The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) says Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will extend the moratoriums on single-family foreclosures and real estate owned (REO) evictions until February 28, 2021.
The foreclosure moratorium applies to GSE-backed, single-family mortgages only. The REO eviction moratorium applies to properties that have been acquired by Fannie or Freddie through foreclosure or deed-in-lieu of foreclosure transactions.
The current moratoriums were set to expire on January 31.
“To keep our communities safe and families in their homes during the COVID-19 pandemic, FHFA is extending Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s foreclosure and eviction moratorium,” says FHFA Director Mark Calabria.
Currently, FHFA projects additional expenses of $1.4 billion to $2 billion will be borne by the GSEs due to the existing COVID-19 foreclosure moratorium and its extension. FHFA continues to monitor the effect of the foreclosure and eviction moratorium on borrowers, the GSEs and their counterparties, and the mortgage market and extend or sunset its policies based on the data and health risk.
The FHFA says Fannie and Freddie continue to offer comprehensive loss mitigation programs for borrowers with eligible hardships. These programs, which were established pre-pandemic and have helped more than 4.5 million families stay in their home, will remain available even when COVID-19 forbearance flexibilities end.
Under the loss mitigation programs, qualified borrowers with a financial hardship that affects their ability to pay their mortgage may be eligible for temporary forbearance of up to 12 months, whether their hardship was caused by COVID-19 or not. Qualified borrowers can also obtain loan modifications to assist their ability to resume regular monthly payments once their hardship is resolved.
