REFinBlog

Editor: David Reiss
Cornell Law School

May 23, 2014

Illinois Court Rejects “Show Me the Note” Argument

By Ebube Okoli

The court in Parkway Bank & Trust Co. v. Korzen, 2013 IL App (1st) 130380 (Ill. App. Ct. 1st Dist. 2013) rejected show-me-the-note argument proffered by the defendant.

Defendants claimed that Parkway did not demonstrate proper standing to foreclose because it did not establish the fact that it was the true holder of its own loan. The basis of this argument was the contention that the defendants requested Parkway to produce the “original title” or original notes on numerous occasions but Parkway failed to do so.

The court easily resolved the first part of this argument by finding that the defendants did not explain what an “original title” was. Even so, the court found that the defendants also failed to cite any authority as to why such a document would be a necessary element of proof in a foreclosure case, or why it might be relevant.

The court found that the mortgagors were personally served and that was all that was necessary in this case. With regard to the mortgagors’ claim that the mortgagee did not establish that it was the true holder of the loan, the court held that production of the original note in open court was not a required element of proof in a foreclosure case under 735 ILCS 5/15-1506(b) (2010).

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