Mortgage Must Dos for Executors

If you've recently been named executor of an estate that includes a home with a mortgage, you're probably realizing very quickly that the bank doesn't pause for grief.

The mortgage is still due. Every month. Even during probate. Even while you're sorting through a lifetime of belongings and trying to figure out what "Letters Testamentary" even means.

The good news? You have more protection than you think — and more time than the servicer might imply. Federal law actually prohibits lenders from demanding full loan payoff simply because the borrower died. What they can do is expect someone to step up, get authorized on the account, and keep things moving.

That's where most executors get stuck.

What you actually need to figure out.

Before you can make a single payment or have a productive conversation with the mortgage servicer, there's a list of information you need to track down. Things like: who is actually servicing the loan (hint: it's often not who you think), what the current balance is, whether the mortgage was on autopay and which account it was pulling from, and whether there are HOA fees or other costs being paid outside of the mortgage that could quietly lapse while you're focused elsewhere.

There's also the question of how to notify the servicer of the death, because yes, there's a right way to do it, and skipping steps means you won't be able to discuss the account at all.

I put it all in one place for you.

The Mortgage Must-Dos for Executors is a free printable checklist organized into four sections: finding the loan, notifying the servicer, keeping payments moving, and understanding your options. It's designed for the person who inherited a binder of documents they've never seen before and needs to know what actually matters right now.

No jargon. No fluff. Just the questions you need answered, in the order you need to answer them.

👇 Download the free checklist below.