American homeowners were given more opportunity to hit pause on their mortgage payments because of the financial ravages of the pandemic, but that relief is slowly coming to an end.
About 3 million people are behind on their mortgage, the most at any time since the Great Recession, according to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. About 2 million are in forbearance plans, which provide a reprieve of a year or longer from making payments.
Some people are beginning to exit these arrangements, but experts say the pace will soon pick up, with as many as 1.7 million borrowers exiting in September. Regulators have warned mortgage servicers to be prepared for the onslaught.
Those who are unable to resume payments or reach some other agreement with their lender may be forced to leave their homes through sale or foreclosure.
“We must not lose sight of the dangers so many consumers still face,” CFPB Acting Director Dave Uejio said in a statement as the agency works to ease the process and protect homeowners. “Millions of families are at risk of losing their homes to foreclosure in the coming months, even as the country opens back up.”