Loan Repayment Holidays

Due to COVID-19 outbreak, people all over the world faced different financial challenges and found a-way-out solutions to them. They learned how to cut out expenses, prioritize them, budget their spending, and have emergency funds. They tried to solve small unexpected expenses via payday loans and faced high-interest rates, thus learning how to take a break from making repayments on loans.

What is a Loan Repayment Holiday? 

The pause on the loan repayments is called a loan repayment holiday. Such breaks can occur when the borrowers change their jobs, have maternity leave, or live through a global crisis such as the 2020 pandemic. Whatever the reason, if you cannot pay the debt back, it is worth speaking to your lender to clarify whether a break might work for you.

COVID-19 and Loan Repayment Holidays

In March 2020, Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) authorized banks, credit unions, and lenders to grant a repayment holiday to mortgage borrowers financially affected by the pandemic for up to a maximum of six months. 

The repayment holiday is planned for those who are experiencing financial difficulties. However, interest rates continue to go up, increasing the amount of overall repayment. Nevertheless, loan repayment holidays can become a short-term relief for those considerably damaged during the pandemic.

Repayment Holiday Requirements May Differ  

As terms for loan repayment holidays differ from lender to lender, the borrowers should make sure they clearly understand any impact before taking a repayment break. Some lenders may permit a break for three months, while others may extend the period to six months. After the repayment holiday, the repayable amount can grow at the lender’s discretion. Moreover, the lender can even extend the loan term matching the period of the holiday. As soon as the repayment holiday ends, your monthly payments restart automatically, and the amounts you have missed are added to the balance.

How to Request for a Loan Repayment Holiday?

To take a loan repayment holiday, the borrower should have at least one repayment done and have at least 30 days remaining on his loan term. Besides, he shouldn’t have missed more than one payment. If the borrower is a customer of banks, he should visit the bank’s website, fill out a repayment holiday application form, and submit it for approval. If the borrower is a client of online lenders, he should contact his lender for detailed information. The lender can suggest an agreement and demand more details of the borrower’s income. Note that the repayment holiday will never affect your credit score. However, the lenders may consider it for the future. 

 What to Do When the Payment Freeze Expires?

 If the repayment holiday is coming to an end, the borrowers will be notified beforehand. With online lenders, the borrowers will have the opportunity to discuss the next options. The banks will represent their options demanding the clients to follow them. In both cases, the repayment will restart and will cost more. 

 However, suppose the borrower still has financial difficulties due to the pandemic or any other reason. In that case, he can apply for a repayment holiday one more time which is called a payment deferral. Deferred payments are entirely or partially postponed payments that are made under certain conditions depending on the lender. The duration of the period can vary and is set up beforehand between the borrower and the lender.