A forbearance is a temporary suspension or reduction of your monthly mortgage payment while you regain your financial footing, but it is not a loan forgiveness. You are still required to eventually fully repay your missed payments, but you won’t have to pay them all at once if you are unable to do so. Based upon the investor and insurer requirements for your particular loan, we will evaluate your financial situation if required and review options available to you at the end of the forbearance period, such as a repayment plan, loan modification or deferral.

A typical forbearance period is about three months. Depending on the kind of loan you have, there may be different forbearance options available to you. Not all borrowers will qualify for the maximum forbearance periods. You can also shorten the time of your initial, or any additional forbearance period if you choose to do so. With the end of the National Emergency, FHA loans will not permit any COVID forbearance (whether new or existing) to last beyond Nov. 30, 2023, and not beyond Dec 31, 2023 for VA loans; and forbearances for USDA loans will not extend longer than May 30, 2024.You should stay in contact and inform us of any changes in your ability to make payments.

It is important to know if your mortgage is federally backed, since federally backed loans are afforded protections under the CARES Act. Mortgages that are not federally backed may or may not have options for forbearance, depending on who owns the loan. As your servicer, we will be able to tell you who owns your loan, whether it is federally backed, and if not, whether additional options are available.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac loans are federally backed loans.

Loans insured or guaranteed by FHA, VA, or the USDA are also federally backed loans.

There are some online tools you can use to look up who owns or backs your mortgage, for example, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac both offer a mortgage lookup tool on their website.

• Fannie Mae:  https://www.knowyouroptions.com/loanlookup
• Freddie Mac: https://ww3.freddiemac.com/loanlookup/

Or, you may try the MERS ServicerID web page at https://www.mers-servicerid.org/sis/.

Within 7 to 10 business days of our receipt of your valid request for a forbearance plan that you are eligible for, you will receive a letter from us with all the details of the plan. We will also send you an email if we have your email address on file. Please ensure your email address is up to date in your profile as it will help us to keep in touch throughout your forbearance period.

If your monthly mortgage payment does not include an escrow payment for taxes and insurance, you must continue to make those payments during the forbearance period in accordance with your mortgage loan documents. However, if your account is currently escrowed for taxes and insurance, we will continue to make those payments from your escrow account. Should your escrow account become depleted while on forbearance, this will result in a shortage to your account; where applicable, we will handle any escrow account shortages in compliance with RESPA and investor requirements which may also allow repayment over time for these escrow amounts. We will advance, on your behalf, any escrow account shortage for taxes and insurance due during the forbearance period. However, any account shortages and advances for taxes and insurance will also need to be repaid eventually after the expiration of the forbearance plan. Depending on the type of mortgage loan you have, any advances may be repaid through a qualifying post forbearance option, and any additional account shortages may be repaid through a replenishment of the escrow account or a repayment plan. (See “Q. What is an example of a COVID-19 Payment Deferral after forbearance?” for more detail on escrow advances and shortages.)

No additional interest beyond your regular principal and interest payment will accrue, and no fees (including late fees) will be charged during your forbearance period.

Under the CARES Act, if your loan was current at the start of your forbearance plan, your loan will remain current for credit reporting purposes through the duration of the forbearance period. However, if your loan was delinquent at the start of your forbearance plan, we will maintain that delinquency status during the period of the forbearance. If you are able to bring the loan current during the forbearance plan, we will then report the account as current at that point. You should also be aware though, that even though your lender will not report your forborne payments as delinquent in the credit information furnished to credit bureaus, we are uncertain as to how the various credit bureaus may report your loan and the impact on the various credit score models used. In addition, depending upon which post forbearance solution you obtain, interest or other amounts forborne or advanced added to your total amount due could increase your mortgage balance. We are uncertain as to the impact of a mortgage balance increase on your credit score, if any, depending upon other factors in your credit report. It is important to note, a credit score is based on many factors in your credit report and different scoring models use different methods to calculate credit scores.

If your automatic monthly draft was set up through us, your payment will be stopped when your forbearance plan is approved. Note: In order to stop an ACH payment, we need two business days advance notice. However, if you set up monthly drafting (bill pay) with your financial institution, you will need to contact them directly to stop automatic drafting. It is always a good idea to continue to monitor your bank account to ensure that any changes to your ACH payment schedule have been executed as you intended.

Yes, if your mortgage is covered under the CARES Act for federally-backed mortgage loans, no late charges will occur on your account during the duration of the forbearance period.

Yes, you can. If at all possible, you should consider making at least partial payments during your forbearance period. If your financial situation improves and you are able to make partial mortgage payments, these partial payments will reduce the total amount that eventually will become due. The partial payments will be placed in a partial account (also called a suspense account) and will be applied once a full mortgage payment is received. No additional interest will accrue. However please be aware that full or partial payments during your forbearance period will not extend your maximum forbearance period available to you.

Yes, we are required to send you a billing statement every 30 days even while you are on a forbearance plan. The statement will show your account history and total amount contractually due as a reminder of how much you will eventually owe at the end of the forbearance period. Please refer back to your forbearance letter, which outlines the terms of your forbearance.

Once the forbearance period (including any extension) is over, we will work with you to evaluate your situation and best next steps. There are several assistance options that may be available to you after the forbearance period depending upon the type of loan you have, who owns or backs it, and whether you are able to resume making your monthly contractual payment. These may include:

• Reinstatement: If you are able to afford it, you can reinstate — which means paying any delinquent amounts including the amounts that became due during forbearance. For example, on August 1st after completing a 90 day forbearance from May through July, paying the 3 forborne payments plus the August payment would reinstate your loan if you were not delinquent when forbearance began.
• Repayment Plan: We can set up a repayment plan, allowing you to catch up gradually while you are paying your regular monthly payment. Under a repayment plan, your past due amount will be spread out over a set timeframe (e.g. 3, 6, 9 months) and added on to your existing mortgage payment amount.
• Payment Deferral: A Payment Deferral, brings your mortgage current and delays repayment of certain past-due monthly principal and interest payments, as well as other amounts we paid on your behalf related to the past-due monthly payments. You will be responsible for paying the past-due amounts upon the maturity date of the mortgage or earlier upon the sale or transfer of the property, refinance of the mortgage loan, or payoff of the interest-bearing unpaid principal balance.
• Modification: If you are not eligible for a payment deferral or your investor does not offer this option, then we can look at a modification (changes to the terms of your loan) that might suit your new circumstances; some investors allow modification plans that extend your loan term or even reduce your original monthly payment amount.**
• Homeowner Assistance Fund:The Homeowner Assistance Fund (HAF) was a federal program to help homeowners impacted by COVID-19 catch up on mortgage and utility bills and pay other housing costs. A large majority of states were running this program through their state’s Housing Finance Agency (HFA), funded by the U.S. Department of Treasury.  For additional information on how the declaration of the end of the public emergency may impact your HAF program assistance funds request, please contact your state’s HAF Program administrator by accessing either this link www.ncsha.org/homeowner-assistance-fund/, or contacting a housing counseling agency approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. These agencies have been working to assist homeowners eligible for the HAF program. For this and other questions, the CFPB offers a tool to help you find a housing counselor in your area: www.consumerfinance.gov/find-a-housing-counselor/. More information on HAF is also available at: Homeowners | U.S. Department of the Treasury.

** Available options may vary depending on investor guidelines for your type of loan. Additional eligibility requirements and documentation may or may not be required for these options.

A period of forbearance from the requirement to make monthly payments is usually the first phase of helping a consumer who is facing immediate hardship as a result of the coronavirus. It can provide an initial pause during a hardship before we are able to determine an appropriate solution for you once the hardship is resolved. Once your COVID-19 hardship has resolved, or is determined to be permanent, then we can determine your options for repayment, including the option of payment deferral (if you are eligible based on your loan type), or modification, or other available solution and evaluate your circumstances based upon your financial situation at that time. However, if your mortgage loan is not backed by the federal government you may still be eligible for mortgage assistance options depending on the owner of your loan.

If you have recovered from a COVID-19 hardship and are past due on your mortgage, you may qualify for a deferral or other repayment option without first entering forbearance. Available options will vary depending on your loan type, investor guidelines, and your specific circumstances. Additional documentation may or may not be required. Please contact us so we can review available options with you.

Examples include:

Example One: 90 Day Forbearance:

1. John’s monthly mortgage payment is $1,500 and is due on May 1. He cannot make his May 1 payment but believes his hardship to be short term. John chooses a 90-day forbearance in May. As a result, the forbearance period will run from May through July. During this time, his monthly mortgage payments are suspended. On August 1 when John’s 3-month forbearance has ended and he is able to resume his monthly payment of $1,500, and the three forborne payments totaling $4,500 must be addressed for repayment. John’s servicer will contact him within a sufficient time period prior to August 1 to decide what option works best for repaying the $4500. (See When will I need to repay the payments that were due at the end of the forbearance plan period? above, for details on potential options that John would have at this time.)

Example Two: 180 Day Forbearance with extension:

1. Jane’s monthly mortgage payment is $1,500 and is due May 1. Jane cannot make her May 1 payment and does not know how long her hardship will last. She chooses a 180-day forbearance which will run from May through October. During this time her monthly mortgage payments are suspended, and payments are planned to begin again November 1. However, in October it is clear to Jane that her hardship IS NOT resolved, so she requests a forbearance extension of up to an additional 180 days. Regardless of the length of forbearance, Jane understands that she will need to work with her servicer at its conclusion to determine what options are available for repayment of the missed payments. (See When will I need to repay the payments that were due at the end of the forbearance plan period? above, for details on potential options.)

Example Three: 90 Day Forbearance with partial payments:

1. Juan’s monthly mortgage payment is $1,500 and is due May 1. He cannot make his May 1 payment in full, but can afford to pay $500 each month toward his mortgage payment. He chooses a 90-day forbearance in May. As a result, the forbearance period will run from May through July. During this time, John remits $500 each month, totaling $1,500 by July, which also equates to one full mortgage payment. John’s servicer will apply the $1,500 as soon as a full payment is collected, applying it to the oldest payment due date, which would be the May 1 payment. Therefore, on August 1 when John’s 3-month forbearance has ended and he is able to resume the monthly payment of $1,500, the June and July payments totaling $3,000 must be addressed for repayment (See When will I need to repay the payments that were due at the end of the forbearance plan period? above, for details on potential options).

• On April 12th, Malia informed her servicer that she would be unable to make her May 1st mortgage payment of $2,200 ($2000 Principal and Interest, and $200 Tax and Insurance), as she was financially impacted by COVID 19. Malia’s loan is owned by Freddie Mac and therefore eligible for a forbearance under the CARES Act. Malia elects a 90-day forbearance as she believes her financial situation will resume to pre-COVID 19 status by the end of July. Malia is placed on a forbearance from May 1, 2020 through July 31, 2020. In July, Malia confirms with her servicer that she is back to work, earning her pre-COVID 19 wages, and anticipates her ability to resume making contractual payments on August 1st. Malia is evaluated and approved for a COVID 19 Payment Deferral. Malia’s servicer sends her a COVID 19 Payment Deferral Agreement, outlining the terms of the plan which include:
  • Adjusting the due date to the next scheduled monthly payment, in this case, 8/1/2020
  • Deferring the scheduled repayment of the total past-due Principal & Interest amounts to the maturity date of the mortgage, or earlier upon the sale or transfer of the property, refinance of the mortgage loan, or payoff of the interest-bearing unpaid principal balance
  • Deferring any Tax and/or Insurance amounts that had to be advanced for tax and insurance payments due, if there were not enough escrow funds in the escrow account
  • Waiving any late charges.

The three forborne payments of Principal and Interest totaling $6,000, plus any advances made by Malia’s servicer on her behalf (typically to pay for taxes or insurance if there are insufficient funds in the escrow account), and any other fees authorized by Malia’s mortgage documents, would be deferred. The escrow account will be short by $600, or 3 times the tax and insurance portion of Malia’s monthly payment (an “escrow account shortage”). If the servicer did not advance funds to pay taxes or insurance for Malia’s home, the Tax and Insurance portion of Malia’s monthly payment is not part of the total deferred amount. This escrow account shortage will be handled in the usual way based on Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA) requirements which allow shortages to be spread over a number of months. If this occurs it would increase Malia’s post-forbearance monthly payment amount, even with a deferral. Malia’s Servicer will work with her to ensure this new monthly payment amount will be affordable. Interest will not be charged on the total past-due amounts to be deferred.

It depends. Some investors (such as Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac) will allow Borrowers to refinance or buy a new home if they are current on their mortgage (i.e. in forbearance but continued to make their mortgage payments or reinstated their mortgage). Some Borrowers may also be eligible to refinance or buy a new home three months after their forbearance ends and they have made three consecutive payments under their repayment plan, or payment deferral option or loan modification. Please work with your lender to determine your eligibility for these investor programs.

On August 26, 2021, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a decision ending the eviction moratorium that the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) had issued.  Eviction moratoriums on federally-backed loans have also ended.  However, there may still be states or localities that have moratoriums or other assistance in place, some of which may require you to apply. See additional information provided by the CFPB, including some of the resources offered by states or localities:

Click here to see resources.

Also, please Click here to see additional resources for renters.