Updated 7/24/2020


​Our Commitment to You   |   ​Who should apply for assistance?   |   How does the assistance plan work? 

What happens when the plan ends?   |   How to Apply  |   What types of loans qualify? 

What happens after I apply?   |   What do you report to the credit bureaus during forbearance?

What happens to my credit at the end of the forbearance period?   |   Beware of Scams   |   Contact Us


You are our #1 Priority.
 

Our Commitment to You:

At SLS, the health and safety of our customers, employees and communities is first and foremost in our thoughts. We also understand that the economic disruption caused by COVID-19 may impact you financially. 

One of your financial challenges may include your ability to make your mortgage payment. We are here to help. We want to make sure that you understand available assistance options, how to apply and how the assistance will impact you going forward. We are committed to making this plan available and easy to understand for all of our borrowers affected by the pandemic.

You are our #1 priority. Rest assured, we are on top of this very fluid situation and are committed to keeping you informed every step of the way. As this situation evolves, we will continually update this page, so check back often to make sure you stay up-to-date. 

Read more about how we are keeping our team safe at SLS, part of the Computershare Group. 

 

Who should apply for assistance?

If you can, it is best to continue to make your scheduled mortgage payments.

If you have been impacted by COVID-19 directly or indirectly because of illness, loss of income or employment and believe you will have difficulty making your payment, you may qualify for the assistance plan. Read on to learn about the plan.  

 

How does the assistance plan work?

    1. For homeowners who qualify, our assistance plan, known as "forbearance" is designed for those affected by the pandemic.
    2. If you qualify for forbearance, you can pause your mortgage payments for an initial three months. If your hardship continues we will automatically extend your forbearance for an additional three months.
      For federally-backed loans you may extend your forbearance an additional six months. The total allowable length of forbearance is 360 days.
    3. We will not charge late fees during the forbearance period.

    4. During the forbearance period, any payments that are paused during forbearance won't be reported late to the credit bureaus.

    5. During the forbearance period, you are not required to make a payment but, if you are able, you can make a payment or even a partial payment.

Before the end of the forbearance period, we will work with you to evaluate your individual situation and help determine your best next step. 

 

What happens when the plan ends?

To explain further, forbearance does not waive or forgive the payments. In other words, the payments that were not made during the forbearance period will have to be made. We realize that most people will not have the funds to immediately pay the paused payments. 

If you are ready to resume payments, we have options to help you catch up on the payments not made during forbearance:

    1. Repayment plan — Over a set number of months, an extra amount will be added to your regular mortgage payment to cover the amount you owe from the forbearance.
    2. Deferral Plan/Partial Claim — The amount of the paused payments will be deferred to the end of the loan. The end of the loan may include pay-off through loan maturity, selling the property or refinancing. With this plan, all other terms of the mortgage remain the same. You will not be charged additional interest on the deferred balance.
    3. Loan modification — We will work with you on a loan modification. This may include an extension at the end of your loan giving you additional months to pay the forbearance amount.
    4. Lump Sum Payment — If you are able, the simplest thing to do is make a lump sum payment and pay off the whole amount you owe. We understand this is not a solution for most people so options 1, 2 or 3 may be more realistic.  

Note: We strongly suggest you do not stop making your mortgage payments until you've been approved for a forbearance plan. If you foresee any difficulty in making your mortgage payment, the first step is to contact us.    


How to Apply

    1. The quickest way to apply for the assistance plan is to login anytime, anywhere to your SLS account. Once logged in, you will see an "Important Update" message regarding COVID-19. Click the link, select the type of impact you are experiencing, and follow the prompts to complete your request for assistance.
    2. You can apply on our automated phone system at 1-800-315-4757. Simply follow the voice prompts regarding COVID-19 forbearance applications.
    3. Our Customer Care team is available at 1-800-315-4757.
      Please note, due to an increased call volume, your may have an extended wait time. We are committed to meeting your needs and making this process as easy as possible, so to avoid long hold times, we recommend logging into your SLS account or using our automated phone system.    


What types of loans qualify?

You may qualify for the pandemic forbearance plan if you have a federally-backed loan (Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, FHA, VA, USDA) and COVID-19 has impacted your ability to make your mortgage payment. Your property must fall into one of the following:  

    • a single-family residence;
    • a 1-4 family residence; or
    • an individual unit of a condominium or cooperative. 
How to find out if you have a federally-backed loan:

To find out if you have a Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac loan, refer to the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac “loan lookup” web pages.

The best way to find out if you have an FHA, VA, or USDA loan is to refer back to your origination closing documents.

If you do not have a federally-backed loan, you may still qualify for forbearance or other relief option depending upon programs offered by your loan investor programs. 

If your property is located in New York, Massachusetts or Washington D.C. and is not a federally-backed mortgage, learn more about your options. 

 

What happens after I apply?
  • Within 2 business days, if approved, you will receive an automated phone message with a "Confirmation for Approval".  We do need your consent to contact you by phone.
  • If approved, within the next 7-10 days you will receive a written confirmation of the forbearance by regular mail.
  • If, for some reason, we have questions regarding the application and the application is not advancing through our process, we will contact you within 48 hours to discuss additional options.

We recommend that during the forbearance period that you stay in contact with us so we are aware of any change in your situation.  The contact can be done through the message center on your online account.    


What do you report to the credit bureaus during forbearance?

We will report your account status as "current" during the forbearance period, regardless of the status of the account prior to the forbearance. 

During the forbearance review and until the account is approved for a forbearance program, we are required to report payments as they have been received. If you are able, we recommend continuing to make your monthly mortgage payments  until your account is determined to be eligible for forbearance.    


What happens to my credit at the end of the forbearance period?

Once the forbearance period ends, we are required to report to the credit agencies the account status. 

If you enter into a trial plan or a permanent modification, we will report that information to the credit bureaus and the account will report as current.

It is critical for you to contact us prior to the end of the forbearance period. If at the end of the forbearance period, the account has unpaid payments and you have not entered into a trial payment plan or a modification, the account will report as delinquent.    


Beware of Scams

There are an increasing number of scammers trying to take advantage of the COVID-19 pandemic. If anyone contacts you about falsely promising you mortgage relief or foreclosure assistance, the best defense is to say NO. Please be aware of anyone contacting you through fraudulent emails, text messages or phone calls.

If you need mortgage relief, please contact us first.    


Contact Us
Log into your SLS account to send us a secure message. Don't have an online account? Create one now to access your loan details, make payments, and get the answers you need. You can also reach us at 1-800-315-4757.

Please note, due to an increased call volume, you may experience extremely long wait times. To avoid long wait times, we encourage you to log into your account or use our automated phone system.



 Q&A

​We want to assist homeowners to take this situation one step at a time. Since all paused payments will need to be repaid at the end of the forbearance, we want to actively work with our customers to evaluate their situation as time moves forward in order to avoid any unnecessary financial burden. All eligible homeowners are able to extend the forbearance up to 12 months just as the Cares Act allows, if the homeowner needs the additional time.

​Yes. The forbearance plan is available to all affected homeowners, including those who were delinquent prior to the pandemic. Your delinquency may, however, impact the options that may be available to you at the end of your forbearance plan. 

​Yes. If you opt for the forbearance plan, any other plan you're on will be cancelled. You may reapply at the end of your forbearance, but we cannot guarantee you'll be approved. 

​If you or a co-borrower on the loan is currently a Debtor in an active bankruptcy case, we may need to obtain Bankruptcy Court approval of your forbearance plan.   

​We will automatically cancel your AutoPay. If you see that your AutoPay is not cancelled, however, you should take steps to cancel it. 

Note: If you use online bill pay through your bank, please be sure to cancel or suspend payments to SLS while on the forbearance plan.

Yes. We are legally required to send you a billing statement showing the amount due every billing period. While the statement will still show the contractual amount due, your forbearance plan will be referenced.

Yes. You can cancel your forbearance plan at any time. Just remember that when the forbearance plan ends, all payments missed during the forbearance plan will be due.

​If your financial situation changes during your forbearance, please contact us immediately to reassess your circumstances and discuss alternatives.

​The forbearance plan may be a great option if you need temporary relief from your mortgage payments due to the pandemic; however, we encourage you to speak with your financial advisor or attorney before making this decision.

​If your account is escrowed for taxes or insurance, we will continue to make those payments even if there are insufficient funds in your escrow account. 

At the end of the forbearance period and you enter into a loan modification, the escrow shortage will be spread over 60 months to minimize impact to the modified payment. 

​During the forbearance period, you are not required to make any payments. 

If at the end of the forbearance period, you enter into a loan modification, any shortage in your escrow account will be spread over 60 months. Spreading the shortage over 60 months helps minimize the impact to the modified payment. However, during forbearance, if you would like to pay an amount specifically towards your escrow account, you may do so online or by mail. Please indicate that the funds are to be used towards your escrow account.