Peggy Noonan

One of my favorite political commentators is Peggy Noonan. Ms. Noonan is an editorial contributor to the Wall Street Journal and a frequent guest on the "talking heads" news programs. She is a former speechwriter for George H. W. Bush and Ronald Regan.

Her opinion columns for the WSJ are always spot on. Her column today is particularly insightful. Check it out by clicking on the title above.

A fun site

I love the "Found" magazine website. It features found items submitted by people all over the world. I think what I like about looking at these items is that it brings us all closer to one another. We can see how alike we are. And they are usually hilarious.

I really enjoy reading the comments to the finds. There are some really wicked funny people in this world, and none of them are on TV or in the movies, but right there in the cubicle beside us.

Enjoy.

Foreclosure Sales

Have you lost your home via Sheriff's Sale? If so, you may have some sales proceeds coming to you that you are unaware of. Don't expect help from the mortgage company or the Court Clerk's Office to collect these proceeds either. The Clerk has a vested interest in keeping you from asking for your money. Here is what I am talking about...

If your home was lost due to a foreclosure, you probably received a notice that the County Sheriff was ordered to sell your property to the highest bidder to satisfy the foreclosure judgment balance (mortgage balance plus costs plus fees). The Sheriff holds these sales monthly, with most counties holding a moratorium on sales during the worst winter months (December-January). Sales are held by auction, with the property being sold to the highest bidder. The sales proceeds are paid out to satisfy the foreclosure judgment and fees first. Usually the bid is lower than the judgment balance. HOWEVER, occasionally the home will be sold for an amount in excess of the judgment and fees. When this happens, the former home owner is entitled to the excess. The excess sales proceeds are paid into the Clerk of the Court. The secret is that you will never be notified if your home sold for more than the judgment balance. It is up to you to check with the clerk after the sale to see if they are holding excess funds. If you do not request the funds within a year, the money is transferred to the state to be used for it's purposes.

If your home was sold at a Sheriff Sale, you should contact the clerks office to see if they are holding funds for you on your case. You will need your foreclosure case number (it will be on the Sheriff's Sale Notice or any of the legal filings on your case). We can assist you in petitioning the court for these funds once you have established that there are funds being held for you. Contact us at 219-942-7580.

Let me Introduce our Firm...

Hallett Law Office, P.C. is an Indiana Professional Corporation with offices in Northwest Indiana. We are located in Hobart, IN, and accept cases in Lake, Porter, LaPorte, Starke, and Jasper Counties. Thomas P. Hallett established this office in 1981, first located in Merrillville, later in Portage, and now in Hobart since 1988. Denise M. Hallett joined the firm in 1998, after practicing 14 years in Merrillville with Bowman, Heintz, Boscia, and McPhee, P.C., concentrating in Bankruptcy Law. Prior to that association, Denise was a Trust Officer and Assistant Cashier for four years for The First National Bank of Crown Point, which later became The First Bank of Whiting, and is now known as Centier Bank.

While primarily a weblog to discuss legal topics of interest, I may post articles on other topics. We are lawyers by profession, but that is not ALL we are, so I plan to write on topics we are passionate about in addition to legal topics that are important to everyone today. We welcome comments to the articles. After all, everyone is entitled to their own opinion on a subject. That's why they make chocolate AND vanilla.