Property owners with delinquencies need to submit payments by Friday, Jan. 18, to be sure that their names and addresses are not published in area newspaper tax-sale listings, Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas said. More than two months after the Nov. 1, 2001, due date, more than 100,000 parcels of real estate still showed delinquencies for 2000 real-estate taxes.

Reminder notices were mailed in December and January. The amount due on each Property Index Number (or PIN) also is accessible on the "payment status" section of the web site at www.cookcountytreasurer.com.

"Newspaper publications of delinquencies and certified-mail notices to taxpayers are mandated by state law and are costly - but more importantly, they are the last stages before the start of the tax sale," Pappas said. "Taxpayers who have delayed paying should submit payments now to avoid more costs, to avoid the tax sale, and, long-term, to protect their properties."

Taxpayers whose mortgage companies have failed to pay need to call their lenders to urge payment. If a taxpayer pays through escrow and the taxes are still delinquent, it is important for the taxpayer to call the lender to demand payment. Because lenders make thousands of payments on the wrong PINs each year, it is important for the taxpayer to ask the lender which PIN it used. If the company paid on the wrong PIN, the taxpayer must tell the company to submit payment on the correct PIN. Mortgage company payments received through Jan. 8, 2002, have been posted and are reflected on the payment-status section of the Treasurer's Office web site at www.cookcountytreasurer.com.

By state law, late-payment penalties are 1.5 percent per month. In addition, a $10 publication fee on each PIN will be imposed in February for the cost of newspaper notices. Fees increase substantially - by hundreds or thousands of dollars - if taxes are sold and need to be redeemed.