As the owner of a small marketing agency in central Florida, Edith Duran quickly found herself in dire straits as the coronavirus pandemic crippled the local businesses she counts as clients. She was unable to receive her full salary in February, and in March she was seeking mortgage relief.

She was allowed to withhold payments for three months from early April, but the company that manages her mortgage made a seemingly impossible request: pay off the $ 4,450 in skipped payments on July 1.

“It’s a lot of money to come up with all at once as we struggle to align things and put our lives back in order,” said Ms. Duran, who owes around $ 163,000 for her ranch of four. rooms in DeLeon Springs, Florida

With unemployment is skyrocketing, millions of borrowers flooded mortgage companies with request to press pause button on their loans. Federal officials have allowed borrowers with government-guaranteed mortgages to withhold their payments for up to a year without repaying them immediately. But about 30 percent homeowners with mortgages are like Mrs. Duran. Their loans are owned by banks or private investors and are not governed by the same rules.

“The main problem right now is mass confusion,” said Diane Thompson, an attorney at the National Consumer Law Center. “Borrowers are getting abstentions, but maybe not for as long as they would like, and it’s not really clear what will ultimately happen when they have to start paying off their mortgages. “

More than 4.6 million borrowers, holding about 9% of all mortgages, were in forbearance Tuesday, down from just 150,000 in early March, according to Black Knight, a real estate data and mortgage software company. Housing counselors who are used to helping low and moderate income borrowers are now also helping professionals who never thought they were in this position. Some States have also put in place moratoriums on foreclosures and other protections in place.

Many borrowers were able to get at least a three-month forbearance, according to housing counselors across the country. But what happens after that – and the type of longer-term relief available to borrowers – will be determined by what type of loan they have and who owns it.

Borrowers “are safe right now, but that’s just the Band-Aid effect,” said Katherine Peoples, Founder and Executive Director of HPP takes care, a non-profit consumer credit and housing counseling agency. “It’s the calm before the storm.”

Almost 70 percent of owners with mortgages have loans backed in one way or another by the federal government. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, two government sponsored entities, buy many loans from lenders and bundle them into investments that are similar to government bonds. Other borrowers who often put less money have their insured loans speak Federal Housing Administration. Due to the government’s involvement in these loans, regulators have offered options to borrowers who have to skip payments, and in almost all cases, they can put off what they owe until the house is sold. or refinanced or when the term of the loan has expired.

The situation is often more murky for borrowers, like Carla Knight of Queens, whose loans are held by private investors.

Until recently Ms Knight, 50, worked as a paraprofessional caring for mentally disabled children while they were riding a school bus that is now inactive. Her salary was cut before she was fully fired on May 4.

After her pay cut, Ms Knight called her mortgage agent, Mr. Cooper, who said he would grant a three-month forbearance on her $ 198,000 loan with a lump sum payment due when she recommenced payments.

She called back after being fired and the duty officer extended her forbearance to six months – but she still owed a lump sum payment. As of September, Ms Knight said, she is owed about $ 13,500. If she is not allowed to delay this, her only alternative is to apply for a loan modification, which could, for example, allow her to extend the term of her mortgage. But it’s a more complicated process and often requires an application.

The uncertainty is disturbing. Ms Knight, who lives with her 13-year-old twins and granddaughter in a four-bedroom house, said she asked the company if payments could be added at the end of her mortgage. “But they keep telling me they have changes,” she said.

Mr. Cooper declined to comment on his particular situation. A spokesperson for the company said its customers were offered an initial 90-day forbearance, but would grant relief of up to a year upon request. The company also said it offers customers options to repay the money over time, similar to the alternatives offered to borrowers on federally guaranteed loans. Ultimately, however, loan investors determine what options are available to clients after the forbearance period – and in what order those options are presented to clients.

Borrowers with federally guaranteed mortgages have more consistent terms. Those who can afford to start paying again should be offered different ways to make up for missed payments. They will be able to do this over time – say, six or nine months – while making their regular payments, or settle at the end of the loan term.

Even so, there was confusion: a housing regulator had to A declaration end of April to clarify that no lump sum payment was required at the end of a borrower’s forbearance period. Some housing advocates say confusion persists, homeowners with government guaranteed mortgages are still being told they should make lump sum payments when they resume their loans.

Wells Fargo offers Allen Butler of Wheeling, Illinois, who has a private loan, an option similar to those offered to government-backed borrowers: he can defer payments until his mortgage is over.

Until recently, Mr. Butler worked for eight years as an MRI sales representative for the same company. Although the process of recertifying his unemployment benefits was frustrating, he had little difficulty receiving an abstention.

“They were prepared for this,” said Mr. Butler, who lives in a four-bedroom townhouse with his wife and two sons, who attend college. “We received a letter from Wells Fargo stating that we did not have to pay for three months or until July,” he said, “without any penalty or without reporting to the credit bureau.”

Wells Fargo said many of the loans it manages are held in its own portfolio, meaning it is not bound under an agreement with private investors. The bank said it could withhold payments for up to a year, then, with its own loans, the borrower could accumulate the missing monthly payments until the mortgage was over, without having to do anything else.

Whether a mortgage is guaranteed by the government or another entity, the situation becomes more complicated for homeowners who still cannot pay their payments after the forbearance period. A more formal appraisal is needed to modify their loan, which could, for example, lengthen the overall term to help them reduce their payments. But if they have a private loan, a lot will depend on the terms with the private investor.

Ms Duran, 44, is still waiting for the unemployment benefits she applied for the second week of April, but she maintains a positive attitude. She is also waiting to see if she will receive assistance under federal assistance programs for small business owners.

In the meantime, she works with a financial advisor at GreenPath Financial Wellbeing, a nonprofit financial advisor in Farmington Hills, Michigan, who helped her cut her budget and inspired her to find new ways to increase her business’s income, like creating online marketing courses . The organization also helped her consider strategies for dealing with her mortgage manager, Select Portfolio Servicing.

The company did not respond to messages seeking comment. But according to a letter Ms Duran shared with The New York Times, the duty officer said he would “communicate clearly” with her about reimbursement options. One possibility, he said, was a delay that would be due when her loan matured or when she paid off the mortgage.

This is the kind of solution she’s hoping for, but when Ms Duran called the duty officer this week, she said, he told her he would discuss other options just 30 days before the ‘expiry of the lump sum.

“This is my house,” she said. “It’s really important that I don’t fall behind. “

Resources for Homeowners

If you’re having trouble paying your mortgage or have already suspended your monthly payments due to forbearance, here are a few resources that can help:

• A to guide mortgage relief options from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau offers a tool to discover who owns your mortgage.

• The Ministry of Housing and Town Planning offers a list of housing advisers on its website (or call 800-569-4287), and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. HUD-certified counselors often offer their services for free as they receive government funding.

• The National Housing Resource Center offers a directory of mortgage agents. Repairers are usually supposed to contact you 30 days before the end of your forbearance period to discuss your situation and your options. But if you haven’t heard from them or if you are concerned about what happens next, be proactive and call them.

• Your state can offer additional protections.

• If you have a problem with your mortgage agent, you can file a complaint with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. He will forward the complaint to the company and endeavor to obtain a response, usually within 15 days.