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What to Include in a Loan Modification Hardship Letter – Helpful Advice to Getting Approval
The loan modification hardship letter is often thought of to be the most difficult part of applying for a loan modification. Not only is there a large amount of pressure on the hardship letter itself, but certain information needs to be included while other information should be avoided.
Because of the need to write the loan modification hardship letter, many homeowners get discouraged. But keep the following points in mind and you’ll be writing the perfect letter to send to your lender with ease:
At the start of the letter, be sure to state that you’re writing the letter to supplement your application. This can easily be done by using a sentence like “I am writing/sending this letter to support/explain my application for loan/mortgage modification.”
The hardship letter needs to include any circumstances leading to your current financial hardship. Some examples of circumstances would be: being laid off or demoted, or loss of a cosigner or spouse. Besides these circumstances, there are several that any lender will accept. Lenders understand that life happens and there are just some situations you cannot get out of easily, if at all.
Explain why your current interest rate is unmanageable for you. This is different from circumstances in that you explain what you’ve done to try to accommodate the rate, but can’t find the means to do so. A rising interest rate on the same budget that you’ve had for a long time is also means for a loan modification.
Before writing the letter, come up with a budget or plan that you’re going to use to handle your expenses. Explain the main points of your budget or plan in your hardship letter. This shows that you are going to try to make changes to keep in your home and on your feet.
Including the interest rate you’re looking for in your loan modification hardship letter cannot hurt your chances for approval. And if you’re approved, you may even get that rate. Just be sure that it is reasonable and explain why that rate works for you.
Somewhere near the end of the letter be sure to include your intent to stay in your home and work with your lender. They don’t want you to go into foreclosure, but they do not want to give assistance to someone who is not going to make an effort either.
These are the main points you should include in your loan modification hardship letter to get the best results. A clear, concise, and professional letter will get you that much closer to a modification.
Sample Loan Modification Hardship Letter
The loan modification process can be quite intimidating. You have to fill out all kinds of paperwork, negotiate on terms with your lender, as well as write a letter stating hardship. Out of those three main steps, the letter is the most difficult to do on your own. To give you an idea of how your hardship letter should look, here is a sample loan modification hardship letter to give you some guidance:
To Whom It May Concern:
This letter is to formally follow up on my application for loan modification I sent in to you last week. The application states what we had and what we are looking for, but obviously does not go into how exactly we got into the situation we are in now.
There were severe cutbacks at my job in November and I was transferred to a lower paying position in the middle of other people getting laid off. I should be grateful, but the salary I receive in this position is ¾ of what I was previously making. It had gotten to a point where we were pulling from our savings and scraping change to be able to make our mortgage payments and pay the bills. Two months ago our interest rate went up from 7.45% to 10.35% as we have not been able to manage and keep up with our payments since.
I would like to request our interest rate be lowered to anywhere from 7.25% to 8.40%. We feel this is a fair number to both parties. We were always punctual with our payments before my demotion and my wife is due for a raise next month. We are willing to work with you in finding a compromise that we can both agree on.
Sincerely,
Your Name
It’s important to stick to the facts in these letters, and this sample loan modification hardship letter does not veer off from the point: I simply cannot afford the high interest rate in my current situation. Be sure you mention why you are having problems with your payments and make it clear that there is no way for you to be able to manage as you are now.
Also be sure to mention the rate you would like. Your lender doesn’t have time to sift through every application and determine the exact rates they want.
Stating the interest rate you’re looking for gives them even more of a reason to accept you, because you have determined the interest rate you can handle on your own. It also shows that you are worried enough to have done the work to determine your ideal rate. Use this sample loan modification hardship letter as an example and work around it. A good letter can make all the difference.