From the President's Desk...
If you are past due on your mortgage and have experienced financial hardship due to the pandemic, the new Iowa Homeowner Assistance Fund (IHAF) may be able to help.
IHAF is a program funded by the United States Treasury as part of last year’s “American Rescue Plan Act of 2021”, which was one of the major pieces of COVID-related legislation. Funds have been made available to each state, and here in Iowa the program will be administered by the Iowa Finance Authority.
It's important to note that this is not a WCF program. Because we service mortgage loans, we (along with every mortgage servicer in Iowa, which includes banks, credit unions, and mortgage companies) have the option of becoming an eligible servicer, and the bank has taken the steps to do that. To this point, only 35 servicers in Iowa have become eligible servicers, so WCF is one of the first adopters. That gives our customers an advantage when applying for assistance, as only customers whose mortgage servicers are eligible servicers can potentially receive financial assistance.
Eligibility requirements include meeting county income guidelines, owning and occupying a property as a primary residence within Iowa, having someone in the household experience reduced income or increased expenses after January, 2020 due to the pandemic, and being at least one payment behind on the mortgage.
If you have questions about the program, contact the Iowa Finance Authority directly, either by calling (888) 668-0927 or visiting their website at iowafinance.com/IHAF.