Job loss is a grim specter for a mortgage holder. For most of us, that mortgage payment is at the top of the monthly bill payment list. You can talk almost any creditor into short term relief and even long term restructuring the phone company, your car loan(s), credit card companies; they deal with delinquent payment plans daily. Mortgage companies get nervous much more quickly, but most are willing to consider at least one skipped payment if your unemployment is for a short period.
Mortgage Insurance?
You may not remember this in the flurry of documents and signing sessions that accompanied your home purchase, but you may well have an insurance policy that protects your lender against mortgage default. If you have a loan that is more than 80% of the homes value when purchased, you probably are also paying for mortgage insurance. Its incorporated into that list of particulars you pay on every month: principal, interest, taxes, homeowners insurance and mortgage insurance. Its meant to protect the lender; see what protection it provides for you.
Talk to your Lender
It is important to talk to your mortgage lender. Job upheaval is sufficiently...