The land of mortgage forbearance in the age of COVID is uncharted territory for lenders and consumers. The CARES Act promised mortgage forbearance for borrowers for any reason without a negative impact on credit score. Now we are seeing that this is not the exactly case. Even if a forbearance does not impact your FICO score directly, it can negatively impact a lender’s decision to give you a mortgage or loan. We are seeing the same phenomenon with borrowers whose businesses made use of the PPP program for payroll assistance from the SBA. Bottom line: Unless you really need the assistance do not opt for it as it’s impact on your future ability to borrow could be negatively impacted.