Cook County sheriff says foreclosure evictions won’t resume for months

Foreclosure evictions in the Chicago metro area won’t be resumed by Cook County Sheriff Thomas Dart for months, as his office is still waiting on the banks to show recent foreclosures were done correctly. Dart suspended evictions on Oct. 25 and said he would not resume them until the banks assured him no fraudulent behavior was being done. Liane Jackson, a spokesperson for Dart’s office, said there has been some informal discussions between Dart and the lenders, but no sufficient proof has been sent to his office. “It could be months,” Jackson told HousingWire. Bank of America (BAC), JPMorgan Chase (JPM), Ally Financial (GJM), Wells Fargo (WFC) and other lenders are reviewing affidavits in many states after employees allegedly signed affidavits en masse without a review of the documentation. Wells Fargo said they were taking a precautionary measure. BofA started refiling new affidavits Oct. 25. A spokesperson for JPMorgan Chase said they have not started refiling and will do so state- by-state. The process should take three to four months. Ally Financial said it will move forward with a foreclosure in the 23 judicial states, including Illinois, when it has reviewed and remediated the affidavit. “We are happy to respond to any questions from the sheriff related to this matter,” a spokesman for Ally told HousingWire. Since the foreclosure crisis began, banks have suspended evictions during the holiday season, but Jackson said a backlog is forming. BofA, JPMorgan Chase and Ally account for one-third of the 3,700 eviction orders filed in Cook County every year. Write to Jon Prior.