What to do when a Freedom Mortgage account holder dies
Contact Freedom Mortgage — 5-step process, 4 required documents, and freedom mortgage reviews a successor-in-interest request and responds within 30 days of receiving all necessary documents.
Freedom Mortgage Customer Care
Payments (Eastern US): Freedom Mortgage Corporation, P.O. Box 6656, Chicago, IL 60680-6656. Payments (Western US): Freedom Mortgage Corporation, P.O. Box 7230, Pasadena, CA 91109-7230. Payoff requests: P.O. Box 50485, Indianapolis, IN 46250-0401. Corporate: 951 Yamato Road, Suite 175, Boca Raton, FL 33431.
Freedom Mortgage Customer Care
Payments (Eastern US): Freedom Mortgage Corporation, P.O. Box 6656, Chicago, IL 60680-6656. Payments (Western US): Freedom Mortgage Corporation, P.O. Box 7230, Pasadena, CA 91109-7230. Payoff requests: P.O. Box 50485, Indianapolis, IN 46250-0401. Corporate: 951 Yamato Road, Suite 175, Boca Raton, FL 33431.
Freedom Mortgage Successor in Interest / Deceased Borrower
Freedom Mortgage Corp, P.O. Box 50485, Indianapolis, IN 46250-0485
Notifying Freedom Mortgage 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 Freedom Mortgage on notice as a creditor of the estate. The Freedom Mortgage Successor in Interest / Deceased Borrower (1-855-690-5900) handles it.
Before contacting Freedom Mortgage, have the account holder's full name, date of birth, and any available account numbers ready. A certified death certificate is required to initiate the claim.
Death claim process
The death claim process at Freedom Mortgage works as follows:
Filing a claim
- Proof of death — a death certificate, an obituary, a newspaper notice, or an affidavit that declares death
- Proof of ownership interest in the property — a deed of trust, a mortgage, a will, a testament, an affidavit, or a court order
- Proof of identity — a valid state ID, driver's license, or passport
- Sign the optional acknowledgment form to receive mortgage communications as a successor in interest
- Request the current payoff amount and pay off the balance (from estate funds, life insurance, or a sale)
- Assume financial responsibility for the loan and keep the home — call the loan advisor line at 877-220-5533 to review assumption options (VA, FHA, and USDA loans can often be assumed; conventional loans may be assumable under certain circumstances)
- Apply for loss mitigation (repayment plan, modification, forbearance) if payments are behind
- Sell the property and pay the loan from the proceeds
Required Documents
- Proof of death — death certificate, obituary, newspaper notice, or affidavit of death
- Proof of ownership interest — deed of trust, mortgage, will, testament, affidavit, or court order
- Proof of identity — valid state ID, driver's license, or passport
- For a loan assumption: certified death certificate, Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration from the probate court, and identification for the estate's appointed executor, administrator, or personal representative
What to know at this institution
A mortgage carries no beneficiary designation — the loan is a debt secured by the home. Under the federal Garn-St. Germain Depository Institutions Act (12 U.S.C. 1701j-3(d)), a relative who inherits the home and occupies it may take over the mortgage without the lender enforcing the due-on-sale clause; the same protection covers transfers to a surviving spouse, joint tenant, and certain transfers into the borrower's living trust. Under the CFPB successor-in-interest servicing rules (Regulation X, 12 CFR 1024.31, 1024.36, and 1024.38), once Freedom Mortgage confirms a successor in interest, that person is treated as a borrower for most servicing purposes — including receiving account information and applying for loss mitigation — without being required to assume personal liability for the debt. Successor-in-interest documents go to Freedom Mortgage Corp, P.O. Box 50485, Indianapolis, IN 46250-0485.
Prepare your letter of instruction to Freedom Mortgage
Freedom Mortgage accepts a claimant-drafted letter of instruction. We draft it for you — addressed to Freedom Mortgage's verified claims department, with the documents it requires enclosed.
Build your letter of instructionHow long the process takes at Freedom Mortgage: Freedom Mortgage reviews a successor-in-interest request and responds within 30 days of receiving all necessary documents. The most common reason for delays is missing or incomplete documentation, so submitting everything upfront is the best way to keep things moving.
Freedom Mortgage requires Proof of death — death certificate, obituary, newspaper notice, or affidavit of death, Proof of ownership interest — deed of trust, mortgage, will, testament, affidavit, or court order, Proof of identity — valid state ID, driver's license, or passport, and For a loan assumption: certified death certificate, Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration from the probate court, and identification for the estate's appointed executor, administrator, or personal representative to process a death claim. Certified copies are typically needed—photocopies are generally not accepted for death certificates or court documents.
Frequently asked questions
Contact Freedom Mortgage and submit proof of the borrower's death, proof of your ownership interest in the property, and proof of your identity. Proof of death can be a death certificate, an obituary, a newspaper notice, or an affidavit of death. Proof of ownership can be a deed of trust, a mortgage, a will, a testament, an affidavit, or a court order. Proof of identity can be a valid state ID, driver's license, or passport. Documents can be mailed to Freedom Mortgage Corp, P.O. Box 50485, Indianapolis, IN 46250-0485, and you can call 855-690-5900 to begin.
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. Freedom Mortgage confirms a person's successor-in-interest status before releasing loan information. Under the CFPB successor-in-interest rules (Regulation X, 12 CFR 1024.31, 1024.36, and 1024.38), once confirmed, a successor in interest 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.
Once Freedom Mortgage has received all the necessary documents — proof of death, proof of ownership interest, and proof of identity — it reviews the request and responds within 30 days.
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. Freedom Mortgage still requires documentation confirming the death and your ownership interest before releasing information.
Freedom Mortgage states that VA, FHA, and USDA loans can often be assumed, and conventional loans may be assumable under certain circumstances. Applying to assume a loan is similar to applying for a new mortgage: you complete an application, provide documents, and meet the qualification requirements. To assume the loan you typically provide a certified death certificate, Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration from the probate court, and identification for the estate's executor, administrator, or personal representative. The loan advisor line is 877-220-5533.
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, assumption, loss mitigation, or sale.
Freedom Mortgage's Freedom Mortgage Successor in Interest / Deceased Borrower can be reached by phone at 1-855-690-5900 for questions throughout the claims process.
If the deceased held multiple Freedom Mortgage mortgage loans, each may require a separate claim or have different documentation requirements. The Freedom Mortgage Successor in Interest / Deceased Borrower can confirm which accounts require individual attention and which can be processed together.
Sources
Data sourced from Freedom Mortgage primary sources (3 pages reviewed). How we research.
Freedom Mortgage Customer Care
Payments (Eastern US): Freedom Mortgage Corporation, P.O. Box 6656, Chicago, IL 60680-6656. Payments (Western US): Freedom Mortgage Corporation, P.O. Box 7230, Pasadena, CA 91109-7230. Payoff requests: P.O. Box 50485, Indianapolis, IN 46250-0401. Corporate: 951 Yamato Road, Suite 175, Boca Raton, FL 33431.
Freedom Mortgage Customer Care
Payments (Eastern US): Freedom Mortgage Corporation, P.O. Box 6656, Chicago, IL 60680-6656. Payments (Western US): Freedom Mortgage Corporation, P.O. Box 7230, Pasadena, CA 91109-7230. Payoff requests: P.O. Box 50485, Indianapolis, IN 46250-0401. Corporate: 951 Yamato Road, Suite 175, Boca Raton, FL 33431.
Freedom Mortgage Successor in Interest / Deceased Borrower
Freedom Mortgage Corp, P.O. Box 50485, Indianapolis, IN 46250-0485
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