Here to Help
The COVID-19 global health outbreak is causing a financial hardship for millions of Americans. These difficulties include a job loss, reduced income, and illness that impact the ability to make timely payments. Fannie Mae is here to help with reliable information and resources to provide financial relief. Explore your options.
How to get help
If you think you might have trouble making a mortgage payment your first call should be to your mortgage servicer (the company that receives your mortgage payments each month). They may be able to arrange temporary mortgage assistance options, including a mortgage forbearance plan.
No matter what the future brings, Fannie Mae will be here to help, providing you with the reliable information you need about forbearance plans and other kinds of mortgage assistance.
If you're a homeowner who is financially impacted by COVID-19, you're not alone. Our Loan Lookup tool can help you see what free resources are available to you.
Trying to the understand the forbearance process?
This resource can help you get the facts if you have been impacted by COVID-19.
View timelineWhat is a forbearance plan?
If you own your home and are experiencing financial hardship as a result of COVID-19, you may be able to receive a forbearance plan.
Entering into a forbearance plan can give you some financial breathing room. A forbearance plan doesn’t erase the amount you owe on a mortgage, but it temporarily suspends or reduces your mortgage payment until your hardship is over. At the end of the forbearance plan, you must repay what you missed, but necessarily not all at once.
Talk with your servicer about your situation, so they can help you and give you the best mortgage relief option for your situation.
If you were current on your loan before you started a forbearance plan or another accommodation covered by the CARES Act, you will be reported as current to the credit bureau as long as you continue to make payments as required by the plan you’re set up in, or as long as no payments are required under the plan.
Fannie Mae can help you learn more about what to expect on a forbearance plan and when you’re ready to move forward, you can start here.
Do I have options after forbearance?
A forbearance plan doesn’t erase the amount you owe on a mortgage. At the end of the forbearance plan, you must repay missed amounts, but you are not required to repay it all at once.
About a month before your forbearance plan is scheduled to end, your mortgage servicer (that’s the company you send your monthly mortgage payment to) will contact you to discuss your situation.
Several repayment options are available after forbearance. It’s important to understand the available options and work with your servicer to determine what option is appropriate based on your unique financial circumstances.
How does a COVID-19 payment deferral work?
Fannie Mae is offering repayment options for homeowners who missed their mortgage payments due to a financial hardship related to COVID-19. In fact, earlier this year, Fannie Mae announced a new COVID-19 payment deferral option.
This payment option defers the amount you owe to the end of your loan term (the maturity date). You will have to pay the missed amount when you make your last loan payment or pay off the balance of the loan (e.g., when you sell or transfer the property or refinance your loan).
Is selling my home an option?
COVID-19 has caused financial impacts for many households. If this has happened to you, and it has impacted your ability to pay your mortgage, selling your home might be an option you’re considering. When your home is worth more than you owe on your mortgage and other debts secured by the property, the difference is called home equity. Selling a home with equity is an option if you have a financial hardship and can no longer afford the home and can be an alternative to foreclosure. Talk with your servicer as you decide if this is an option you want to pursue.
Can the Homeowner Assistance Fund help me?
You may be eligible for financial assistance from the federal government through the Homeowner Assistance Fund. Homeowners facing financial challenges because of the COVID-19 pandemic may be eligible for part of the Fund’s more than $9 billion available via mortgage assistance programs administered by state and local entities. Learn more about state-level programs at ncsha.org/homeowner-assistance-fund/
Contact your mortgage servicer to discuss your situation, make them aware of your plans to request assistance, and ensure you are taking advantage of other mortgage relief options such as forbearance and payment deferrals.
Learn more about the Homeowner Assistance Fund from the HUD-approved housing counselors at Fannie Mae’s Disaster Response Network at 877-542-9723.
If I am a landlord, is financial assistance available?
If you're a landlord struggling to pay your mortgage because your tenants have been impacted by COVID-19 and are having difficulty paying their rent, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has helpful information on state and local programs offering rental assistance. Eligibility varies, but landlords can often apply directly, and may be able to receive direct payments. Each rental assistance program has conditions, and landlords and tenants should contact the program in their area to find out how to get started. Or if you would like personalized help from a HUD-approved housing counselor, call our Disaster Response Network directly at 877-303-7622. These counselors can help you navigate the rental assistance application process for your tenants.
Reminder
If you have a mortgage owned by Fannie Mae on a single-family property that you rent out to tenants, you must provide your tenants with at least 30 days’ notice before you can require them to vacate the property for nonpayment of rent. Federal law doesn’t relieve tenants of their obligations to pay rent, but due to COVID-19 tenants may be financially impacted, so we encourage you to work with them during these challenging times.
If am a tenant, is financial assistance available?
On August 26, 2021, the US Supreme Court struck down the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) eviction moratorium. With this decision, many renters who were protected by the CDC order may be subject to eviction for nonpayment of rent. If you are a tenant and are struggling financially due to COVID-19, visit consumerfinance.gov/renthelp for more information on what assistance is available, or call our Disaster Response Network directly at 877-303-7622, where you’ll get tips on communicating with your landlord and help navigating the rental assistance application process and more.
Mortgage Loan Lookup Tool
Use the simple Fannie Mae Mortgage Loan Lookup Tool to find out if Fannie Mae owns your mortgage. If we own your loan, you may qualify for programs providing payment relief including a forbearance plan or loan modification.
Fannie Mae's Disaster Response Network™ is another resource you can utilize. When you contact the Disaster Response Network, HUD-approved housing counselors can develop a personalized action plan, explain mortgage relief or rental assistance programs, provide financial coaching, and support your successful recovery for up to 18 months.
FHFA
Stay updated about changes across the mortgage industry on the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) site
CFPB
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is offering help for homeowners and renters during the coronavirus national emergency. Find more info at cfpb.gov/housing
HUD
The Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) response to COVID-19