Forbearance for Borrowers Affected by the COVID-19 National Emergency
COVID-19 Forbearance: If you can't pay your mortgage because you're struggling financially due to COVID-19, you can ask for mortgage payment relief (forbearance) through May 31, 2023. You must request the initial COVID-19 Forbearance from your mortgage servicer by May 31, 2023.
COVID-19 Recovery Loss Mitigation Options
The COVID-19 Recovery Loss Mitigation Options provide borrowers with options to bring their Mortgage current and may reduce the P&I portion of their monthly mortgage payment to reduce the risk of re-default and assist in the broader COVID-19 recovery. FHA offers COVID-19 Recovery Options to borrowers who are on a COVID-19 Forbearance, or borrowers who did not participate in a COVID-19 Forbearance who are 90 days or more delinquent through October 30, 2024.
COVID-19 Recovery Home Retention Options:
- COVID-19 Recovery Standalone Partial Claim: For borrowers who can resume making their current mortgage payments, the COVID-19 Recovery Standalone Partial Claim allows mortgage payment arrearages to be placed in a zero interest subordinate lien against the property. The Partial Claim amount does not require payment until the last mortgage payment is made, the loan is refinanced, or the property is sold, whichever occurs first.
- COVID-19 Recovery Modification: For borrowers who cannot resume making their current monthly mortgage payments, the COVID-19 Recovery Modification resolves the outstanding mortgage payment arrearages by adding it to the principal loan balance of the first mortgage, extending the term to 30 or 40 years at the current fixed market interest rate, and targets reducing the borrower's monthly principal and interest portion of their monthly mortgage payment. The COVID-19 Recovery Modification must include a Partial Claim if the borrower has Partial Claim funds available.
- COVID-19 Pre-Foreclosure Sale (PFS): If the borrower does not qualify for any of the COVID-19 Home Retention Options and the property sales value is not enough to pay the loan in full, the servicer may be able to accept less than the full amount owed by approving eligible borrowers for a Pre-Foreclosure Sale, also known as a short sale.
- COVID-19 Deed-in-Lieu (DIL) of Foreclosure: If the borrower is unable to complete a COVID-19 PFS transaction at the expiration of the PFS marketing period, they may be able to voluntarily offer to deed ("give back") the property to HUD in exchange for a release from all obligations under the Mortgage.
COVID-19 Loss Mitigation for Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM)
Borrowers Affected by the COVID-19 National Emergency
- COVID-19 Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) Extensions: If you have a HECM, commonly referred to as a reverse mortgage, and are unable to meet the terms of your mortgage because you have been impacted by COVID-19, you can request a COVID-19 extension to allow you additional time to bring your mortgage into compliance. You must request the initial HECM extension from your mortgage servicer by May 31, 2023. No Extension period may extend beyond November 30, 2023.
- COVID-19 HECM Property Charge Repayment Plan: The COVID-19 HECM Property Charge Repayment Plan allows servicers to offer eligible homeowners up to five years (60 months) to repay property charges advanced by the servicer. This additional time to repay delinquent property charges will increase the likelihood that affected borrowers can cure property charge delinquencies and avoid foreclosure.
- Allows the COVID-19 HECM Repayment Plan regardless of whether the borrower has been unsuccessful on a prior repayment plan and whether the borrower owes more than $5,000 in property charge advances; and
- Only requires a verbal attestation from the borrower that they have been impacted by COVID-19.
- This option is also available to borrowers who have applied for Homeowner Assistance Fund (HAF) assistance if the HAF funds combined with the borrower's ability to repay will satisfy the servicer's advances for the delinquent property charges.
- COVID-19 HECM Property Charge Repayment Plans must be initiated one year following the expiration of the COVID-19 National Emergency.
Homeowner Assistance Funds
The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 established the Homeowner Assistance Fund (HAF) in the U.S. Department of the Treasury in order to provide financial assistance to eligible homeowners who have suffered financial hardships during the COVID-19 National Emergency.
Qualified expenses may include mortgage payment assistance, mortgage reinstatement, utilities, insurance, and other housing-related costs.
If permissible by your state's HAF program, HAF Funds may be used in combination with FHA's COVID-19 Loss Mitigation Options for single family forward mortgages and may also be utilized to reduce the balance or pay off the borrowers outstanding loss mitigation Partial Claims, including for borrowers whose mortgage payments are now current.
HAF may also be used in combination with the COVID-19 HECM Property Charge Repayment Plan. FHA also permits the application of HAF to pay for delinquent property tax and homeowners insurance charges on defaulted HECMs.
More information about HAF can be found at: https://home.treasury.gov/policy-issues/coronavirus/assistance-for-state-local-and-tribal-governments/homeowner-assistance-fund
HAF information by state can be found at: https://www.ncsha.org/homeowner-assistance-fund/
HUD's FAQs on HAF in connection with FHA Loss Mitigation can be found at: https://www.hud.gov/answers by selecting the HUD NSC Servicing link on the left side, and then selecting Treasury Homeowner Assistance Fund (HAF) Program.
CONTACT FHA
FHA staff are available to help answer your questions and assist you to better understand your options as an FHA borrower under these loss mitigation programs. There are several ways you can contact FHA for more information, including:
- Call the FHA Resource Center at 1-800-CALL FHA (800-225-5342)
- The Online FHA Resource Center
- Email the FHA Resource Center
- Persons with hearing or speech impairments may access this number via TTY by calling the Federal Information Relay Service at (800) 877-8339