What does all this mean for your mortgage modification? Your lender (or servicer) must acknowledge receipt of the QWR letter within 20 days and respond to you within 60 days. Borrowers who have grown increasingly frustrated by their lender’s unwillingness to modify their mortgage have attempted to utilize RESPA to push lenders into responding to their modification requests within a reasonable time frame by referencing RESPA in their hardship letter. Lenders who do not respond will face civil liability, making a qualified written request letter one of the only ways a borrower can fight back against being ignored by their lender in the never ending and mysterious mortgage modification process. However, not every letter that references RESPA will qualify as a qualified written request for information under the statute. Be sure that your letter identifies clearly your name, account number and reason why the account is incorrect or the information you are requesting.

Click here for a sample RESPA letter provided by the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

It’s important to remember that your qualified written request for information must not be included with your payment. It should be sent, instead, to your lender’s customer service address. You should also continue to make your required mortgage and escrow payments. If you are suffering from overwhelming unsecured debt in addition to problems making the mortgage payments, Bankruptcy may be an attractive option . Consumers should also be aware that it is possible to modify mortgages through Chapter 13 bankruptcy under certain circumstances.