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WASHINGTON (May 14, 2020) – National Association of Realtors® President Vince Malta issued the following statement after the Federal Housing Finance Agency unveiled a new repayment option for homeowners struggling financially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Under the proposal, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will offer borrowers currently in forbearance the ability to repay missed principle and interest when their home is sold, refinanced or at maturity.
“NAR applauds the FHFA and Director Calabria for offering solutions and some much-needed certainty to the millions of U.S. families facing unemployment and unsure how they will cover next month’s bills. This flexibility will be invaluable for American consumers as we begin to emerge from this crisis and restart our economy,” said Malta, broker at Malta & C, Inc., in San Francisco, CA.”
Background
The FHFA’s new program creates “payment deferral option for borrowers.” Payment deferral takes the missed mortgage payments and puts them into a payment due at the sale or refinancing of the home, or at the end of the loan. The borrower's monthly mortgage payment will not change. Mortgages that exercise the payment deferral option will remain in Enterprise Mortgage-Backed Securities, subject to the terms of the trust agreements. However, the borrower is responsible for taxes and insurance while in forbearance.
The National Association of Realtors® is America’s largest trade association, representing more than 1.4 million members involved in all aspects of the residential and commercial real estate industries.
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