Forbearance is a lender’s agreement to stand down from collection efforts against a defaulted mortgagor, allowing the homeowner to hold off on payments for a period of time. Before COVID-19, I would often try to obtain a forbearance for clients who had a temporary loss of income and who could make up that arrearage given a short period of time — usually within a few months. Most lenders ignored the request for a forbearance and immediately considered the homeowner for a modification.Often during the period when the …