How Can an Onondaga and Westchester County Foreclosure Attorney Help Me Proceed?
A loan modification can be an excellent way to catch up on a past due mortgage. If you are behind on your payments because of a rate increase or a previous period of unemployment but can afford a certain amount, a loan modification could benefit you. However, in order to qualify for a loan modification, you must be able to prove that you have the income to support a mortgage payment. If you have lost your job, a loan modification is neither possible nor practical. A bankruptcy can only help you if you can afford your current mortgage payment, plus extra to cure arrears. So what do you do if you lose your job but want to save your house?
Increasing unemployment rates caused a huge increase in foreclosures during the economic downturn of the past decade. In response, the federal government created its loan modification program, Making Home Affordable. To compliment Making Home Affordable, the government instituted Home Affordable Unemployment Program (HAUP).
HAUP is a program designed to help individuals who have lost their jobs and cannot make their mortgage payments. If you qualify, HAUP can ease some of the burden of job loss by protecting you from foreclosure for a brief period. If you meet the qualifications and take the necessary steps, your lender must give you a payment forbearance of either three months or until you find a new job, whichever is less. What that means to you is up to three months with no mortgage payment—you can look for a new job without worrying about losing your house. Once you find work, you can attempt a loan modification. Onondaga and Westchester County foreclosure attorney Theodore Araujo can provide you with expert assistance in understanding HAUP and following the proper qualification procedures.
To qualify for HAUP, you must be unemployed at the time you request its protection and eligible to receive unemployment. You also must be less than three months behind on your mortgage payments, but you must be delinquent. Your mortgage must have originated prior to January 1, 2009; you must occupy the home as your primary residence; and the mortgage balance must be less than $729,750.00.
Onondaga and Westchester County foreclosure lawyer Theodore Araujo at the Bankruptcy Law Center can help you communicate with your lender and guide you through all the steps to obtain your forbearance. Contact him today for a free consultation.