Fannie Mae Offers Relief Options for Homeowners and Servicers in Areas Impacted by Hurricanes Harvey & Irma

Pete Bakel

202-752-2034

WASHINGTON, DC – In an effort to ensure those who have been impacted by Hurricanes Harvey and Irma know what help is available and how to reach out for help, Fannie Mae (FNMA/OTC) is clarifying policy details and reminding homeowners to contact their servicer as soon as possible to access the resources and mortgage relief options being offered. Homeowners and renters affected by Hurricanes Harvey and Irma can find out what help is available, how to reach out for help, and how to access additional information and resources here.

As announced last week, Fannie Mae extended all relief flexibilities provided for Hurricane Harvey to areas impacted by Hurricane Irma. We now are providing additional detail clarifying that evictions for properties affected by these storms will be suspended until January 2, 2018, and foreclosure sales impacted by these storms will be suspended through December 31, 2017. In addition, under Fannie Mae’s existing guidelines for single-family mortgages and additional guidance specific to Hurricanes Harvey and Irma:

• Servicers are authorized to suspend or reduce a homeowner's mortgage payments immediately for up to 90 days without any contact with the homeowner if the servicer believes the homeowner has been affected by a disaster. Additional payment forbearance of up to 12 months is available in many circumstances.
• Lenders and servicers will be reimbursed for the costs associated with inspecting properties impacted by the storm, ensuring that inspection costs will not be passed on to impacted borrowers.
• Credit underwriting and appraisal documents can be up to 180 days old at time of closing.
• Additional guidelines for mortgage assistance options can be found here.

Homeowners who have been affected by Hurricane Irma or Hurricane Harvey can find additional information here or by visiting the hurricane relief page on www.MBA.org. In addition, homeowners can reach out to Fannie Mae directly by calling 1-800-2FANNIE (1-800-232-6643). For more information, visit www.knowyouroptions.com/relief or www.fanniemae.com/relief.