Fannie Mae Disaster Aid for Guam Homeowners After Typhoon Mawar

When Typhoon Mawar roared across Guam on May 24, 2023 as a Category 4 storm, it knocked out power to nearly the entire island, damaged thousands of homes, and left residents facing a long, expensive rebuild. Two days later, on May 26, 2023, Fannie Mae publicly reminded Guam homeowners, renters, and mortgage servicers of the disaster relief tools already built into every Fannie Mae-backed mortgage.

If you own a home on Guam and your loan is owned by Fannie Mae, you have real options — but you have to reach out to take advantage of them.

What Fannie Mae Offered Guam Homeowners

The core relief is forbearance: a pause on your monthly mortgage payments while you focus on safety, insurance claims, and repairs. Under Fannie Mae's disaster policy activated for Mawar, servicers could grant up to 90 days of forbearance right away, even without hearing from the homeowner, if they believed the property was in the affected area. Homeowners who needed more time could request extensions up to a total of 12 months.

During forbearance:

• No late fees accrue on missed payments.
• Foreclosure proceedings and eviction-related actions are suspended.
• Negative credit reporting tied to the disaster-related missed payments is paused.

Forbearance is not forgiveness — the paused payments still have to be resolved. But Fannie Mae offers a separate tool called a Disaster Payment Deferral that moves the missed payments to the end of the loan so you don't have to repay them in a lump sum when forbearance ends.

How to Confirm Your Loan Is Fannie Mae-Backed

Many Guam homeowners don't realize that the company they mail their payment to is not always the company that owns the loan. Your mortgage servicer collects payments, but the actual loan may be owned by Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, FHA, VA, or a private investor.

You can check at Fannie Mae's free loan lookup tool (knowyouroptions.com/loanlookup) using your name, address, and last four digits of your Social Security number. If the tool confirms a match, every protection in this article applies to you.

Step-by-Step: Requesting Relief

1. Call the servicer listed on your most recent mortgage statement. Explain that your home was in Guam during Typhoon Mawar and request disaster forbearance.
2. Ask for it in writing. Get the start date, length, and post-forbearance options (especially whether a payment deferral will be offered) confirmed in an email or letter.
3. Document damage. Photos, receipts, and an insurance claim number will help if you need to extend forbearance or apply for a loan modification later.
4. Do not simply stop paying. Skipping payments without an approved forbearance plan will still trigger late fees and credit hits.

Free Disaster Recovery Counseling

Fannie Mae funds a free disaster recovery hotline staffed by HUD-approved counselors: 855-HERE2HELP (855-437-3243). For a Guam homeowner, this is one of the most useful resources because the counselors can:

• Build a personalized recovery plan around your insurance, FEMA aid, and mortgage.
• Help you file or appeal a FEMA Individual Assistance claim.
• Stay with your case for up to 18 months of follow-up.
• Provide service in Spanish and several other languages.

There is no income limit and no fee.

Renters Aren't Forgotten

If you rent a home in Guam that has a Fannie Mae-backed mortgage, your landlord is required to pause evictions during the disaster forbearance period and cannot charge late fees tied to disaster-related missed rent. If you're uncertain whether your building qualifies, the 855-HERE2HELP counselors can check the property's loan status for you.

Stack This With Other Aid

Fannie Mae relief works best when combined with FEMA Individual Assistance (activated under DR-4715-GU for Mawar), SBA disaster home loans, and any private hazard and flood insurance payouts. Forbearance buys you the breathing room to pursue those slower-moving applications without losing your home.

If you're still making Mawar repairs or catching up financially, call your servicer and 855-HERE2HELP today. The disaster window may have officially closed, but servicers continue to offer loss mitigation for hardship tied to the storm.