soon as possible; fay provides a list of the documentation needed to confirm identity and ownership interest on request. documenting successor-in-interest status and completing an assumption or refinance can take several weeks to a few months depending on probate and the credit and income review.
Fay Servicing Customer Service
Corporate office: Fay Servicing, LLC, 5426 Bay Center Drive, Suite 300, Tampa, FL 33609. Applications / Authorization to Release Information: Fay Servicing, LLC, Attn: Applications, 440 S. LaSalle, Suite 2000, Chicago, IL 60605 (fax (312) 509-4794; email applications@fayservicing.com). Payments only: Fay Servicing, LLC, Payment Processing, PO Box 88009, Chicago, IL 60680-1009. Overnight payoffs/reinstatements only: Fay Servicing, LLC, Attn: Payment Processing, 1601 LBJ Freeway, Suite 150, Farmers Branch, TX 75234. Complaints: Fay Servicing, LLC, Attn: Complaints Department, P.O. Box 815548, Farmers Branch, TX 75381. Include the loan number on all pages of correspondence.
Fay Servicing Customer Service
Corporate office: Fay Servicing, LLC, 5426 Bay Center Drive, Suite 300, Tampa, FL 33609. Applications / Authorization to Release Information: Fay Servicing, LLC, Attn: Applications, 440 S. LaSalle, Suite 2000, Chicago, IL 60605 (fax (312) 509-4794; email applications@fayservicing.com). Payments only: Fay Servicing, LLC, Payment Processing, PO Box 88009, Chicago, IL 60680-1009. Overnight payoffs/reinstatements only: Fay Servicing, LLC, Attn: Payment Processing, 1601 LBJ Freeway, Suite 150, Farmers Branch, TX 75234. Complaints: Fay Servicing, LLC, Attn: Complaints Department, P.O. Box 815548, Farmers Branch, TX 75381. Include the loan number on all pages of correspondence.
Fay Servicing Customer Service (Successor in Interest / Deceased Borrower)
Fay Servicing, LLC, Attn: Applications, 440 S. LaSalle, Suite 2000, Chicago, IL 60605
Notifying Fay Servicing of a death is not a claim for money — it is the step that stops the account, fixes the balance owed as of the date of death, and puts Fay Servicing on notice as a creditor of the estate. The Fay Servicing Customer Service (Successor in Interest / Deceased Borrower) (1-800-495-7166) handles it.
To start a claim, contact Fay Servicing by phone at 1-800-495-7166 or email documentation to applications@fayservicing.com. You will need the account holder's full name, account numbers, and a certified death certificate.
Death claim process
Here is the step-by-step death claim process at Fay Servicing:
Filing a claim
- A co-borrower on the loan remains responsible for the mortgage and can continue to manage the account and make payments as usual.
- The executor or administrator of the estate can use estate assets to keep the mortgage current during probate; Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration establish authority to act for the estate.
- An heir or surviving family member who received an ownership interest through death (or through divorce or legal separation) can ask Fay to be recognized as a "successor in interest" once ownership and identity are documented — a status the servicer must recognize under CFPB Regulation X (12 CFR 1024.30-1024.41). Fay states it will provide a list of the documentation needed to confirm identity and ownership interest in the property.
- Have a non-borrower authorized to speak with Fay by completing Fay's Authorization to Release Information form. The form must be signed by all borrowers and co-borrowers on the account and returned to Fay Servicing, LLC, Attn: Applications, 440 S. LaSalle, Suite 2000, Chicago, IL 60605, by fax to (312) 509-4794, or by email to applications@fayservicing.com. An executor or administrator establishes full authority instead with Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration.
- Continue the existing payments. Under the Garn-St. Germain Act (12 U.S.C. 1701j-3(d)(5)), transfer to a relative who occupies the home does not trigger the due-on-sale clause, so an inheriting relative can generally keep making the current payments without paying the full balance immediately.
- Assume the mortgage to become the primary borrower, subject to a review of credit and income and the applicable loan or agency requirements; ask Fay customer service about the assumption process for the specific loan.
- Refinance the loan into the successor's own name, subject to qualifying on credit, income, and assets.
- Sell the home; the outstanding balance is paid from the sale proceeds at closing and any remainder passes to the heirs. Request a payoff statement through Fay's Loan Solution Center or online account.
Required Documents
- Copy of the death certificate for the deceased borrower
- Recorded deed, will, trust, or probate court documents showing the property was transferred to the successor in interest
- Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration, where an executor or administrator is acting for the estate
- Documentation Fay requests to confirm the identity and ownership interest of a successor in interest
- Fay's Authorization to Release Information form (signed by all borrowers/co-borrowers) where a non-borrower will discuss the loan
- The mortgage loan number
What to know at this institution
A mortgage is tied to the home, not the person; the home is the collateral. Fay publishes a short successor-in-interest FAQ (on its "New to Fay" page) covering an ownership interest "acquired ... through death, divorce, or legal separation," which directs the person to contact customer service to obtain a documentation list, but Fay does not publish a dedicated deceased-borrower claim form or a separate estate/bereavement department. The estate or successor therefore works through the general servicing channels: the customer service line (1-800-495-7166), written notice to the Applications address (440 S. LaSalle, Suite 2000, Chicago, IL 60605) or corporate office (Tampa), and Fay's Authorization to Release Information form for a non-borrower to discuss the loan. The successor-in-interest recognition and the Garn-St. Germain due-on-sale exemption on death are federal requirements (CFPB Regulation X, 12 CFR 1024.30-1024.41; 12 U.S.C. 1701j-3(d)(5)) that bind Fay as servicer, not process steps Fay itself publishes. Because Fay accepts a written notice plus the death certificate and estate documents and does not publish a claim form, letterOfInstruction is user-drafted. Fay Servicing is a debt collector.
Prepare your letter of instruction to Fay Servicing
Fay Servicing accepts a claimant-drafted letter of instruction. We draft it for you — addressed to Fay Servicing's verified claims department, with the documents it requires enclosed.
Build your letter of instructionHow long the process takes at Fay Servicing: Fay does not publish a fixed timeline for a deceased-borrower account. Notify customer service and submit the death certificate as soon as possible; Fay provides a list of the documentation needed to confirm identity and ownership interest on request. Documenting successor-in-interest status and completing an assumption or refinance can take several weeks to a few months depending on probate and the credit and income review. The most common reason for delays is missing or incomplete documentation, so submitting everything upfront is the best way to keep things moving.
Fay Servicing requires several documents to process a claim, including Copy of the death certificate for the deceased borrower, Recorded deed, will, trust, or probate court documents showing the property was transferred to the successor in interest, and Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration, where an executor or administrator is acting for the estate, and additional documentation depending on the account type. Certified copies are typically needed—photocopies are generally not accepted for death certificates or court documents.
Frequently asked questions
The mortgage is a debt secured by the home and does not disappear at death. Fay states that a person who acquires an ownership interest through death should contact it as soon as possible. Notify Fay by calling Customer Service at 1-800-495-7166 with the loan number, and send a copy of the death certificate in writing. A co-borrower stays responsible for the loan, the estate can keep it current during probate, and an heir who inherits the home can ask to be recognized as a successor in interest, then continue the payments, assume the loan, refinance, or sell the home.
Call Fay Customer Service at 1-800-495-7166, Monday through Thursday 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., Friday 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., and Saturday 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time, with the loan number ready, and send a copy of the death certificate in writing to Fay Servicing, LLC, Attn: Applications, 440 S. LaSalle, Suite 2000, Chicago, IL 60605, or to the corporate office at 5426 Bay Center Drive, Suite 300, Tampa, FL 33609. Fay does not publish a dedicated deceased-borrower form, so include the loan number and the deceased borrower's name in a written notice, and send copies rather than originals. Do not use the payment PO Box for documents.
Fay does not publish a separate estate, bereavement, or successor-in-interest phone line or claim form. Its guidance appears in a short "New to Fay" FAQ that addresses acquiring an ownership interest in the property "through death, divorce, or legal separation," which directs the person to contact customer service to obtain a list of the documentation needed to confirm identity and ownership interest and to discuss next steps. The estate representative or successor works through Fay's general servicing channels at 1-800-495-7166 and written correspondence to the Applications or corporate address.
Often yes. Most mortgages contain a due-on-sale clause that lets the lender demand the full balance when the property transfers, but the federal Garn-St. Germain Act (12 U.S.C. 1701j-3(d)(5)) limits enforcement of that clause after a borrower's death: a relative who inherits and occupies the home can generally keep making the existing monthly payments. Fay states it can provide information on where to send the mortgage payments once you contact it. Confirm the successor-in-interest documentation and any assumption options by calling 1-800-495-7166.
No. Mortgage debt is not discharged at death and does not pass by beneficiary designation. It is repaid from the estate, kept current by a co-borrower or heir, assumed, refinanced, or paid off from the proceeds of a sale. If no one keeps the loan current, Fay can pursue foreclosure to recover the debt from the home. A successor in interest can ask about mortgage-assistance options through Fay's Loan Solution Center to avoid foreclosure while ownership is documented or the home is listed for sale.
Fay Servicing's Fay Servicing Customer Service (Successor in Interest / Deceased Borrower) can be reached by phone at 1-800-495-7166, email at applications@fayservicing.com, and fax at 1-312-509-4794 for questions throughout the claims process.
Sources
Data sourced from Fay Servicing primary sources (5 pages reviewed). How we research.
Fay Servicing Customer Service
Corporate office: Fay Servicing, LLC, 5426 Bay Center Drive, Suite 300, Tampa, FL 33609. Applications / Authorization to Release Information: Fay Servicing, LLC, Attn: Applications, 440 S. LaSalle, Suite 2000, Chicago, IL 60605 (fax (312) 509-4794; email applications@fayservicing.com). Payments only: Fay Servicing, LLC, Payment Processing, PO Box 88009, Chicago, IL 60680-1009. Overnight payoffs/reinstatements only: Fay Servicing, LLC, Attn: Payment Processing, 1601 LBJ Freeway, Suite 150, Farmers Branch, TX 75234. Complaints: Fay Servicing, LLC, Attn: Complaints Department, P.O. Box 815548, Farmers Branch, TX 75381. Include the loan number on all pages of correspondence.
Fay Servicing Customer Service
Corporate office: Fay Servicing, LLC, 5426 Bay Center Drive, Suite 300, Tampa, FL 33609. Applications / Authorization to Release Information: Fay Servicing, LLC, Attn: Applications, 440 S. LaSalle, Suite 2000, Chicago, IL 60605 (fax (312) 509-4794; email applications@fayservicing.com). Payments only: Fay Servicing, LLC, Payment Processing, PO Box 88009, Chicago, IL 60680-1009. Overnight payoffs/reinstatements only: Fay Servicing, LLC, Attn: Payment Processing, 1601 LBJ Freeway, Suite 150, Farmers Branch, TX 75234. Complaints: Fay Servicing, LLC, Attn: Complaints Department, P.O. Box 815548, Farmers Branch, TX 75381. Include the loan number on all pages of correspondence.
Fay Servicing Customer Service (Successor in Interest / Deceased Borrower)
Fay Servicing, LLC, Attn: Applications, 440 S. LaSalle, Suite 2000, Chicago, IL 60605
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