Building your “core file”

This is for your own organization, not for filing as-is in court.

1. Physical or digital (or both)

Decide how you’ll store:

• Physical folder or binder for paper copies
• Digital folder on your computer or cloud (with backups)

Many homeowners do both: physical for court days and attorney meetings, digital for long-term storage.

2. Core categories

Create subfolders (physical or digital) for:

1. Court Documents
   • Summons and complaint
   • Any motions filed (by you or them)
   • Court orders, decisions, or notices
   • Referee reports (if any)
2. Service & Notice
   • Affidavits of service
   • Envelopes with postmarks (if you kept them)
   • Any letters where you first learned of the case
3. Assignments & Ownership
   • Assignments of mortgage / deed of trust
   • Allonges to the note
   • “We sold your loan” or “new owner/servicer” letters
   • Any public-record printouts you’ve obtained
4. Loan & Payment History
   • Original note / mortgage / deed of trust (if you have them)
   • Payment histories they’ve sent
   • Loan modification agreements
   • Forbearance or trial plan letters
5. Communication & Behavior
   • Letters or emails from servicers/attorneys
   • Logs of phone calls (your notes)
   • Any inspection notices or “vacant/abandoned” letters
   • Complaint filings and responses (CFPB, AG, etc.)
6. Personal Notes & Timelines
   • Your Timeline Worksheet (Guide 5)
   • Personal journal entries about key events
   • Any written questions you’ve prepared

3. Simple naming system (for digital)

Try a consistent naming convention:

• YYYY-MM-DD – Type – Who – Short description

Examples:

• 2018-06-01 – Court – Summons & Complaint – Bank ABC
• 2021-10-15 – Assignment – Fannie to DLJ – Recorded
• 2023-03-05 – Letter – Servicer XYZ – Acceleration Notice

This makes it much easier to search and sort later.

4. What if you don’t have everything?

Common gaps:

• You never got some documents directly.
• You misplaced older letters.
• Prior attorneys kept files you don’t have.

Do what you can with:

• What you do have now
• What you can download from your court’s e-filing system
• What you can request from servicers or prior counsel

The goal is not perfection. The goal is moving from scattered to centralized.

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