I recently received a letter from the Sussex County Sheriff regarding their December 2012 foreclosure schedule. Here is the text:
TO: ALL ATTORNIES, NEWSPAPERS
The Sussex County Sheriff’s Office would like to inform the public, attorneys and newspapers that we will NOT be holding a Sheriff’s Sale in the month of December due to the fact that our office would like to issue compassion in these hard economic times.
If you have any questions, please contact us at the above number.Thank you.
Delaware is a judicial foreclosure state, meaning that the lender must file a lawsuit and obtain a money judgment before earning the right to foreclose on a house. After obtaining the judgment the lender takes steps to arrange for the Sheriff to conduct a public auction at the Sheriff’s office. In Sussex County Delaware, the Sheriff conducts foreclosure sales on the third Tuesday of each month. By that schedule, the date for the December 2012 sale would have been December 18, 2012, one week before Christmas.
When I received the letter I was impressed that the Sheriff felt involved enough in the community to cancel December foreclosures. From a broader perspective, I began to wonder whether most people feel that creditors should grant their debtors a brief respite during the holidays, especially if the debts arise from hardship.
Do you think creditors should adjust their practices before the holidays? If you do please share this post on Twitter, Facebook or Google+, and have a happy holiday!
