The Illinois Supreme Court announced Monday that new mortgage foreclosure rules will take effect May 1, and borrower outreach requirements will apply to all cases that have not received judgments, regardless of when they were filed.

Before seeking a foreclosure judgment against a borrower who has appeared in court or filed documents in the case, a lender will have to file an affidavit with the court showing the types of loan modification or other programs available for an individual borrower, what steps were taken to offer that help and the status of those outreach efforts.