COVID-19 FAQ

HAF – Homeowner Assistance Fund Information

The federal government authorized a Homeowner Assistance Fund (HAF) to prevent mortgage delinquencies and defaults, foreclosures, loss of utilities or home energy services, and displacement of homeowners experiencing financial hardship after January 21, 2020. Funds from the HAF may be used for assistance with mortgage payments, homeowner’s insurance, utility payments, and other specified purposes. The law prioritizes funds for homeowners who have experienced the greatest hardships, leveraging local and national income indicators to maximize the impact.

The Homeowner Assistance Fund provides:

• A minimum of $50 million for each state, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico
• $498 million for Tribes or Tribally designated housing entities and the Department of Hawaiian Homelands
• $30 million for the territories of Guam, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands

Learn More about your state’s program, eligibility and whether or not funds are still available. Click Here

Requesting Forbearance:

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac both offer a mortgage lookup tool on their websites. You may also reach out to your SPOC from 8:30 AM-9:00 PM Eastern Standard Time at (855) 884-2250. 

New requests for COVID-19 forbearance options have expired. All existing plans ended or must end by the dates listed below:

If your financial hardship has ended
Once your financial hardship has ended, we will collaborate with you to determine the available options based on your financial situation, state of residence, and the type of loan you have. Your options may include:

1. Loan Reinstatement: If you can afford it, you pay all delinquent amounts at once, including the payments that became due during the forbearance.
2. Repayment Plan: A repayment plan allows you to repay all delinquent amounts gradually over a period in addition to your regular monthly payments. Portions of your repayment amount are added to your monthly mortgage payment amount.
3. Deferral: A deferral allows you to avoid having to pay your suspended mortgage payments all at once, typically by adding a non-interest-bearing balance at the end of your mortgage, repayable either at loan payoff (for example if you sell your home) or at maturity.
4. Loan Modification: Permanently change the terms of your mortgage to bring it current.
5. FHA Partial Claim or Loan Modification: If you occupy your property, you may be eligible to defer suspended payments. The COVID-19 Recovery Standalone Partial Claim option states that you may defer suspended payments until your loan is paid in full. The FHA has several options available to you, including:

COVID-19 Advance Loan Modification

COVID-19 Recovery Standalone Partial Claim

COVID-19 Recovery Modification

COVID-19 Recovery Non-Occupant Loan Modification

COVID-19 Pre-Foreclosure Sale (PFS)

COVID-19 Deed-in-Lieu (DIL) of Foreclosure

If you have a Section 184 Indian Home Loan Guaranteed loan or a Section 184A Native Hawaiian Home Loan Guaranteed loan, you may be eligible for the options below to assist you in resolving the suspended payments:

COVID-19 Native Advance Loan Modification

COVID-19 Recovery Loss Mitigation Advance

COVID-19 Recovery Native Loan Modification

Options may depend on your financial situation and any past assistance received. If you occupy your property, you may also be eligible for a loan modification or both a partial claim and modification together. For more information, please visit  https://www.hud.gov/

1. VA loans: You may be eligible for a VA Refund Modification to assist you in resolving the suspended payments.
2. USDA loans: You may be eligible for a loan modification plan that would allow you to modify the terms of your mortgage to account for the suspended payments.

If you would like to cancel your forbearance, your financial hardship has been resolved or your allowable forbearance periods have been exhausted, please Go to our Loan solutions Center

As we work with you on the next steps after the forbearance, the best solution will depend on your financial situation when your Forbearance Plan has concluded.  Prior to the expiration of the forbearance period, Planet will contact you to determine if your financial status has changed. At that time, Planet will also ask if you are able to make the payments that were suspended through the forbearance, or make any payments, if applicable, that were due prior to the forbearance. Planet will also inquire if you are able to continue with your monthly payment. 

If it is determined that you do not have the ability to pay the suspended payments or any payments due prior to the forbearance, Planet will contact you to discuss your financial situation, your ability to pay your existing mortgage payment going forward and then complete a review for either extending your forbearance or entering into a payment plan, a modification, Partial Claim, Deferment or other loss mitigation options that may be available under investor guidelines at that time for the outstanding suspended payments.

* FHA introduced enhanced Loss Mitigation tools and simplified COVID-19 Recovery Modifications to help homeowners with FHA-insured mortgages who have been financially impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.  Available options will offer borrowers appropriate relief while preserving flexibility for future crises (See lthe above ist of available options).*

Planet will automatically cancel your ACH payment during the forbearance setup process. Depending on your draft date, you may need to contact your financial institution to issue a stop payment, as it may be too late for us to cancel.

Once your account is current and you no longer need a suspension for your monthly mortgage payment, you will need to reestablish your ACH setup by following the below steps.

• Send an email to CS@myloansupport.com. In the subject line just notate: Reestablish ACH; or
• Call 866-882-8187 to speak with Customer Service to reestablish your automatic payments.

This is very important notice. If you need translation assistance with the contents of this web page, please call 866-882-8187, Option 2, then Option 3, and follow the additional instructions s, or you may also click the link below:

Notice borrowers about language

As a valued Planet Home Lending customer, we want to make sure you have as much information as possible regarding mortgage fraud during the COVID-19 pandemic.