Mortgage help for homeowners affected by natural disaster
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have programs to help borrowers affected by natural disasters. If a disaster impacts your ability to pay your mortgage, and your loan is owned by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, you may be eligible to delay making your monthly mortgage payments for a period of time through a forbearance plan.
During this temporary period:
- You won’t incur late fees.
- Foreclosure and other legal proceedings will be suspended.
If you have trouble catching up at the end of this temporary relief period, additional assistance may be available. You can work with your servicer to resume making a mortgage payment that is similar to what you paid before the disaster. Or if you need additional assistance, you can work with your servicer on other foreclosure prevention options to keep your home.
Contact your mortgage servicer (the company where you send your monthly payments) as soon as possible to let them know about your current circumstances. The telephone number and mailing address of your mortgage servicer should be listed on your monthly mortgage statement.
If you are having difficulty contacting your mortgage servicer, contact the Homeowner’s HOPE™ Hotline at 1-888-995-HOPE (4673) for assistance and FREE confidential support from a HUD-approved housing counselor.
Beware of Scams
During time of crisis, there is an increased risk of scams and fraud. Protect yourself by asking questions, reading the materials provided to you, and avoiding any solicitations requiring up-front cash payments. If you think you may have been a victim of a scam, contact the U.S. Department of Justice Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721.
Helpful Resources:
Fannie Mae
Check to see if Fannie Mae owns your loan at: www.KnowYourOptions.com/loanlookup
Additional assistance? Call 1-800-2FANNIE (1-800-232-6643), or go to: www.KnowYourOptions.com/relief
Fannie Mae Disaster Payment Deferral (LL-2020-11) (7/15/2020)
Freddie Mac
Check to see if Freddie Mac owns your loan at: https://loanlookup.freddiemac.com/
Additional assistance? Call 1-800-373-3343 and select option #2, or go to: http://myhome.freddiemac.com/own/getting-help-disaster.html
Freddie Mac Disaster Payment Deferral (Bulletin 2020-28) (7/15/2020)
The Department of Housing and Urban Development
For further information about your FHA-insured mortgage, contact the National Servicing Center at 877-622-8525. For other questions, contact the FHA Resource Center at 800-CALL-FHA (5342). For a list of HUD-approved housing counselors, go to: www.hud.gov or call 800-569-4287.
The Department of Veterans Affairs
Veterans who have questions regarding their home loans should contact VA's home loan program toll free number, 877-827-3702, to speak with a Loan Technician.
Veterans whose homes have ever been modified with VA Specially Adapted Housing grant funds, should also contact VA at 877-827-3702 to speak with our staff. Depending on the situation, additional grant funds may be available to help repair a disaster-damaged home.
More specific disaster-related information can be found at:
https://www.benefits.va.gov/homeloans/documents/docs/va_policy_regarding_natural_disasters.pdf
Other Resources:
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) offers assistance and information about dealing with a disaster on their website at www.fema.gov .
To locate federal, state, and local resources and assistance, you can also go to www.disasterassistance.gov.
Other helpful resources, like how to find aid and shelters, can also be found on the American Red Cross website at www.redcross.org/get-help.
Page last updated: August 18, 2023