Free mortgage counseling Monday at Senior Center

Housing counselors from the Washoe County Senior Law Project will be at the Carson City Senior Center starting at 1 p.m. Monday to provide free assistance to those who are experiencing difficulty paying their mortgage.

The counselors will help homeowners determine if they are eligible for a modification from the Obama administration's mortgage modification program.

For those who have already received a notice of default, they will assist in preparing for mediation.

Homeowners may be eligible for the modification program if the owner of the loan is Freddie Mac or Fannie Mae. Frequently the owner of a loan is different than the entity to whom you send your monthly payments, called the "servicer."

To find out if a loan is owned by Freddie or Fannie, go to makinghomeafford

able.gov and click on the "loan look up" tab at the top and follow the links.

To make the most of the event at the Senior Center, 911 Beverly Drive, bring the following:

• A written list of your monthly income

• A written list of your monthly expenses

• The package of loan documents you should have received when you acquired the mortgage (also known as a "closing package") or at least the Deed of Trust and what is referred to as the HUD-1 Settlement Statement that summarizes the transaction.

• A recent loan statement - try to find one that has a recent summary of your escrow disbursements.

After a short presentation, counselors will meet with you one on one. If there is not enough time Monday to talk to each person, the counselors will come back Tuesday.