• Considering a Home
  • Rent or Buy
  • Ready to Buy
  • The Mortgage Process
• Keeping Your Home
  • Protecting Your Investment
  • Avoiding Foreclosure Resource Center
  • After Foreclosure
• Tools and Resources
  • Educational Resources
  • Loan Look-up
  • Calculators
  • Worksheets
  • Counseling Services

Who to Contact for Help

Return to index

Are you behind on your monthly bills, including your mortgage payment? If so, you're not alone – and help is available. Resources include:

• Your Mortgage Lender
• Freddie Mac Borrower Help Centers
• Housing Counselors
• HFA Mortgage Assistance Programs (and the Hardest Hit Fund^SM)
• Other trusted sources for help

Your Mortgage Lender

Call your lender – the company to which you make your mortgage payments – immediately if you are having difficulty paying your mortgage on time. Your mortgage lender may have options to help you make your payments more affordable or to avoid foreclosure. The telephone number and mailing address of your mortgage lender should be listed on your monthly statement and coupon book. Learn how to prepare for your conversation with your lender.

• Your lender should be able to tell you if Freddie Mac owns your mortgage. If your loan is owned by Freddie Mac, you are eligible to be considered for the federal Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP), Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP), or the Home Affordable Foreclosure Alternative (HAFA) option. Use our self-service look-up tool to see if we own your mortgage.
• If Freddie Mac does not own your mortgage, contact Fannie Mae at FannieMae.com or 1-800-7Fannie to see if they own your loan.
• If neither Freddie Mac nor Fannie Mae owns your loan, ask your lender if they participate in the federal Making Home Affordable Program that offers HARP, HAMP and HAFA. If so, they can help you determine your eligibility.
• If you are not eligible for the federal HAMP, HARP or HAFA options, don't give up! Ask your lender about other options to make your payments more affordable or to avoid foreclosure.

Freddie Mac Borrower Help Centers

If you are a homeowner with a Freddie Mac-owned mortgage and you are behind on your monthly bills (including your mortgage), free, confidential financial counseling assistance is available. Choose either in-person assistance through a local Freddie Mac Borrower Help Center in your area, or call our national Borrower Help Network participant.

HUD-approved counselors will work with you to:

• Provide free, confidential financial counseling;
• Review your current income and expenses and provide options to your financial challenges; and
• Assess your options for avoiding foreclosure.

There is no obligation for you to take any action after your financial counseling session.

Does Freddie Mac own your loan? Click here to find out.

Free, in-person help is available at the following Freddie Mac Borrower Help Center locations:

 

Free phone assistance is available through our national Freddie Mac Borrower Help Network if you do not have a Borrower Help Center near you:

This organization offers in-person assistance if you live nearby:

InCharge Debt Solutions
5750 Major Boulevard
Suite 175
Orlando, Florida 32819
877-300-4179 – phone
www.InCharge.org 

Housing Counselors

Housing counselors can help you contact and work with your lender to get help with your mortgage, and also provide budget and credit advice. Regardless of who owns your mortgage, housing counselors are available to assist you free of charge.

• Call the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) at (800) 569-4287 or visit its web site for a list of approved foreclosure-prevention counseling services in your area that you can visit in-person or talk to over the phone.
• Call the Homeowners HOPE^TM hotline at (888) 995-HOPE to reach trained housing counselors – available 24 hours a day, seven days a week – who can provide advice and help you develop a plan.
• Attend a foreclosure-prevention workshop sponsored by a community-based organization in your area.

HFA Mortgage Assistance Programs

In 2010, the federal government created the Hardest Hit Fund^SM to help state Housing Finance Agencies (HFAs) provide financial assistance to homeowners in states hit hardest by the housing crisis and economic downturn. Programs that are supported by the Hardest Hit Fund vary by state – as do requirements for eligibility – and may include:

• Mortgage payment assistance if you are unemployed or underemployed
• Mortgage reinstatement programs to help you get current on your mortgage
• Modification assistance to help you secure a more affordable mortgage
• Assistance to help you transition into more affordable housing

To see if your state received Hardest Hit Funds, and if so whether you may qualify for financial assistance through your state’s Hardest Hit Fund, visit the web site and reach out to your state’s HFA for more information.

Other Trusted Sources for Help

Your lender wants to help you and should be your first call for assistance. However, if you still have questions or need additional guidance after talking to your lender, you may contact a Freddie Mac representative at 800-373-3343 and selecting option #2.

Additionally, the following organizations can help you find local counseling services that provide holistic financial counseling, from financial education to foreclosure prevention.

• National Coalition for Asian Pacific American Community Development
• National Council of La Raza
• National Urban League

---