By Hope Del Carlo:
On June 1, 2021, Oregon instituted HB 2009, its most recent moratorium against residential foreclosures during the pandemic. The law, initially set to expire earlier in 2021, was extended by Governor Brown via Executive Order 21-30, which protects most residential borrowers from foreclosure through December 31, 2021. More information about HB2009 can be found in David Venables’s article, published on this website on June 28, 2021.
Approximately two-thirds of Oregon’s homeowners have benefited from COVID-19 protections mandated as part of the federal CARES Act, which Congress passed at the beginning of the pandemic. Borrowers with federally-backed loans (such as VA, FHA, and USDA Rural Housing loans, among others) were entitled to forbearances and other forms of relief under the statute and related loan servicing rules. Some of those borrowers may be entitled to post-forbearance COVID-19-related relief. Borrowers with questions about their CARES Act rights should contact a housing counselor or consumer lawyer for additional information about help available to them under federal statutes, rules, and related servicing guidelines.
As Oregon’s moratorium and other protective measures end, economists and others expect an uptick in mortgage defaults and foreclosures. There will be additional help for some at-risk homeowners, however, in the form of an expected $72 million from the U.S. Treasury’s Homeownership Assistance Fund (“HAF”), an aspect of the American Rescue Plan.
Oregon Housing and Community Services is creating programs to distribute these funds, which are described more fully on its website, here.
Mortgage payment and reinstatement assistance is expected, however proposed program terms must be federally approved, and may change based upon the U.S. Treasury’s response. To keep abreast of the current programs that are in development, homeowners can sign up to receive additional details from OHCS about the HAF programs, here.
In addition, you can find HUD-approved housing counselors, here.