New York State Department of Financial Services Mortgage relief programs
Homeowners across New York who are behind on their mortgage payments or in danger of foreclosure can still use the New York State Department of Financial Services as a central place for information, complaints, and referrals. The Department of Financial Services, often called DFS, focuses on foreclosure guidance, a Foreclosure Relief Unit, consumer hotlines, and connections to nonprofit housing counselors and legal-aid organizations rather than running a stand-alone, short-term initiative.
Homeowners are urged to act early, before a foreclosure sale is scheduled, and to bring their case to qualified housing counselors, lawyers, and state regulators instead of trying to handle everything alone. DFS no longer promotes a one-off “specialist” initiative, but it continues to set rules for mortgage servicers, maintain a statewide helpline, and direct people to free counseling and legal services when a home is at risk.
DFS foreclosure helpline and complaints
DFS maintains a toll-free helpline for consumers, including homeowners in default or foreclosure, at 800-342-3736. When a homeowner calls the helpline, staff can explain the basic foreclosure process in New York, review what types of notices a borrower should receive, and point callers toward agencies that provide free housing counseling or legal representation. If you have an abusive lender or unfair mortgage, then get details on ways to file complaints about predatory lenders and abusive practices by banks and mortgage services.
If there are signs of misconduct or errors by a servicer, DFS can open a consumer “complaint” case on behalf of the homeowner. The online complaint portal is at https://www.dfs.ny.gov/complaint, and borrowers can use it to submit documents, describe problems with loss-mitigation reviews, or report suspected abusive practices
Department of Financial Services guidance for homeowners in foreclosure
The specialists will closely review each case. They will work with the homeowner to assess where they currently stand in the pre-foreclosure process. Or they will get the latest information on their situation, including determining how far they may be behind on their mortgage.
The department organizes its foreclosure information in a series of “Help for Homeowners” pages, including a detailed guide at https://www.dfs.ny.gov/consumers/help_for_homeowners/foreclosure_assistance/help_for_homeowners_facing_foreclosure. That guidance explains what to do when a household has missed several payments, has received a pre-foreclosure or “90-day” notice, or has been served with a court summons and complaint.
The New York State Department of Financial Services stresses opening every letter from the lender or law firm, keeping copies of all correspondence, responding to court papers, and contacting a housing counselor or attorney as early as possible. DFS also helps arrange options such as loan modification, repayment plans, forbearance, short sales, or deeds in lieu of foreclosure, and warn that bankruptcy is a last-resort step that requires legal advice.
DFS also publishes a consumer “Bill of Rights” for residential foreclosure actions that summarizes key protections, including the right to be informed about available assistance, the right to participate in court-ordered settlement conferences in many owner-occupied cases, and the right to be free from harassment and foreclosure scams. If/when needed there are also free legal aid programs in NYS that can help homeowners
Role of housing counselors and the Homeowner Protection Program
DFS points homeowners to this network in its foreclosure guidance and maintains a list of nonprofit housing-counseling agencies by county on the department’s website. Those NYS HUD agencies help borrowers complete budgets, review mortgage terms, collect paperwork, and prepare loss-mitigation applications.
The main statewide structure behind these services is the New York State Homeowner Protection Program, usually called HOPP. HOPP is funded by the New York State Office of the Attorney General and connects homeowners to more than ninety counseling and legal-services organizations across the state. Homeowners can call the HOPP hotline at 1-855-HOME-456 (1-855-466-3456) to be linked with a local agency that provides free foreclosure-prevention help.
Scams and predatory foreclosure “rescue” offer warnings from New York State Department of Financial Services
DFS continues to warn homeowners about foreclosure-related scams. State brochures and guidance explain that legitimate counselors and attorneys in New York do not demand large upfront fees just to review a case or submit a loan-modification request. Homeowners are advised to avoid any company or individual that guarantees a specific result, urges them not to talk to their lender, or asks them to sign over the deed to their house in exchange for a vague promise to “save” the property.
Homeowners who suspect a scam, or who believe a servicer or third-party company is violating New York law, can report the matter to DFS through the online complaint portal at https://www.dfs.ny.gov/complaint or by calling the statewide helpline at 800-342-3736.
Contact information for DFS in NYS
The original DFS foreclosure-prevention program has evolved from a time-limited initiative into a permanent framework built around regulation, a statewide helpline, web-based guidance, and a strong nonprofit network. DFS enforces mortgage-servicing rules, publishes up-to-date guidance for homeowners in foreclosure, answers questions on the 800-342-3736 helpline, and investigates complaints.
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