The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced Wednesday that it has released five new language translations for 19 separate single-family mortgage documents used to service mortgage loans insured by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA).
The new translations are available in Chinese, Korean, Spanish, Tagalog and Vietnamese and can be accessed through FHA's Language Access webpage , and are designed to “assist lenders, servicers, housing counselors, and other FHA program participants in explaining information related to FHA-insured mortgages to people with limited English proficiency prior to executing these documents in English, as required by law.”
The department said this latest set of translations will expand availability of “40 translated mortgage issuance documents and homeownership education resources published previously” and help remove language barriers to obtaining FHA-insured mortgage financing.
“At HUD, we are committed to ensuring homeownership is accessible to everyone who wants it, especially first-time homebuyers,” Acting HUD Secretary Adrienne Todman said in a statement. “To do that, we must ensure everyone has access to information about our programs. This common-sense action will help families realize their dreams of homeownership. Today we take an important step toward a generation of more inclusive, diverse and equitable homeownership.”
FHA Commissioner Julia Gordon said these newly translated resources will be valuable tools to help more borrowers “understand their homebuying options and help existing borrowers get assistance if they're having difficulty making their mortgage payments.”
“With approximately 60 mortgage-related documents now translated into multiple languages, we now have a comprehensive collection of translation tools and resources that our program partners can use to more effectively reach people whose first language is not English,” Gordon added.
A complete list of the newly translated documents is available on HUD's website.