Alabama · Ala. Code §§35-10-20–35-10-22Alabama old mortgages: presumed paid 20 years past due

As to third parties without actual notice or knowledge to the contrary, the debt secured by a recorded Alabama mortgage, or by a vendor's lien reserved in a deed, note, bond or purchase contract, is conclusively presumed paid once it is 20 years past due under the original maturity date or a later date set by a recorded extension agreement – unless the record of the mortgage or lien shows a credit for one or more payments within the last 20 years (Ala. Code §35-10-20). If the final maturity date isn't shown and can't be calculated from the recorded documents, the 20 years run from the date of the mortgage or lien (§35-10-20). A credit can be noted on the record by the owner of the debt or someone holding a recorded power of attorney; the notation shows the payment date and the entry date and is witnessed by the probate judge or a clerk (§35-10-20). The rule doesn't change the rights among the mortgagees and their heirs, and it doesn't apply to corporate or governmental bond mortgages without fixed maturity dates (§35-10-20). On written request, a mortgagee who has received partial payment must note the date and amount on the margin of the record, and must note the total unpaid amount on the written request of the mortgagor, a purchaser from the mortgagor or a creditor with a lien on the property (§35-10-22).