Cook County, Illinois
Sold at a Cook County sheriff's sale? If the sale brought more than you owed, the difference may be yours.
Free records review for sales in the last 3 years. No upfront cost. Not a law firm.
✓ For foreclosure sales completed within the last 3 years. Older than that? The funds have usually moved to the State — search free at I-CASH.
Got a call or letter about surplus funds? Before you sign anything, run the six free checks that tell you whether it's legitimate →
When to check
You should request a review if any of these apply.
- You owned a Cook County property that went through foreclosure.
- You are an heir or family member of the former owner.
- You received a court, attorney, sheriff, or surplus notice.
- You are not sure whether the sale price exceeded the debt, taxes, fees, and liens.
What we need to start
- Foreclosed property address
- Your relationship to the former owner
- Approximate foreclosure sale timing, if known
- Any notice, case number, or sale document you have
Process
How the Cook County review works
Submit the property
Send the Cook County property address and your relationship to the prior owner through the free review form.
We check indicators
We look for foreclosure sale and surplus indicators, then identify what additional proof may be needed.
You decide next
If there may be a claim, we explain the likely path, fee terms, risks, and your right to pursue the funds yourself.
Am I owed Cook County foreclosure surplus funds? The short answer
You may be owed Cook County foreclosure surplus funds if your home sold at the foreclosure auction for more than the amount due on the judgment and costs, the court confirmed the sale, and the remainder is still unclaimed. Under 735 ILCS 5/15-1512 that surplus belongs to the former owner, heirs, or estate (after any other lienholder the court orders paid), not to the lender, and in Cook County it is held by the Clerk of the Circuit Court in the foreclosure case until a judge orders it paid out.
Three facts tell you quickly whether a surplus is realistic:
- The sale price beat the debt. The Report of Sale in your Chancery case states the sale price and whether a surplus exists; you can read it free on the Clerk's case search.
- The sale was confirmed. No surplus is paid before the court confirms the sale; look for the order approving the Report of Sale.
- The money hasn't moved to the State yet. Surplus left unclaimed long enough is transferred to the Illinois State Treasurer and searchable free at I-CASH; if your sale was more than about three years ago, start there.
If all three apply, you can petition the court yourself or ask us for a free records review. Either way, no one legitimate needs an upfront fee to tell you whether a surplus exists.
How Cook County foreclosure surplus funds work
In Cook County, a mortgage foreclosure is a case in the Chancery Division of the Circuit Court of Cook County. After the judgment, the property is sold at a judicial sale run by a court-appointed selling officer — usually The Judicial Sales Corporation, Intercounty Judicial Sales, or the Cook County Sheriff. If the winning bid is higher than the judgment balance (the loan, interest, fees, and costs the court awarded), the difference is the surplus.
The selling officer files a Report of Sale and Distribution that states the sale price and any surplus, and the judge enters an order confirming the sale. Under 735 ILCS 5/15-1512, surplus is paid to the former owner or other entitled parties after higher-priority claims are resolved, and until someone claims it, it is held by the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County. The court — not any company — releases the money.
Three ways to check a Cook County case yourself, for free
- Search the docket. Look up the case by name or address at the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County and read the Report of Sale and the order confirming the sale. The surplus figure, if there is one, is in those filings.
- Check the deed record. The Cook County Clerk’s recordings show when the deed transferred to the buyer, which dates the sale.
- Search I-CASH. If the surplus sat unclaimed long enough to be sent to the State under the Revised Uniform Unclaimed Property Act (765 ILCS 1026), it is listed free at the Illinois Treasurer’s I-CASH site. See court-held vs. state-held surplus funds.
How a Cook County surplus is claimed
The claim is a petition filed in the original foreclosure case — in Cook County, the Clerk’s form CCCH 0317 (a petition for turnover of surplus funds) — with notice to the other parties. The judge decides who is entitled to the money, and the Clerk disburses it under the turnover order. You can file it yourself, hire an attorney, or use a contingency firm like ours. The step-by-step is in our guide to how to claim foreclosure surplus funds in Illinois; heirs and estates should read the heirs’ guide. Got a call or letter from a company first? Verify it in six free checks before you sign.
Sources: 735 ILCS 5/15-1512 (distribution of surplus); 765 ILCS 1026 (Revised Uniform Unclaimed Property Act); Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County form CCCH 0317. General information, not legal advice.
Cook County surplus funds are case-specific
Surplus funds are not automatic. The public record must show that the foreclosure sale produced excess proceeds after the amounts owed were addressed. A claimant also has to prove identity and entitlement. Heir and estate claims can require additional documentation.
Lakeshore Asset Recovery LLC is a private asset recovery service. We are not the court, not the county, not a government agency, and not a law firm. This page is general information, not legal, tax, or financial advice.
Cook County surplus funds: frequently asked questions
A former owner, heir, estate representative, or another legally entitled claimant may be eligible if the foreclosure sale produced money above the amount owed and higher-priority claims are resolved.
No. A review checks available records for surplus indicators, but eligibility, amount, competing claims, and payout timing depend on the court record and the claimant's documentation.
No. Lakeshore Asset Recovery LLC is a private asset recovery service, not a government agency and not a law firm. You may be able to pursue funds yourself through the court or the Illinois State Treasurer.
In Cook County most mortgage foreclosure sales are judicial sales conducted by a court-appointed selling officer such as The Judicial Sales Corporation or Intercounty Judicial Sales; some are run by the Cook County Sheriff. For surplus purposes it does not matter who ran the auction: the Report of Sale is filed in the same Chancery case, and any surplus is held by the Clerk of the Circuit Court until the court orders it paid out.
Surplus from a Cook County foreclosure sale is held by the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County in the foreclosure case. Search the case for free on the Clerk's website and read the Report of Sale and the order confirming the sale; the surplus amount, if any, is stated there. If enough time has passed, the money may have been sent to the Illinois State Treasurer, where you can search and claim it free through I-CASH.
It depends on the court. After a petition for turnover is filed with notice to the other parties, the judge sets a hearing, rules on who is entitled to the money, and the Clerk disburses it under the order. Contested claims, missing documents, and heir or estate questions add time. We do not promise a timeline or an amount; a free records review tells you whether a surplus appears to exist and what the court will likely need.
You may be, if your Cook County home sold at the foreclosure auction for more than the amount due on the judgment and costs, the court confirmed the sale, and the remainder is still unclaimed. Under 735 ILCS 5/15-1512 the surplus belongs to the former owner, heirs, or estate. Check the Report of Sale in your Chancery case for free on the Clerk of the Circuit Court's website; if the sale was more than about three years ago, search I-CASH, the Illinois State Treasurer's free unclaimed-property database.
Check the public record before you respond. A legitimate caller is pointing at a real Chancery case: search it free on the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County's website and read the Report of Sale, which states whether a surplus exists. Walk away from anyone who asks for an upfront fee, your Social Security number, or a bank login, or who claims to be the court, the Sheriff, or the Treasurer; the Clerk warned the public in September 2026 about fraudulent texts demanding payment in the court's name, and the FTC's March 30, 2026 alert describes the same pattern with unclaimed funds. Several firms, including ours, make these calls from the public record, so a call by itself is not a scam; our free six-check guide shows how to verify any of them, and the scam-pattern guide lists what to walk away from.
Related Cook County guides
- → Lost a Cook County home in a tax sale instead? Illinois' new surplus equity fund may apply
- → What are foreclosure surplus funds?
- → Am I owed surplus funds? A self-check
- → How to claim foreclosure surplus funds in Illinois
- → Claiming a deceased relative's surplus: a guide for heirs
- → Court-held surplus funds in Illinois: court vs. state-held, explained
- → Got a Call or Letter About Surplus Funds? How to Verify It in Illinois
- → Got a Call or Letter About Surplus Funds? How to Tell If It's Legit (scam patterns)
Questions first?
Prefer to talk?
Call 773-270-9629
Office line, Chicago. Not a law firm. You can also use the short form at the top of this page.
What happens after you submit
- We check the court record. We pull the foreclosure case and Report of Sale for your Cook County property and see whether a surplus was reported.
- We call you to confirm. We go over what the record shows, what proof the court will need, and whether we can help.
- Written terms before anything is signed. Any fee agreement is in writing first. No upfront cost, and you can pursue the claim yourself at any time.
Check a Cook County foreclosure property.
A free review is the fastest way to see whether the records suggest possible surplus funds.