New Jersey Mortgage Assistance Pilot (MAP).

The Mortgage Assistance Pilot (MAP) program provides New Jersey homeowners with temporary financial assistance. The aid is provided to income-eligible homeowners who are trying to remain in their homes but are in imminent danger of foreclosure due to a short-term, unexpected crisis, reduction in income, emergency or short term financial problem that is beyond their control.

There are some conditions that are set by the governing agency, which is the State of New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency, that must be met in order to receive assistance.

Criteria for the Mortgage Assistance Pilot (MAP)

To be eligible for aid, applicants need to be in imminent danger of losing their home and becoming homeless due to one or both of the two following circumstances.

-The New Jersey homeowner is experiencing a significant reduction or loss of household income for a limited period of time. It needs to be a limited period of time for the loss of income, and the reasons can include medical disability or emergency, a temporary reduction in income or unemployment, a loss or delay in receipt of other benefits (such as government assistance), man-made or natural disaster, or a job loss. Another acceptable criteria for applying for help can include a substantial and permanent change in household composition. The household need to also be experiencing one of the following. They need to be.

60 days or more late on making their monthly mortgage payments
They must have been provided, or expect to receive, a foreclosure notice.
The homeowner must have been served in any legal manner with notice of a property tax or municipal lien foreclosure.

-The other circumstance that can allow someone to receive assistance is that the New Jersey household’s mortgage is in default, or the mortgage is about to be unaffordable. The home loan may become unaffordable because the mortgage is no longer appropriate for the household’s budget, size, credit rating, and income and the home mortgage also has one or more of the following attributes:

is a subprime mortgage
the home loan is an interest-only mortgage with a future interest reset rate scheduled
the mortgage contains a negative amortization schedule
contains a “pick a payment” plan or a payment option plan
has a reset mortgage interest rate that increases the interest rate over time
contains prepayment penalties

Forms of assistance offered by the New Jersey Mortgage Assistance Pilot (MAP)

The amount of help provided is extensive. All housing assistance provided shall be in the form of a loan offered to the homeowner that is secured by a mortgage that may take any lien position on the applicants home.

The terms of this home loan provided to applicants include the loan shall require no monthly payments on behalf of the applicant. The full principal amount shall be due on the home loan and it shall be payable upon the sale or upon the cash-out refinance of the home or the loan will be due upon the transfer of the home or if the applicant ceases to occupy the property as his/her primary residence.

The maximum mortgage loan amount that is offered by the program shall be $20,000.

The interest rate is zero percent. The mortgage loan offered by the NJ MAP program shall carry a zero-percent (0%) interest rate.

If you apply and are approved, the applicant may receive financial assistance covering a temporary period not to exceed six months of duration.

In addition, the program requires that people have access to programs and assistance for to ensure they have long term success. So applicants must participate in a debt reduction and/or budget counseling session that is approved by the State of New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency.

Call the New Jersey agency at 609-278-7400 to apply for help.

By Jon McNamara

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