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Department of Housing and Urban Development
Housing and Urban Development
Description
In 2020, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) provided rental assistance to approximately 4.6 million low-income households, including elderly residents, individuals with disabilities, and veterans.
Designated Services
- Seeking information about FHA loan programs and loss mitigation services
- Filing a housing discrimination complaint
Seeking information about FHA loan programs and loss mitigation services
Description
Trying to buy, maintain, keep and/or sell a home can be daunting. It is difficult for borrowers to know what programs and provisions are available to assist them throughout the lifecycle of homeownership. Federal Housing Administration (FHA) loans enable millions of families and individuals obtain the dream of homeownership. While FHA loans are funded through FHA Approved lenders, the FHA sets the policy for FHA loans. Therefore, people contact the FHA Resource Center, as an authoritative source, to understand what is available to them. Additionally, the FHA Resource Center assists the National Servicing Center that is tasked to work with homeowners and their lenders to avoid foreclosure. The FHA Resource Center provides answers and responses to customers looking to buy a home, qualify for a loan, and receive down payment assistance, in addition to providing information about various other HUD programs and services. The FHA Resource Center is a omni-channel contact center with the ability to receive email inquiries from our customers by utilizing three different email accounts.
Why this service was designated
The FHA Resource Center is the most mature and largest contact center at HUD. Customers contact the FHA Resource Center about various FHA Mortgage programs and loan servicing matters along with other services including discrimination, rental assistance, public housing, and homelessness. Additionally, the FHA Resource Center assists the National Servicing Center tasked with working with homeowners and their lenders to avoid foreclosure. Because of the many occasions and topics that lead customers to the resource center, it is not limited to one service but rather many different services customers can receive, helping about one million people a year. Focusing on the service provided by the FHA Resource Center will help the 8.5 million people who have FHA loans, the millions of people who need these mortgages to purchase a home, the hundreds of thousands of people facing foreclosure, and the several others who need other services get the answers they need about FHA loans, get help through the loss mitigation process, and find answers to their other HUD related questions.
Quarterly data reported
Q3 2023
What we learned from this quarter's data:
Our agency reconfirmed our commitment to improving our customer service journey from this quarter’s data on the importance of efficiency on how we provide and perform services for our clients. Based on our research and feedback, the items which matter to our customers most is regarding more efficient ways to receive services and responses to their questions. One of the challenges our agency encountered was a result was a byproduct of the COVID-19 pandemic which created a significant amount of our FHA borrowers requiring loss mitigation. Thousands of these borrowers obtained subordinate mortgages (partial claims) for their missed payments due to impacts from their loss of income. These same subordinate mortgages created during the pandemic created customer service issues due to lien release requests and customers who are trying to refinance or sell their homes cannot complete the transaction without a lien release processed by our FHA servicing contractor. This resulted in an increase in servicing activities at a time when the agency transitioned to a new servicing contractor. Our agency’s management has been working diligently to address this matter to improve customer experience. We have been working to increase our FHA staffing to assist with supporting loss mitigation and servicing activities. In addition, the new servicing contractor has made tremendous strides in reducing the backlog created by the legacy contractor. Finally, we are also in the process of developing a digital self-service portal to further improve the customer experience for clients contacting our FHA Resource Center for services.
Service details
Transaction point: The survey is offered to the client after the service is provided by the Tier 1 and 2 Customer Service Representatives at the FHA Resource Center or after the Tier 3 interaction is completed by a Subject Matter Expert (SME) in the agency.
Channel: phone
People served: 198131
Surveys offered: 8131
Responses: 834
Transaction point: The survey is offered to the client after the service is provided by the Tier 1 and 2 Customer Service Representatives at the FHA Resource Center or after the Tier 3 interaction is completed by the HUD's National Servicing Center staff or their National Servicing Center loan servicing contractor.
Channel: phone
People served: 198131
Surveys offered: 834
Responses: 279
Q2 2023
What we learned from this quarter's data:
Our agency learned from this quarter’s data the efficiency on how we provide and perform services for our clients is one of the most critical parts of the customer journey. The items which matter to our customers is they are looking for an easy and fast way to receive our services. One of the painpoints our agency is experiencing because of the COVID-19 pandemic is that there have been a significant amount of our FHA borrowers requiring loss mitigation. Many of these borrowers have been required to obtain subordinate mortgages (partial claims) for their missed payments due to impacts from their loss of income from employment. This has created a significant amount of servicing activities at a time when the agency was transitioning in a new servicing contractor. Our agency’s management has been working to address this matter to improve customer experience. We are also developing a digital self-service portal to further improve the customer experience for clients contacting our FHA Resource Center for services.
Service details
Transaction point: The survey is offered to the client after the service is provided by the Tier 1 and 2 Customer Service Representatives at the FHA Resource Center or after the Tier 3 interaction is completed by a Subject Matter Expert (SME) in the agency.
Channel: phone
People served: 199326
Surveys offered: 8434
Responses: 988
Transaction point: The survey is offered to the client after the service is provided by the Tier 1 and 2 Customer Service Representatives at the FHA Resource Center or after the Tier 3 interaction is completed by the HUD's National Servicing Center staff or their National Servicing Center loan servicing contractor.
Channel: phone
People served: 199326
Surveys offered: 3621
Responses: 333
Q1 2023
What we learned from this quarter's data:
Our agency learned from this quarters data the efficiency on how we provide and perform services for our clients is one of the most critical parts of the customer journey. The items which matter to our customers is they are looking for an easy and fast way to receive our services. One of the pain points our agency is experiencing because of the COVID-19 pandemic is there have been a significant amount of our FHA borrowers requiring loss mitigation. Many of these borrowers have been required to obtain subordinate mortgages (partial claims) for their missed payments due to impacts from their loss of income from employment. This has created a significant amount of servicing activities at a time when the agency was transitioning in a new servicing contractor. Our agency’s management has been working to address this matter to improve customer experience. We are also developing a digital self-service portal to further improve the customer experience for clients contacting our FHA Resource Center for services.
Service details
Transaction point: The survey is offered to the client after the service is provided by the Tier 1 and 2 Customer Service Representatives at the FHA Resource Center or after the Tier 3 interaction is completed by a Subject Matter Expert (SME) in the agency.
Channel: phone
People served: 169533
Surveys offered: 8060
Responses: 913
Transaction point: The survey is offered to the client after the service is provided by the Tier 1 and 2 Customer Service Representatives at the FHA Resource Center or after the Tier 3 interaction is completed by the HUD's National Servicing Center staff or their National Servicing Center loan servicing contractor.
Channel: phone
People served: 169533
Surveys offered: 3111
Responses: 230
Q4 2022
What we learned from this quarter's data:
Our agency learned from this quarters data the efficiency on how we provide and perform services for our clients is one of the most critical parts of the customer journey. The items which matter to our customers is they are looking for an easy and fast way to receive our services. One of the pain points our agency is experiencing because of the COVID-19 pandemic is there have been a significant amount of our FHA borrowers requiring loss mitigation. Many of these borrowers have been required to obtain subordinate mortgages (partial claims) for their missed payments due to impacts from their loss of income from employment. This has created a significant amount of servicing activities at a time when the agency was transitioning in a new servicing contractor. Our agency’s management has been working to address this matter to improve customer experience. We are also developing a digital self-service portal to further improve the customer experience for clients contacting our FHA Resource Center for services.
Service details
Transaction point: The survey is offered to the client after the service is provided by the Tier 1 and 2 Customer Service Representatives at the FHA Resource Center or after the Tier 3 interaction is completed by a Subject Matter Expert (SME) in the agency.
Channel: phone
People served: 204275
Surveys offered: 4473
Responses: 662
Transaction point: The survey is offered to the client after the service is provided by the Tier 1 and 2 Customer Service Representatives at the FHA Resource Center or after the Tier 3 interaction is completed by the HUD's National Servicing Center staff or their National Servicing Center loan servicing contractor.
Channel: phone
People served: 204275
Surveys offered: 1929
Responses: 201
Q3 2022
What we learned from this quarter's data:
Service details
Transaction point: The survey is offered to the client after the service is provided by the Tier 1 and 2 Customer Service Representatives at the FHA Resource Center or after the Tier 3 interaction is completed by a Subject Matter Expert (SME) in the agency.
Channel: phone
People served: 196800
Surveys offered: 4118
Responses: 398
Transaction point: The survey is offered to the client after the service is provided by the Tier 1 and 2 Customer Service Representatives at the FHA Resource Center or after the Tier 3 interaction is completed by the HUD's National Servicing Center staff or their National Servicing Center loan servicing contractor.
Channel: phone
People served: 196800
Surveys offered: 1176
Responses: 146
Q2 2022
What we learned from this quarter's data:
Service details
Transaction point: The survey is offered to the client after the service is provided by the Tier 1 and 2 Customer Service Representatives at the FHA Resource Center or after the Tier 3 interaction is completed by a Subject Matter Expert (SME) in the agency.
Channel: phone
People served: 185867
Surveys offered: 4583
Responses: 625
Transaction point: The survey is offered to the client after the service is provided by the Tier 1 and 2 Customer Service Representatives at the FHA Resource Center or after the Tier 3 interaction is completed by the HUD's National Servicing Center staff or their National Servicing Center loan servicing contractor.
Channel: phone
People served: 185867
Surveys offered: 1806
Responses: 230
Q1 2022
What we learned from this quarter's data:
Our agency learned from this quarters data the efficiency on how we provide and perform services for our clients is one of the most critical parts of the customer journey. The items which matter to our customers is they are looking for a easy and fast way to receive our services . One of the pain points our agency is experiencing because of the COVID-19 pandemic is there have been a significant amount of our FHA borrowers requiring loss mitigation. Many of these borrowers have been required to obtain subordinate mortgages (partial claims) for their missed payments due to impacts from their loss of income from employment. This has created a significant amount of servicing activities at a time when the agency was transitioning in a new servicing contractor. Our agency’s management has been working to address this matter to improve customer experience.
Service details
Transaction point: The survey is offered to the client after the service is provided by the Tier 1 and 2 Customer Service Representatives at the FHA Resource Center or after the Tier 3 interaction is completed by a Subject Matter Expert (SME) in the agency.
Channel: phone
People served: 191302
Surveys offered: 5589
Responses: 689
Transaction point: The survey is offered to the client after the service is provided by the Tier 1 and 2 Customer Service Representatives at the FHA Resource Center or after the Tier 3 interaction is completed by a Subject Matter Expert (SME) in the agency.
Channel: phone
People served: 191302
Surveys offered: 5589
Responses: 689
Q2 2021
What we learned from this quarter's data:
Service details
Transaction point: send a follow up email after a phone call
Channel: email
People served:
Surveys offered:
Responses: 458
Transaction point: The survey is offered to the client after the service is provided by the Tier 1 and 2 Customer Service Representatives at the FHA Resource Center or after the Tier 3 interaction is completed by a Subject Matter Expert (SME) in the agency.
Channel: phone
People served: 199326
Surveys offered: 8434
Responses: 988
Q1 2021
What we learned from this quarter's data:
Service details
Transaction point: send a follow up email after a phone call
Channel: email
People served: 0
Surveys offered: 0
Responses: 80
Transaction point: send a follow up email after a phone call
Channel: email
People served: 0
Surveys offered: 0
Responses: 67
Transaction point: send a follow up email after a phone call
Channel: email
People served: 0
Surveys offered: 0
Responses: 98
Transaction point: send a follow up email after a phone call
Channel: email
People served: 0
Surveys offered: 0
Responses: 0
Transaction point: send a follow up email after a phone call
Channel: email
People served: 0
Surveys offered: 0
Responses: 119
Transaction point: send a follow up email after a phone call
Channel: email
People served: 0
Surveys offered: 0
Responses: 63
Filing a housing discrimination complaint
Description
The complaint process is a service that allows the public to connect directly with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to seek relief for alleged discrimination in housing. HUD’s Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity (FHEO) administers the complaint process. The Fair Housing Act allows for a free complaint process, which reduces barriers to these HUD services and eliminates the financial burden of hiring a lawyer. A customer engages in the complaint process when they believe they have experienced discrimination in renting or buying a home, obtaining a mortgage, seeking housing assistance, or engaging in other real estate transactions based on one or more of the seven protected classes (race, color, national origin, religion, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, and familial status), or other protections. FHEO will provide an intake analyst to assist customers in filing a complaint and understanding jurisdiction. Complaints can be received via email, phone, or mail. After a complaint is filed and determined to be jurisdictional, the customer receives investigative services from FHEO. FHEO will attempt to resolve the complaint through a conciliation process or take legal action to enforce the law. Additional civil rights statutes may also relate to a complaint. These statutes may also protect other populations not listed in the above protected classes.
Why this service was designated
FHEO’s discrimination complaint processing service has a critical, potentially life-altering impact on those impacted by discrimination. Many individuals who experience housing discrimination are unaware of their rights. For example, requesting a reasonable accommodation and being denied, or being required to live in segregated housing because of your race or because you have children. Because complainants often are in vulnerable positions, they may be facing a variety of challenges that could prevent them from coming forward or accessing information they need to report their case. They may also enter this process in a state of trauma and with limited resources because of the unstable living conditions they are experiencing. It is critical that individuals subjected to housing discrimination can progress through and complete the FHEO complaint process, as these complaints trigger investigations and resolutions that enforce the Fair Housing Act and HUD’s other civil rights authorities.
FHEO has conducted research to better understand the complainant’s journey in filing a discrimination complaint and better identify specific pain points. Due to the impact the complaint process has on victims of discrimination, FHEO aims to better support those involved with processing discrimination complaints on the challenges they may face entering and navigating the complaint process.