Part 11. General Provisions  

    (735 ILCS 5/15-1101) (from Ch. 110, par. 15-1101)
    Sec. 15-1101. Title. This Article shall be known, and may be cited, as the Illinois Mortgage Foreclosure Law.
(Source: P.A. 84-1462.)

    (735 ILCS 5/15-1102) (from Ch. 110, par. 15-1102)
    Sec. 15-1102. Enforcement. The Court has full power to enforce any order entered pursuant to this Article by contempt process or by such other order as may be appropriate.
(Source: P.A. 84-1462.)

    (735 ILCS 5/15-1103) (from Ch. 110, par. 15-1103)
    Sec. 15-1103. Jurisdiction. The authority of the court continues during the entire pendency of the foreclosure and until disposition of all matters arising out of the foreclosure.
(Source: P.A. 85-907.)

    (735 ILCS 5/15-1104) (from Ch. 110, par. 15-1104)
    Sec. 15-1104. Wrongful Inducement of Abandonment. Any person who willfully misrepresents to the Court any fact resulting in a finding of abandonment of mortgaged real estate in connection with subsection (b) of Section 15-1603 or subsection (d) of Section 15-1706 of this Article or who threatens to injure the person or property of occupants of mortgaged real estate, or who knowingly gives such occupants false and misleading information, or who harasses or intimidates such occupants, with the intent of inducing such occupants to abandon the mortgaged premises, in order to obtain a finding of abandonment under subsection (b) of Section 15-1603 or subsection (d) of Section 15-1706 of this Article, shall be guilty of a Class B misdemeanor.
(Source: P.A. 84-1462.)

    (735 ILCS 5/15-1105) (from Ch. 110, par. 15-1105)
    Sec. 15-1105. Interpretation. (a) "May." The word "may" as used in this Article means permissive and not mandatory.
    (b) "Shall." The word "shall" as used in this Article means mandatory and not permissive.
(Source: P.A. 84-1462.)

    (735 ILCS 5/15-1106) (from Ch. 110, par. 15-1106)
    Sec. 15-1106. Applicability of Article. (a) Exclusive Procedure. From and after the effective date of this amendatory Act of 1986, the following shall be foreclosed in a foreclosure pursuant to this Article:
    (1) any mortgage created prior to, on or after the effective date of this amendatory Act of 1986;
    (2) any real estate installment contract for residential real estate entered into on or after the effective date of this amendatory Act of 1986 and under which (i) the purchase price is to be paid in installments over a period in excess of five years and (ii) the amount unpaid under the terms of the contract at the time of the filing of the foreclosure complaint, including principal and due and unpaid interest, at the rate prior to default, is less than 80% of the original purchase price of the real estate as stated in the contract;
    (3) any collateral assignment of beneficial interest made on or after the effective date of this amendatory Act of 1986 (i) which is made with respect to a land trust which was created contemporaneously with the collateral assignment of beneficial interest, (ii) which is made pursuant to a requirement of the holder of the obligation to secure the payment of money or performance of other obligations and (iii) as to which the security agreement or other writing creating the collateral assignment permits the real estate which is the subject of the land trust to be sold to satisfy the obligations.
    (b) Uniform Commercial Code. A secured party, as defined in Article 9 of the Uniform Commercial Code, may at its election enforce its security interest in a foreclosure under this Article if its security interest was created on or after the effective date of this amendatory Act of 1986 and is created by (i) a collateral assignment of beneficial interest in a land trust or (ii) an assignment for security of a buyer's interest in a real estate installment contract. Such election shall be made by filing a complaint stating that it is brought under this Article, in which event the provisions of this Article shall be exclusive in such foreclosure.
    (c) Real Estate Installment Contracts. A contract seller may at its election enforce in a foreclosure under this Article any real estate installment contract entered into on or after the effective date of this Amendatory Act of 1986 and not required to be foreclosed under this Article. Such election shall be made by filing a complaint stating that it is brought under this Article, in which event the provisions of this Article shall be exclusive in such foreclosure. A contract seller must enforce its contract under this Article if the real estate installment contract is one described in paragraph (2) of subsection (a) of Section 15-1106.
    (d) Effect of Election. An election made pursuant to subsection (b) or (c) of Section 15-1106 shall be binding only in the foreclosure and shall be void if the foreclosure is terminated prior to entry of judgment.
    (e) Supplementary General Principles of Law. General principles of law and equity, such as those relating to capacity to contract, principal and agent, marshalling of assets, priority, subrogation, estoppel, fraud, misrepresentations, duress, collusion, mistake, bankruptcy or other validating or invalidating cause, supplement this Article unless displaced by a particular provision of it. Section 9-110 of the Code of Civil Procedure shall not be applicable to any real estate installment contract which is foreclosed under this Article.
    (f) Pending Actions. A complaint to foreclose a mortgage filed before July 1, 1987, and all proceedings and third party actions in connection therewith, shall be adjudicated pursuant to the Illinois statutes and applicable law in effect immediately prior to July 1, 1987. Such statutes shall remain in effect with respect to such complaint, proceedings and third party actions notwithstanding the amendment or repeal of such statutes on or after July 1, 1987.
(Source: P.A. 85-907.)

    (735 ILCS 5/15-1107) (from Ch. 110, par. 15-1107)
    Sec. 15-1107. Mode of Procedure.
    (a) Other Statutes. Except as otherwise provided in this Article, the mode of procedure, including the manner of service of pleadings and other papers and service by publication, shall be in accordance with the provisions of Article II of the Illinois Code of Civil Procedure and any other statutes of this State which are from time to time applicable, and with Illinois Supreme Court Rules applicable to actions generally or otherwise applicable. If a mortgage lien is being foreclosed under this Article and one or more non-mortgage liens or encumbrances is being foreclosed or enforced in the same proceedings, then, regardless of the respective priorities of the various liens or encumbrances, the procedures and all other provisions of this Article shall govern such proceedings, and any inconsistent statutory provisions shall not be applicable. Without limiting the foregoing, any provision of Article XII or any other Article of the Code of Civil Procedure shall apply unless inconsistent with this Article and, in case of such inconsistency, shall not be applicable to actions under this Article.
    (b) Mechanics' Liens. Mechanics' liens shall be enforced as provided in the Mechanics Lien Act; provided, however, that any mechanics' lien claimant may assert such lien in a foreclosure under this Article, may intervene in such foreclosure in accordance with this Article and may be made a party in such foreclosure.
    (c) Instruments Deemed a Mortgage. For the purpose of proceeding under this Article, any instrument described in paragraph (2) or (3) of subsection (a) of Section 15-1106, or in subsection (b) or (c) of Section 15-1106 which is foreclosed under this Article shall be deemed a mortgage. For such purpose, the real estate installment contract purchaser, the assignor of the beneficial interest in the land trust and the debtor, as appropriate, shall be deemed the mortgagor, and the real estate installment contract seller, the assignee of the beneficial interest in the land trust and the secured party, as appropriate, shall be deemed the mortgagee.
(Source: P.A. 96-328, eff. 8-11-09.)

    (735 ILCS 5/15-1108)
    Sec. 15-1108. Declaration of policy relating to abandoned residential property. The following findings directly relate to the changes made by this amendatory Act of the 97th General Assembly. The General Assembly finds that residential mortgage foreclosures and the abandoned properties that sometimes follow create enormous challenges for Illinois residents, local governments, and the courts, reducing neighboring property values, reducing the tax base, increasing crime, placing neighbors at greater risk of foreclosure, imposing additional costs on local governments, and increasing the burden on the courts of this State; conversely, maintaining and securing abandoned properties stabilizes property values and the tax base, decreases crime, reduces the risk of foreclosure for nearby properties, thus reducing costs for local governments and making a substantial contribution to the operation and maintenance of the courts of this State by reducing the volume of matters which burden the court system in this State. The General Assembly further finds that the average foreclosure case for residential property takes close to 2 years in Illinois; when a property is abandoned, the lengthy foreclosure process harms lien-holders, neighbors, and local governments, and imposes significant and unnecessary burdens on the courts of this State; and an expedited foreclosure process for abandoned residential property can also help the courts of this State by decreasing the volume of foreclosure cases and allowing these cases to proceed more efficiently through the court system. The General Assembly further finds that housing counseling has proven to be an effective way to help many homeowners find alternatives to foreclosure; and that housing counseling therefore also reduces the volume of matters which burden the court system in this State and allows the courts to more efficiently handle the burden of foreclosure cases.
(Source: P.A. 97-1164, eff. 6-1-13.)