 TITLE: Are Foreclosures Still Happening During COVID-19? CONTENT: Forbearance Stops Foreclosure Countdown\n---------------------------------------\nIf you have a federally backed mortgage, the CARES Act entitles you to six months of mortgage forbearance—a reduction or suspension of your payments—with an option to extend for another six months. Lenders of conventional mortgages without federal backing are not bound by this requirement, but some are offering voluntary forbearance programs in response to the coronavirus pandemic.\nIf you arrange mortgage forbearance through your lender under provisions of the CARES Act, mortgage delinquency status is \"frozen\" as it was before forbearance began: If your loan was paid up and in good standing, it will stay that way even if you make reduced payments or no payments at all during the forbearance period. If your payment status was 30 days past due at the start of forbearance, it will remain so and not incur additional delinquency even if payments are suspended during the forbearance.\nLenders typically notify borrowers of their intent to foreclose only after mortgage payments are 90 days past due. So by freezing mortgage delinquency status, forbearance effectively puts foreclosure on hold, even after the federal moratorium ends.\nNote that you _must_ contact your lender to arrange for mortgage forbearance under the CARES Act. Forbearance is not automatic: If you stop making your payments or make partial payments without notifying the lender, even for reasons related to COVID-19, your lender can report your payments as delinquent. END