[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1499 Introduced in House (IH)]

113th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1499

  To ensure that homeowners who have mortgages insured by the FHA, or 
 owned or guaranteed by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, and whose homes are 
located in major disaster areas are notified of any forbearance relief 
in connection with such disaster that is offered or recommended by the 
FHA, the Federal Housing Finance Agency, the Federal National Mortgage 
  Association, or the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation, and for 
                            other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 11, 2013

 Mr. Jeffries (for himself, Mr. Grimm, and Mr. Crowley) introduced the 
   following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Financial 
                                Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To ensure that homeowners who have mortgages insured by the FHA, or 
 owned or guaranteed by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, and whose homes are 
located in major disaster areas are notified of any forbearance relief 
in connection with such disaster that is offered or recommended by the 
FHA, the Federal Housing Finance Agency, the Federal National Mortgage 
  Association, or the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation, and for 
                            other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Disaster-Affected Homeowners 
Notification Act of 2013''.

SEC. 2. REQUIREMENT TO NOTIFY AFFECTED HOMEOWNERS OF MORTGAGE RELIEF.

    (a) Requirement.--If, in connection with any major disaster 
declared pursuant to section 401 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster 
Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5170), the Secretary of 
Housing and Urban Development, the Director of the Federal Housing 
Finance Agency, the Federal National Mortgage Association, or the 
Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation makes available forbearance 
relief with respect to any covered mortgage, or any such agency head or 
enterprise issues any notice or guidelines to mortgagees or servicers 
recommending or requiring such relief, the applicable agency head 
shall--
            (1) provide, to each mortgagor under a covered mortgage, 
        direct notification in accordance with subsection (b) of such 
        relief made available, required, or recommended; and
            (2) provide, for areas subject to such disaster 
        declaration, community-wide notification in accordance with the 
        guidelines issued under subsection (c) of such relief made 
        available, required, or recommended.
    (b) Direct Notification.--Direct notification in accordance with 
this subsection is notification to the mortgagor under a covered 
mortgage--
            (1)(A) made by a telephone call to the mortgagor or by mail 
        to the residence subject to the mortgage; and
            (B) by such other method of direct contact as may be 
        provided in the guidelines issued pursuant to subsection (e); 
        and
            (2) that clearly informs the mortgagor--
                    (A) that the mortgage is a covered mortgage;
                    (B) of the forbearance relief made available, 
                required, or recommended;
                    (C) of any moratorium on foreclosure with respect 
                to covered mortgages; and
                    (D) of how to obtain more information regarding 
                such relief.
    (c) Community-Wide Notification and Awareness Measures.--The 
applicable agency heads shall, pursuant to subsection (e), issue 
guidelines regarding measures designed to provide notice and awareness 
of any forbearance relief made available, required, or recommended in 
connection with a major disaster throughout the areas subject to such 
disaster declaration. Such guidelines may include requirements 
regarding the types of notification measures, such as town hall 
meetings, public service announcements, public advertisements and the 
types of media used to convey such advertisements, and flyers and other 
community notices.
    (d) Definitions.--For purposes of this section, the following 
definitions shall apply:
            (1) Applicable agency head.--The term ``applicable agency 
        head'' means--
                    (A) the Secretary, with respect to a covered 
                mortgage described in paragraph (2)(B)(i); and
                    (B) the Director, with respect to a covered 
                mortgage described in paragraph (2)(B)(ii).
            (2) Covered mortgage.--The term ``covered mortgage'' means, 
        with respect to any major disaster declared pursuant to section 
        401 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency 
        Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5170), a mortgage--
                    (A) that is secured by a one- to four-family 
                dwelling that--
                            (i) is the principal residence of the 
                        mortgagor; and
                            (ii) is located within an area for which 
                        such major disaster was declared; and
                    (B) that is--
                            (i) insured under title II of the National 
                        Housing Act (12 U.S.C. 1707 et seq.); or
                            (ii) owned or guaranteed by the Federal 
                        National Mortgage Association or the Federal 
                        Home Loan Mortgage Corporation.
                Any delinquency or default under a mortgage shall not 
                affect the status of such mortgage as a covered 
                mortgage.
            (3) Director.--The term ``Director'' means the Director of 
        the Federal Housing Finance Agency.
            (4) Forbearance relief.--The term ``forbearance relief'' 
        means, with respect to a mortgage, any suspension or reduction 
        of payments due under the mortgage, in any form and to any 
        extent.
            (5) Mortgagee.--The term ``mortgagee'' means, with respect 
        to a covered mortgage, the original lender under the mortgage 
        and any affiliates, agents, subsidiaries, successors, or 
        assignees of such lender, any subsequent purchaser, trustee, or 
        transferee of the mortgage or credit instrument issued by such 
        lender.
            (6) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of Housing and Urban Development.
    (e) Guidelines.--Not later than the expiration of the 30-day period 
beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary and 
the Director shall jointly issue guidelines to carry out this section.
    (f) Applicability.--This Act shall apply with respect to any major 
disaster declared pursuant to section 401 of the Robert T. Stafford 
Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act in connection with 
Hurricane Sandy and any major disaster declared thereafter.
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