Federal Housing Administration Extends Current Foreclosure Protections for Borrowers in Maui County, HI

To assist borrowers impacted by the August wildfires, mortgage servicers will be prohibited from initiating or completing foreclosure actions through May 6, 2024.

WASHINGTON - The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) today announced it is extending its existing disaster-related foreclosure moratorium in Maui County, HI, through May 6, 2024, for borrowers with FHA-insured single-family mortgages, including seniors with Home Equity Conversion Mortgages. This extension provides additional time for borrowers in the process of recovering from the unprecedented challenges of the catastrophic Maui wildfires to consult with mortgage servicers and housing counselors and to access federal, state, and local housing resources without also having to contend with the burden of an impending foreclosure action.

“When I visited Maui in September, I saw firsthand the damage inflicted by the devastating wildfires. The people of Maui are resilient, but they will need support for years to come to rebuild and recover,” said HUD Deputy Secretary Adrianne Todman. “With today’s announcement, we are assuring homeowners in Maui that HUD is here to support them as they navigate next steps with their family.”

FHA implemented an automatic 90-day foreclosure moratorium that required mortgage servicers to halt the initiation or completion of all foreclosure actions in Maui County on August 10, 2023, when the disaster occurred. The moratorium was originally set to expire on November 8, 2023. In addition to extending the foreclosure moratorium through May 6, 2024, FHA is also extending the deadline dates for servicers to perform certain legal actions related to foreclosure for an additional 180 days following the end of the foreclosure moratorium.

“We remain committed to doing everything we can to help the residents of Maui as they begin to rebuild their homes and lives,” said Federal Housing Commissioner Julia R. Gordon. “The last thing any FHA borrower there should have to worry about right now is foreclosure.”

Borrowers in Maui County with FHA-insured mortgages impacted by the Maui wildfires should contact their mortgage or loan servicer immediately for assistance. Borrowers can also obtain additional assistance in the following ways:

• Visit the FHA Disaster Relief site or call the FHA Resource Center at 1-800-304-9320 to learn more about disaster relief options.
• Contact a HUD-approved housing counseling agency. These agencies have counselors available to assist those impacted by natural disasters in determining assistance needs and identifying available resources. Homeowners can find a HUD-approved housing counseling agency online or use HUD’s telephone look-up tool by calling (800) 569-4287. The telephone look-up tool includes access to information in more than 250 different languages. Borrowers do not have to have an FHA-insured mortgage to meet with a HUD-approved housing counseling agency. There is never a fee for foreclosure prevention counseling.
• For borrowers whose homes are destroyed or damaged to an extent that requires reconstruction or complete replacement, contact an FHA-approved lender about FHA’s Section 203(h) program. This program provides 100 percent financing for eligible homeowners to rebuild their home or purchase a new one.
• For borrowers seeking to purchase and/or repair a home that has been damaged, contact an FHA-approved lender about FHA's Section 203(k) loan program. This program allows individuals to finance the purchase or refinance of a house, as well as the costs of repair or renovation, through a single mortgage.