What to do when a Movement Mortgage account holder dies

Movement Mortgage services many of the loans it originates through its subservicer, ServiceMac, LLC (NMLS #1687766), which runs the ServiceMac / LoanSphere borrower portal where payments and account history are managed. Some loans that Movement originates are sold and their servicing transferred to a different servicer. A survivor should check the most recent statement or any servicing-transfer notice to confirm who is servicing the loan before submitting documents.

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.

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-.41), once a servicer 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. Liability remains with the borrowers named on the note.

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. The servicer still requires documentation confirming the death and your ownership interest before releasing information.

VA, FHA, and USDA loans can often be assumed by a qualified successor, 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 be recognized, you typically provide a certified death certificate, Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration from the probate court, proof of your ownership interest, and a photo ID. Call loan servicing at 855-979-1084 to start.

A Home Equity Conversion Mortgage becomes due and payable when the last surviving borrower dies. A HECM is non-recourse, so neither the borrower nor the estate owes more than the home is worth when the loan comes due — heirs are not personally liable for a shortfall. Heirs can repay the balance and keep the home (generally the lesser of the loan balance or 95% of the appraised value), sell the home and keep any surplus after the loan is paid, or sign the deed over to the lender. Contact loan servicing promptly, because a HECM has time frames for repaying or selling once the loan is due.

Written notice of the death, successor-in-interest documents, and estate paperwork go to Movement Mortgage, P.O. Box 100078, Duluth, GA 30096-9377. Mailed payments go to Movement Mortgage, LLC, P.O. Box 105178, Atlanta, GA 30348-5178. Insurance documentation goes to Movement Mortgage, ISAOA/ATIMA, P.O. Box 29411, Phoenix, AZ 85038-9411. Request the exact payoff amount from servicing (through the portal's Request Payoff function or by phone at 855-979-1084) before sending a payoff.