COVID-19 Related Financial Relief

November 7, 2021

If you have been financially impacted by COVID-19, we are here to help. Examples of such financial impact are:

Loss of income due to COVID-19.
Unemployment or under-employment due to COVID-19.
Caring for a family member who has been affected by COVID-19.
Illness due to COVID-19.

If you need help, you may qualify for relief by simply contacting Selene Finance LP, requesting a forbearance and attesting to a COVID-19 hardship.

How does mortgage forbearance work?

A forbearance plan allows borrowers experiencing a temporary hardship to make a reduced mortgage payment or no mortgage payment for a limited period of time while you regain your financial footing.
Forbearance doesn’t mean your payments are forgiven or erased. You are still required to repay any missed or reduced payments in the future.
If and when your income is restored, contact us and resume making payments as soon as you can so your future obligation is limited.

Under the terms of a forbearance plan, the obligation to pay your monthly mortgage payment is reduced or suspended until the forbearance period ends. During the forbearance period, you will also receive the following benefits:

No late charges are imposed.
No negative credit reporting during the forbearance period.
Foreclosure proceedings will not be initiated and existing foreclosure sales processes are suspended.

You may be eligible for a forbearance even if you are already delinquent on your payments. You may also be eligible for a forbearance if you are in an active Chapter 13 bankruptcy payment plan or if you previously received a discharge from personal liability and you have made voluntary mortgage payments following that discharge.

What happens at the end of the forbearance?

At least thirty (30) days prior to the end of your forbearance period, we will contact you to discuss your current circumstances and all resolution options that are available to you. Additional options to assist you in addressing the delinquency after the forbearance period may include:
- An Additional Forbearance: You may be able to continue the forbearance for an additional period of time.
- Repayment Plan: A repayment plan is a structured way to make up your missed mortgage loan payments over a certain period of time. These payments would be in addition to your normal monthly payment.
- Loan Modification: A modification would permanently change the terms of your mortgage to bring your account current. A modification may involve a change in your interest rate, an extension of the time for repayment, a change in the principal balance, or any/all of these options.
- Deferment: A payment deferral may bring your mortgage current and delays repayment of certain past-due monthly principal and interest payments. You will be responsible for paying the past-due amounts upon the maturity date of the mortgage or earlier upon the sale or transfer of the property, refinance of the mortgage loan, or payoff of the interest-bearing unpaid principal balance.
- Extension of the Term of Your Loan: Suspended payments from the forbearance are placed at the end of the loan in the form of additional monthly payments that will extend the current loan term and maturity date
- Reinstatement: If you are able, reinstatement is repayment of the entire amount due at once.
Selene Finance LP will work with you to evaluate your financial situation and identify the options available. Prior to the end of the forbearance period, we will contact you to discuss an affordable permanent payment arrangement and/or solution to resolve the delinquency. It is also important for you to keep in touch with us during the forbearance period so that we are aware of any additional changes in your financial condition that might occur.
Additional documentation may be required to evaluate other payment options depending on the investor or agency requirements, the total amount of missed payments, and any prior delinquency.

The CARES Act for federally backed loans

A new federal law, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, offers certain protections to homeowners with federally backed mortgages.
If your loan is a Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, FHA, VA, or USDA loan, then it qualifies as a “federally backed” mortgage loan. The easiest way to determine if your loan is a federally backed loan is to call us at (877) 735-3637. You can also find this information by visiting agency websites associated with federally backed loans.
While the CARES Act only applies to federally backed mortgage loans, other mortgage assistance options are available if your mortgage loan isn’t federally backed. Please contact us to discuss your financial hardship.
A borrower with a federally backed mortgage loan experiencing a financial hardship due, directly or indirectly, to the COVID-19 pandemic may request a forbearance by:
- Submitting a request to Selene Finance LP; and
- Affirming that he/she is experiencing a financial hardship during the COVID-19 pandemic.
There are no additional fees, penalties or interest beyond the amounts normally due added to the account. You do not need to submit additional documentation to qualify other than your claim to have a pandemic-related financial hardship.
If your loan is federally backed and you are struggling financially due to a COVID-19 related hardship, you have the right to request a forbearance period of up to 180 days. You also have the right to request an extension for up to another 180 days. You also have the option to shorten the forbearance period at any time and resume payments if you are able to do so.
When the forbearance period ends, you will be responsible for resolving the payments that were due during the forbearance period; however, you will not be required to make a “lump sum” repayment.
Bankruptcy: If you have a federally backed loan, are in an active Chapter 13 payment plan, and are experiencing a material financial hardship due to the coronavirus pandemic, we recommend that you speak with your bankruptcy attorney. Under the CARES Act you may be able to seek a forbearance and temporarily suspend monthly loan payments, provided that notice of the forbearance is filed with the court and served on the trustee and other parties in interest. At the end of the forbearance period, you may need to seek a modification of your mortgage loan, your Chapter 13 plan, or both. Modifications are subject to court approval and may include an extension of Chapter 13 plan payments for up to seven years after the initial plan payment. If you previously received a discharge from personal liability and are making voluntary mortgage payments, you still may be able to seek a forbearance and temporarily suspend voluntary monthly loan payments, and any such forbearance plan will not revive personal liability under the loan. Please consult with your bankruptcy attorney for advice.
For non-federally backed loans, certain investors are allowing borrowers in bankruptcy to request a forbearance. Please contact us if you would like to know whether you are eligible for a forbearance due to a COVID-19 financial hardship.

Do you live in the District of Columbia, Maryland, New York, or Oregon?

If you are a resident of District of Columbia, Oregon, Maryland, or New York, you may be eligible for a forbearance under your jurisdiction’s unique laws.
- District of Columbia: If you are a resident of the District of Columbia who is experiencing a COVID-19 related financial hardship, you have the right to request a forbearance period of up to 90 days.
- Maryland: If you are a resident of Maryland who is experiencing a COVID-19 related financial hardship, you may have the right to request a forbearance period of up to 180 days. You may also have the right to request an extension for up to another 180 days.
- New York: If you are a resident of New York who is experiencing a COVID-19 related financial hardship, you have the right to request a forbearance period of up to 180 days. You also have the right to request an extension for up to another 180 days.
- Oregon: If you are a resident of Oregon who is experiencing a COVID-19 related financial hardship, you have the right to request a forbearance period for the months of March through December, 2020.
Each jurisdiction has some specific criteria and we can determine if you qualify for the forbearance when you contact us. If you have a federally backed mortgage, you still have the rights available to you under the CARES Act, as noted above. You also have the right in each of these jurisdictions to shorten the forbearance period at any time and resume payments if you are able to do so. Each of the four jurisdictions has options for resolving your delinquency after the forbearance period that we will discuss with you. You can request a forbearance under these laws through any of the ways outlined above under “How to contact Selene Finance LP“.

Additional protections

Credit reporting: If your loan is current at the time of entering into a forbearance plan, then each month you are in the forbearance plan we will report the status of the account to the credit reporting agencies as current. If, however, your loan was delinquent prior to entering into a forbearance plan, we will maintain the prior delinquency status during the period of the forbearance. It is important that you work with us to resolve any delinquency during or after any forbearance period, as reporting of a delinquency status may resume after the forbearance period ends if a resolution option is not completed. Individual circumstances vary, so while we will accurately report to the credit reporting agencies, we are uncertain as to the impact a forbearance plan may have on your credit score.
Foreclosure and eviction moratorium: The CARES Act prohibits lenders and servicers from beginning a judicial or non-judicial foreclosure against federally backed mortgage loans, or from finalizing a foreclosure judgment or sale, for 60 days beginning on March 18, 2020, unless the property is vacant or abandoned. Lenders and servicers are also prohibited from executing a foreclosure-related eviction during this time. The initial foreclosure and eviction moratorium has been extended through December 31, 2020 for Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, FHA, and VA loans.
For non-federally-backed mortgage loans, many states have also implemented moratoriums on foreclosures and evictions. Please consult with your foreclosure counsel.

Need more information?

Please see the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s “Guide to coronavirus mortgage relief options” and watching the video below.

General Financial Relief

ASSISTANCE

There are many options available to customers experiencing a hardship for reasons unrelated to COVID-19.

Applying for assistance

First, download and complete the appropriate borrower form and corresponding third party authorization and ACH electronic payments forms below:

If your loan is owned by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac:

Download Borrower Assistance Form

All other loans:

Form Delivery

Email: LoanResolution@SeleneFinance.com

Mail:
Selene Finance LP
9990 Richmond Avenue, Suite 400 South
Houston, TX 77042-8500

Fax: (866) 926-5498

Selene Finance LP will notify you that all information has been received upon receipt, and we will make a decision within 30 days of such notification. Please be advised that until we receive a completed request, we will not necessarily stop or place on hold the loan owner’s remedies under the loan documents, including proceeding with a foreclosure action.

No longer wish to keep your home?

If you are not interested in retaining ownership of the home, the following options may be available to you as alternatives to foreclosure:

Short Sale: A short sale allows you to sell your home for less than the amount owed on the mortgage.
Deed-in-lieu: With a deed in lieu of foreclosure, ownership of your home will transfer to the owner of the mortgage account voluntarily, instead of proceeding through the foreclosure process to extinguish the lien. This option is typically only available when clear title to the property exists.

Depending on the mortgage type, investor or government agency approval may be required for you to participate in one of these programs.

Additional important information

In order to assist you in expediting the workout process, please have available a list of household expenses, recent income documentation and an explanation of your current financial circumstances when contacting Selene Finance LP.

HUD housing counseling

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) offers free referrals to approved housing counseling agencies and their services, please call (800) 569-4287 on weekdays between 9:00 AM and 5:00 PM ET (6:00 AM to 2:00 PM PT). You can also get an automated referral to the three HUD-approved housing counseling agencies located closest to you by calling (800) 569-4287.

Periodic monthly statements for borrowers in bankruptcy

If you are in bankruptcy and wish to opt-out of receiving monthly periodic statements or, at a later date, begin receiving them again, please send a written request that includes your name, address, and account number to one of the following:

Email: CustomerService@SeleneFinance.com

Mail:
Selene Finance LP Attn: Customer Service Research
P.O. Box 421517
Houston, TX 77242

Fax: (866) 926-5496

Beware of Scams:
Please beware of any person or company offering to intervene on your behalf while charging you a fee for their services. There are no fees for you to complete an application for assistance with Selene Finance LP. Especially in times like these, criminals will try to impersonate charities, businesses, and government agencies. Watch out for suspicious e-mails, texts, or calls that ask for personal information.

Remember: We will never ask you to tell us your account username or password. We invite you to work directly with your loan resolution representative at Selene Finance LP. We are prepared to discuss your situation and help determine the best course of action for you.

Disclosure:
Selene Finance LP is a debt collector. Unless you are in bankruptcy or received a bankruptcy discharge of this debt, Selene Finance LP is attempting to collect a debt and any information obtained will be used for that purpose. If you are in bankruptcy or received a bankruptcy discharge of this debt, this communication is not an attempt to collect the debt against you personally.