With business closures and job losses due to the coronavirus outbreak, about 2 million borrowers so far have applied for mortgage forbearance programs. But homeowners should fully understand what forbearance means before entering into such an agreement with their lender, financial experts advise.
Many homeowners who take forbearance options will be on the hook for making up missed payments in a lump sum at the end of the program. As one homeowner in Chicago realized, taking 90 days of forbearance on his mortgage would have meant he would have to pay three monthly payments at once at the end of the period.
In the last month, nearly 17 million Americans have filed for unemployment, as social distancing measures have prevented most businesses from operating as normal. This has left many homeowners scrambling to figure out how to pay their mortgages. Many homeowners with government-backed loans or private loans are being offered up to 12 months of forbearance. Homeowners will want to check on what happens at the end of the forbearance period: Will they be asked to pay back all of those missed payments in a lump sum?
READ MORE: https://magazine.realtor/daily-news/2020/04/17/mortgage-forbearance-could-spark-more-financial-woes
