What To Do After a Disaster

If you’ve been impacted by a disaster, such as a flood, winter storm, hurricane, tornado, or wildfire, here are a couple of steps you can take to help ensure your home and finances are protected.

• File an insurance claim with your provider for damages related to the disaster.
• Contact us, mortgage assistance may be available, if you qualify.
• Register for disaster assistance with federal, state, and local agencies, if you qualify. (This assistance may cover expenses that your insurance company doesn’t.)

Insurance Claim Process

1. Contact your homeowner’s insurance provider – Provide details of the damage and loss sustained due to the disaster.

Note:  If flood damage occurred and your flood insurance is provided through FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), you can find information on starting a claim with them at FloodSmart.gov/start.

2. Document damage before making repairs – Keep photos and videos for your records. Some insurers let you report the damage remotely via live video from your smartphone. Please check with your insurance provider for options.
3. An adjuster may be assigned, if your loss is covered – The adjuster will work with you to assess the property damage and provide an estimate of the repair costs.
4. Loss draft (claim) check issued – If a claim check is issued and sent to you, please call our Customer Care Department at 800-488-0053 for next steps.  Also, you can review the below Insurance Claim Check Process for more information.

Insurance Claim Check Process

When a disaster strikes your home, your insurance company may issue an insurance claim check, which can also be called loss draft funds. A claim check is meant to cover various costs, including repairs.

• If the insurance claim check is sent to us:
  • We may endorse it and send it to you to complete the repairs, depending on the loan status and the amount of the insurance funds; or
  • If the total claim is over $10,000, or the account is delinquent, we may instead deposit it and distribute the amount to you incrementally, as repairs are completed.
• If you get an insurance claim check, please endorse the check and send it to us. You can call our Customer Care Department at 800-488-0053 to learn more.

Applying for Mortgage Assistance, if available

1. Contact us – Tell us how you’ve been affected and provide us with updated contact information if you have been temporarily relocated.  Our Customer Care Department toll free number is 800-488-0053.
2. Possible additional assistance – Depending on your loan type, situation and other factors, if your home or income were impacted by the disaster, assistance may be available, if you qualify, including a disaster forbearance plan with possible benefits, such as:
3. Payment relief for a set period of time;
4. Negative credit protections; and/or
5. No late fees

Please note that mortgage assistance and the above benefits may not be available to all customers as restrictions may apply.

Additional Disaster Assistance

1. Federal disaster assistance – Visit www.disasterassistance.gov or call FEMA at 800-621-3362 (for TTY calls, dial 800-642-7585). You may be eligible for benefits and resources that are not covered by your insurance company.

Note:  This step may be completed whether or not your home is in an official disaster area, as undeclared areas can be added at a later date (you can check for declared areas with FEMA’s search tool).

2. State or local agencies – Contact agencies, such as your:
3. State and county emergency management offices
4. Department of health and human services
5. Governor’s office

Note:  You can also find resources at www.fema.gov/locations by entering your city and state or ZIP code. Select “Helpful Resources” once your state’s page appears. USA.gov also provides links to local resources.

3. Helpful organizations – Non-profits and other organizations may be willing to assist you as well.  Here are some organizations and their information that may be helpful:
4. Red Cross: Visit the Get Help section of their website or call 1-800-RED-CROSS.
5. United Way: Visit the 211 section of their website or call 2-1-1.
6. Salvation Army: Visit the Disaster Relief section of their website.

Important:  Beware that scammers may try to take advantage of you in your time of need and pose as a non-profit or government official. Home repair scams and price gouging efforts may also increase after natural disasters.