The best way for homeowners to get a payoff figure is to request the figure specifically from the lender or its attorneys. That will give them the most updated information on how much is currently needed to satisfy the mortgage in full and stop foreclosure. Payoff statements usually have a "good through" date of up to thirty days on them, and an estimated "per diem" interest charge for every day after the payoff expires.
In addition to requesting a payoff statement from the mortgage company, there are a few other ways for owners to get a rough idea about how much the bank is asking for, but these will not be as accurate. Out of date payoff statements, monthly mortgage balance statements, and public records searches can be useful tools to provide estimates if the lender is not being responsive to requests for updated payoffs.
Out of date payoff figures can give homeowners a very good idea of how much the bank will be looking for in the future to pay off the mortgage, but even a per diem interest charge will leave out other potential future charges. Attorneys fees may increase, or the bank may add a property tax payment of several thousand dollars to the total payoff, which may drastically increase the amount needed to stop foreclosure by paying the loan in full. If the statement is not too far out of date, though, it may be a good estimate of the current due.
Many homeowners still receive a bill every month from their mortgage company that indicates the total amount due on the loan. Usually this is just a balance of the total amount of principal left to pay off and does not include late fees, interest charges on late payments, and the attorney and court costs involved in the foreclosure process. A monthly balance statement should probably never be relied on for any actual payoff numbers, but they are useful resources for bank contact numbers which can be used to get a more accurate payoff, if nothing else.
One final way to get an estimate of the total amount owed on a mortgage is to search the public records in the county in which the property is located. Usually, the history of the mortgages/deeds of trust will be available online (or the owners or any other interested party can just call the county recorder and request the information), which will tell them when the homeowners got each mortgage and how much it was originally for. Again, this will not include changes from the time the mortgage was issued, including the charges listed in the previous paragraph and any payments the homeowners made on the loan.
Searching the title will also give homeowners, real estate agents, mortgage brokers, or potential investors a good idea if there are more liens than just the first mortgage. The bank may be willing to take less on a short sale, for example, but if the owners or investors have to come up with more money to pay property taxes, and more to pay off a second mortgage, and more to pay IRS liens, and more to pay utilities liens, then there is a strong possibility they will not end up with a very good deal that will stop foreclosure. Of course, investors could negotiate down these liens as well, but that's more time spent dealing with lenders who may not cooperate in the end.
In any event, if the bank is still able to provide payoff statements on a mortgage, that means the homeowners are still living in the house and it has not been sold at the sheriff sale yet. The best bet for anyone interested in helping foreclosure victims or buying foreclosed houses may be simply to ask the current owners to request a payoff from their mortgage company. They can give anyone they like a copy and any parties interested in working with homeowners will have the information they need to make an offer or work on paying off the loan and ending the foreclosure.