FORBEARANCES AGAIN
I am still getting a lot of questions in regard to forbearances so I am going to repeat and update some information.
- Who Qualifies for Forbearances? Anyone suffering financial hardship b/c of the COVID-19 crisis. Some servicers will take the borrower’s word but many will request “proof” of some sort. Borrowers who are not in financial peril should be careful about claiming they are, as they risk fraud charges.
- How Do I Obtain a Forbearance? Borrowers need to contact their servicer and apply for it. They should not simply stop making payments.
- Do I Have to Pay Back Missed Payments? Yes – without a doubt. Some servicers will want all of the missed payments repaid as soon as the forbearance ends; some will want to restructure entire loans; and some will want to set up repayment over a period of months. Servicers will most likely try to work out the repayment system when borrowers apply for forbearances.
- Does It Matter What Type of Mortgage I Have? Yes. Forbearances will be easier to obtain for conforming (Fannie/Freddie), FHA and VA loans. Jumbo and non-QM borrowers, however, will have a more difficult time obtaining forbearances b/c the government does not have as much influence over those channels.
- How Will a Forbearance Affect My Credit? If borrowers obtain a formal approval for a forbearance, it should not affect their credit. If borrowers just stop making payments, however, without getting an approval from their servicer, it will likely impact their credit – severely. There is a caveat here too: while credit reports will not show late payments when borrowers get their forbearances approved, future lenders will be able to see if a borrower obtained a forbearance in many cases, and that could affect credit decisions. This is something we saw with loan modifications after the 2008 crisis.
- Should I Go Through With My Purchase or Refinance If I Am Likely to Seek a Forbearance? Absolutely not. Not only will it be extremely difficult for borrowers to obtain a formal forbearance approval for a recently funded loan, missing payments on newly funded loans put the originating lender in extreme financial peril.
Here is a short article from Nerd Wallet with additional info.
