Articles in Category: FHA Disaster Assistance

March 15, 2018

HUD Announces Additional Hurricane Recovery Efforts In Houston

The Department of Housing and Urban Development has announced a Fair Housing agreement with the City Of Houston designed to enhance hurricane recovery efforts there. According to a press release at the FHA/HUD official site, HUD and the city reached, “a joint agreement designed to expand housing choice and mobility for lower income residents, including those experiencing homelessness and victims of Hurricane Harvey.” The agreement includes a new requirement for the City of Houston to adopt “multifamily priorities and a policy for objectively evaluating federally supported affordable housing developments in all areas of Houston; to seek to invest additional funds in homeless assistance programs, and; to encourage more landlord participation in Houston’s housing voucher program”. “Today, we announce a positive agreement that works to expand housing options for lower income | more...

March 7, 2018

Help For Spanish-Speaking Home Owners In Federal Disaster Areas

By Joe Wallace

Home owners in federally-declared disaster areas are still working to recover homes, property, and personal lives after the hurricanes, mudslides, fires, and other natural disasters in recent times. Efforts by the federal government including the FHA and FEMA are ongoing. Home owners-including FHA borrowers-have a range of options open to them including FHA loan foreclosure avoidance, loan forbearance, even the addition of a partial claim procedure to help FHA borrowers avoid payment shock as they resume pre-disaster FHA home loan payments. Some of these programs are well-known in the disaster areas they serve. But what might not be so well known? The fact that information about these programs is available in Spanish. The FHA/HUD official site includes information in Spanish about disaster relief options. The publication, “Información Importante Sobre Recuperación | more...

March 2, 2018

FHA Foreclosure Relief For 2017 Disaster Victims

By Bruce Reichstein

In late February 2018, the FHA announced additional foreclosure relief measures for victims in federally declared disaster areas in 2017. According to the FHA official site, the new measures are intended to be an expanded version of “mortgage relief to FHA-insured homeowners who live or work in areas impacted by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria as well as California wildfires and subsequent flooding and mudslides.” The FHA has ordered participating FHA lenders to offer “additional options to eligible disaster victims in Texas, Louisiana, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, California, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, allowing them to remain in their homes while reducing losses that would otherwise negatively impact FHA’s Mutual Mortgage Insurance Fund” according to the press release. At the heart of these new measures is something called | more...

February 23, 2018

FHA Announces Foreclosure Avoidance Help For Federal Disaster Areas

By Joe Wallace

The FHA has announced extended foreclosure relief measures for those in qualifying federal disaster areas. According to a press release on the FHA official site, new guidance for participating FHA lenders will apply for those affected by a wide range of natural disasters including: Louisiana (Hurricane Harvey) DR-4345 Texas (Hurricane Harvey) DR-4332 Florida (Hurricane Irma) DR-4337 Georgia (Hurricane Irma) DR-4338 Puerto Rico (Hurricane Irma) DR-4336 South Carolina (Hurricane Irma) DR-4346 Virgin Islands (Hurricane Irma) DR-4335 Puerto Rico (Hurricane Maria) DR-4339 Virgin Islands (Hurricane Maria) DR-4340 California (Wildfires) DR-4344 or California (Wildfires, Flooding, Mud Flows, Debris Flows) FEMA-DR-4353 There is a lengthy description of some of the new program changes (which we will cover in another blog post) but one of the most important developments included in the FHA announcement has | more...

February 8, 2018

HUD Announces Hurricane Aid For The Virgin Islands

By Joe Wallace

The Department of Housing and Urban Development has announced a multi-million dollar aid package for hurricane recovery efforts in the U.S. Virgin Islands. According to a press release at the HUD official site, “The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today awarded $242.7 million to help the U.S. Virgin Islands to recover from Hurricanes Irma and Maria. HUD’s Deputy Secretary Pamela Hughes Patenaude announced the disaster recovery grants with Governor Kenneth E. Mapp during a tour of damaged homes in St. Thomas”. The HUD recovery funds, similar to those authorized for disaster recovery efforts in Puerto Rico, are via HUD’s Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) Program and “support long-term recovery, including infrastructure, seriously damaged housing, and economic recovery in the Territory” according to the HUD | more...

November 30, 2017

HUD Announces Hurricane Irma Aid Package For Hardest-Hit Florida Communities

By Joe Wallace

HUD has announced a multi-milllion dollar Hurricane Irma aid package for hardest-Hit Florida communities. A press release at the Department of Housing and Urban Development details the federal aid, intended for areas HUD deems the most affected. According to HUDNo.17-106, the aid package include $615,922,000 made available via the HUD Community Development Block Grant–Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) Program. “The entire federal family” stands with the people of Florida “to help them recover from this devastating storm as quickly as possible,” according to HUD Secretary Ben Carson, who is quoted in the press release, adding, “HUD and the State of Florida will work together to speed the rebuilding of seriously damaged homes and businesses that lack the resources to recover on their own if not for these recovery dollars.” In September, the | more...

November 13, 2017

Does FHA Have A Disaster Loan Program?

By Bruce Reichstein

Does FHA have a disaster loan program? The short answer is yes, and it is quite different than a standard FHA forward mortgage. The FHA 203(h) loan is available as a new purchase mortgage or a refinance loan. In this case “new purchase” may lead some to believe you are only allowed to buy a new home with an FHA 203(h), but the reality is that you can use the 203(h) to rehab an existing damaged home, or purchase a replacement home. FHA 203(h) Disaster Loans: Unique Requirements FHA 203(h) disaster loans are only approved for those who are in federally-declared disaster areas. You cannot be approved for an FHA 203K(h) mortgage if you are not in a one of the official presidentially-declared federal disaster areas. You can check the | more...

November 9, 2017

HUD Makes Disaster Relief Available For California Wildfire Victims

By Joe Wallace

The Department of Housing and Urban Development has announced disaster relief for victims of California wildfires, following a presidential declaration of federal disaster areas in the state. According to a press release published on the HUD/FHA official site, “HUD will speed federal disaster assistance to the State of California and provide support to homeowners and low-income renters forced from their homes due to wildfires” in the counties affected by the major disaster declaration. Those counties include: Butte Lake Mendocino Napa Nevada Orange Sonoma Yuba Those in federally declared disaster areas are eligible for a variety of measures from the FHA and HUD including FHA loan foreclosure relief in the form of a 90-day moratorium for all FHA mortgage foreclosure actions in the affected areas. Home owners may also be eligible | more...

FHA Announces Foreclosure Avoidance Help For Federal Disaster Areas

November 8, 2017

FHA and HUD Announce Extended Foreclosure Relief For Hurricane Victims

By Joe Wallace

The FHA and HUD have announced extended foreclosure relief for victims of recent hurricanes. According to the FHA/HUD official site, those in federally declared disaster areas created by Hurricane Irma, Hurricane Harvey, and Hurricane Maria will have time added to the original 90-day foreclosure moratorium. According to the HUD press release, “FHA is extending this foreclosure relief in Presidentially declared counties and municipalities where the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is operating its Individual Assistance Program.” “Under the expanded moratorium, FHA is instructing lenders and servicers to suspend all foreclosure actions against borrowers until the following dates: Hurricane Harvey – February 21, 2018 Hurricane Irma – March 9, 2018 Hurricane Maria – March 19, 2018” Who Qualifies For Extended Foreclosure Relief? According to HUD, those with FHA-insured mortgages qualify for | more...

HUD Announces Resolution to California Fair Housing Case

November 7, 2017

HUD Takes Measures To Speed Up Hurricane Recovery Efforts

By Joe Wallace

HUD has announced it is taking measures to speed up hurricane recovery efforts through a series of red tape-cutting waivers that affect regulatory and administrative procedures. According to a press release on the official site, a set of 19 waivers have been created, intended to help communities “to accelerate their recovery from Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria. While HUD granted a number of individual waivers following disasters in the past, today’s announcement represents one of the largest collections of regulatory and administrative waivers ever issued by the Department at one time” according to the HUD official site. A variety of programs are affected by these new waivers. They include: The Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program HOME Investment Partnerships (HOME) Program Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) Program Emergency | more...