Due to hospital expenses and paying doctors, how can I get my Father's mortgage lowered?

yogirl636, any chance your Dad would consider selling his home and downsizing into something more affordable? Maybe Assisted Living would work out depending on your Dad's health... no more worry about property taxes, utilities, homeowner's insurance, no worry if the roof needs replacing or time for a new furnace, no worry about who will shovel the front walk/driveway or mow the lawn.

With Assisted Living, he would be among his peers thus have a lot in common to talk about, have his meals in a common dining room, and enjoy the activities offered by the facility.

Talk to an officer at the bank that holds his mortgage. For example, if there are only 10 years left on a mortgage, they may refinance for 30 years if his credit score is good.

If you're named as proxy under his DPOA, you can contact his mortgagee (lender) directly and ask about a restructured loan. I would inventory his current outstanding indebtedness, including medical and all household expenses, offset by his income so that you can present a full financial picture.

Some mortgage lenders have local offices that can get you started and connected to the larger lending centers. A lot depends on his lender. If it's Bank of America, be prepared to encounter resistance every step of the way.

I'm wondering though what kind of medical insurance he has. Does he have Medicare with any Medigap or Supplemental policies? Has he been in a facility on a long term basis and the Medicare coverage has run out? Have you considered applying for Medicaid?

I think it would also be appropriate to speak with his medical creditors to see if you can work out a bill payment plan spread across several months. In my limited experience, most are willing.

If you can pay a portion of each bill on a monthly basis rather than all the medical bills, then you won't have to worry so much about the mortgage going into default. A mortgage may ask why it should accept a lower payment amount when it's a priority creditor while hospital bills are taking priority, and that's a legitimate question.

But be proactive, especially with the mortgage.

Good luck, and let us know how this works out.