Is the HAMP Program Still Available? What Replaced It

No. The Home Affordable Modification Program is not still available. HAMP stopped taking applications when the Making Home Affordable initiative expired on December 31, 2016.¹ Several replacement programs now do the same job, and which one applies to you depends on who owns or backs your mortgage.

If You Already Have a HAMP Modification

A HAMP modification you received before the deadline stays in effect on its original terms. Most started with a reduced fixed interest rate for five years, after which the rate can step up by as much as one percent per year until it reaches the Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey rate that was in effect when your modification was finalized.² For 2009 and 2010 modifications, that cap sits around five percent. Once your rate hits the cap, it stops rising.

Which Program Replaced HAMP for Your Loan

There is no single successor. The right program is determined by who owns or insures your mortgage. If you don’t know, call your servicer and ask, or check the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac loan lookup tools.

Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac Loans: Flex Modification

If Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac owns your loan, your servicer will evaluate you under the Flex Modification program. Freddie Mac updated its Flex Modification rules in May 2024 to broaden eligibility and improve the payment relief the program delivers.³

The program aims for a 20 percent reduction in your monthly principal and interest payment.⁴ To qualify, your loan must be at least 12 months old on the evaluation date, and you generally need to be 60 or more days behind on payments.⁵ If you are 90 or more days delinquent, the servicer may be required to evaluate you automatically. Borrowers who are current or less than 60 days behind can still qualify under an imminent-default finding, but only for a primary residence and only with documented hardship. Primary residences, second homes, and investment properties are all eligible.

FHA Loans

FHA-HAMP has been retired. A new permanent set of FHA loss mitigation tools takes effect on February 2, 2026, and servicers must work through them in a set order from least to most drastic:⁶

Repayment plan spreading past-due amounts over up to 24 months, available if you are no more than 120 days behind.
Forbearance that temporarily reduces or suspends payments while you recover.
Partial claim, which moves overdue amounts into a separate interest-free balance you repay when you sell or refinance.
Loan modification that permanently changes your rate or term.
Combination modification and partial claim when a standalone modification cannot reach the target payment.
Payment supplement for borrowers with severe hardship.

If none of the retention options work, your servicer must evaluate you for a pre-foreclosure sale or a deed-in-lieu before starting foreclosure.

VA Loans

The VA offers repayment plans, forbearance, and loan modifications through its own home retention waterfall. The Veterans Affairs Servicing Purchase (VASP) program, which had been a last-resort option, stopped accepting new cases on May 1, 2025.⁷ Contact your servicer, or call the VA at 877-827-3702 to discuss what remains available.

USDA Loans

The USDA Rural Housing Service updated its Single-Family Housing Guaranteed Loan Program regulations in 2025, giving lenders more flexibility in special servicing. Options may include payment plans, loan modifications, or forbearance. Call your servicer to ask which apply to your loan.

Loans Not Backed by a Federal Agency

If your loan is a conventional mortgage held in a private portfolio or bundled into a private-label security, no standardized federal modification program covers it. Many servicers offer their own in-house modifications, but the rules and terms vary by servicer. Ask yours directly what loss mitigation options exist for your loan.

How to Apply

Whichever program you fall under, the entry point is the same: submit a loss mitigation package, sometimes called a Borrower Response Package, to your servicer. It normally includes:

A borrower assistance form (often Form 710) listing household income, monthly expenses, and other financial details.⁵
Proof of income: recent pay stubs for salaried or hourly workers; a signed profit-and-loss statement with bank statements or tax returns for the self-employed.
A written hardship explanation describing why you can no longer afford your current payment.
IRS Form 4506-T or 4506T-EZ authorizing the servicer to pull your tax transcripts.
Details on monthly expenses so the servicer can assess what you can afford.

A single missing document can push your review back by weeks. Confirm the exact list with your servicer before you send anything, because requirements vary by loan type and investor.

Free Help

HUD funds housing counseling agencies that help homeowners at no cost. A HUD-approved counselor can organize your paperwork, prepare your application, and negotiate with your servicer on your behalf.⁸ Reach one by calling 800-569-4287, or use the Homeowner’s HOPE Hotline at 888-995-4673.

Timelines and Legal Protections

Federal servicing rules impose the same deadlines and protections regardless of loan type. Your servicer must acknowledge receipt of your application within five business days and tell you in writing whether it is complete or what is missing. Once the application is complete and arrived more than 37 days before any scheduled foreclosure sale, the servicer has 30 days to evaluate you for every available option and issue a written decision.⁹

While a complete loss mitigation application is pending, your servicer cannot proceed with a foreclosure sale, obtain a foreclosure judgment, or issue an order of sale. That protection lifts only when the servicer denies all options and any appeal is resolved, you reject the offered option, or you accept an option and then fail to comply with its terms.⁹ The protection applies even if foreclosure has already been filed, as long as your complete application arrives more than 37 days before the sale.

If you are approved, expect a trial period plan of roughly three to four months. You make the new, lower payment on time each month, and the servicer issues the permanent modification only after you complete every trial payment. Miss one and the servicer can disqualify you and resume foreclosure.

If Your Modification Is Denied

You have the right to appeal, but you have to file within 14 days of the servicer’s written decision.¹⁰ The appeal right applies when your complete application arrived at least 90 days before a scheduled foreclosure sale. Different personnel must review the appeal, and the servicer has 30 days to send a written determination. There is no second appeal, so if it is denied and you believe the decision is wrong, talk to a housing attorney or a HUD-approved counselor.

Watch for Modification Scams

People searching for HAMP replacements are a common target for fraud. It is illegal for any company to charge you an upfront fee for mortgage modification help. A company cannot collect payment until it has delivered a written modification offer from your lender that you find acceptable.¹¹

Red flags to watch for:¹²

Any request for money before services are delivered.
Guaranteed approval. No one can promise your lender will say yes.
Any request that you transfer your deed.
Claims of government affiliation. Legitimate companies must disclose that they are not connected to the government.
Payment only by wire transfer or cash app.

Use the free HUD-approved counseling network instead. The number is 800-569-4287.⁸

1
U.S. Department of the Treasury. Housing
2
Freddie Mac. HAMP Modification Overview
3
Freddie Mac. Bulletin 2024-E
4
Fannie Mae. Flex Modification
5
Freddie Mac. Flex Modification – Freddie Mac Single-Family
6
HUD.gov. Updates to Servicing, Loss Mitigation, and Claims
7
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. VA Help To Avoid Foreclosure
8
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Avoiding Foreclosure
9
eCFR. 12 CFR 1024.41 – Loss Mitigation Procedures
10
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. 1024.41 Loss Mitigation Procedures
11
Federal Trade Commission. FTC Issues Final Rule to Protect Struggling Homeowners From Mortgage Relief Scams
12
Federal Trade Commission. Mortgage Relief Scams