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State of California Department of Justice
Rob Bonta
Attorney General
Attorney General
The Attorney General has obtained broad-ranging settlements from many major banks. If you are a homeowner struggling to pay your mortgage or facing foreclosure, or if you have already lost your home to foreclosure, it is possible that these settlements could help you. Not every homeowner will qualify for relief under the settlements. Those who do qualify may receive various forms of relief depending on their circumstances. Available forms of relief include: payments to borrowers who were wrongly foreclosed upon; reduction of unpaid principal balances; refinancing for borrowers whose homes are worth less than the money they owe; and the opportunity for short sales and other relocation assistance. The relief available may vary by the specific settlement.
For detailed information about the settlements with Bank of America, Citibank, JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo, and Ally/GMAC please visit the National Mortgage Settlement website. For information about the Ocwen settlement, please visit the Ocwen Frequently Asked Questions. For information about the SunTrust Mortgage settlement, please visit the SunTrust Frequently Asked Questions.
To find out if you may be eligible for a loan modification, refinance, short sale or other foreclosure prevention relief under the settlements, you will need to contact your mortgage servicer. To find the servicer on your loan, look for a contact phone number on your mortgage statement. Contact the bank or servicer listed on the statement to ask who services or owns your mortgage loan. For more details, please see our Frequently Asked Questions for the National Mortgage settlement or the Ocwen Frequently Asked Questions.
The mortgage servicers participating in settlement agreements are Citibank, JP Morgan Chase/Washington Mutual, Bank of America/Countrywide, Wells Fargo/Wachovia, Ally Financial, and Ocwen (including its acquired companies Litton and Homeward--formerly called AHMSI).
For a referral to a free HUD-Approved Housing Counselor who can assist you in applying for a modification under the settlement or in obtaining other help to stay in your home if you do not qualify for the settlement, please call (800) 569-4287.