5 Things in a Loan Modification Hardship Letter
A financial hardship letter explains to your creditor why you are in financial trouble and requests a specific remedy to help you through the crisis. There are different reasons for writing a hardship letter, but the most common these days are:
1. Requesting a Loan Modification or restructuring
2. Requesting a short sale to avoid foreclosure
The hardship letter is a primary requirement in the loan application process. Your loan modification attorney will ask you to submit it along with your other financial documents, so that they can evaluate your situation and present a strong case to your lender.
When writing a hardship letter for a Home loan modification, keep in mind that the lenders really want to see why you have fallen behind with your mortgage payments. It should be clear, honest, and contain just the right amount of detail. The way you write it can literally spell the difference between keeping and losing your home. Here’s how you can write a hardship letter that puts your point across and gets you the best loan modification deal.
1. Keep it concise. A typical lender can only spend five minutes reading your letter. Try to keep it to a single page; any longer and they might not have time to really read it through. Lose all unnecessary details and keep only those that are relevant to your case.
2. Get straight to the point. Start by stating the purpose of your letter (whether it’s a loan modification or a short sale), so that the reader knows outright what to expect. Basically, it should say “I need you to buy my home/restructure my mortgage/give me a lower interest rate,†in a way that compels them to find out why. You can use the succeeding paragraphs to explain it in more detail.