Friday, June 5, 2026

Wells Fargo Extends Mortgage Forbearance to 27 Months for Eaton Fire Homeowners

[From a photo by Eddie Rivera / Pasadena Now]

Altadena residents with Wells Fargo mortgages can request the extension by contacting their servicer

Wells Fargo will extend mortgage forbearance to a total of 27 months for customers directly impacted by the January 2025 Eaton Fire, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced June 3 — offering Altadena homeowners up to 12 months of additional relief beyond what California law currently requires.

The extension means qualifying Wells Fargo customers who are still paying mortgages on fire-destroyed properties can pause those payments for a total of 27 months from the date of their original request. Homeowners must contact their Wells Fargo servicer to request the additional time. No forms are required, according to the EPA announcement.

Los Angeles County Fifth District Supervisor Kathryn Barger, whose district includes Altadena, welcomed the move in a statement issued the same day. “The extension of mortgage forbearance for wildfire survivors is welcome news for families who continue to navigate the long and difficult road to recovery following the Eaton Fire,” Barger said in a press statement distributed through her office. “I commend Wells Fargo for stepping up to provide this added flexibility and thank federal officials, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, for helping facilitate this important outcome.”

The announcement comes more than 16 months after the Eaton Fire destroyed thousands of homes in Altadena. Throughout that period, many homeowners have faced a financial double burden: paying a mortgage on land that is now rubble while also paying rent for temporary housing as they wait to rebuild. “Altadena residents want to remain and rebuild in this community, but the financial press is real and growing for many,” Barger said in a separate statement issued when the state’s CalAssist Mortgage Fund launched in June 2025. The EPA press release specifically identified this dual cost as the core financial strain driving the relief effort.

California’s AB 238, signed by Governor Gavin Newsom on September 22, 2025, established a legal floor requiring lenders to provide up to 12 months of mortgage forbearance for borrowers experiencing wildfire-related hardship. Wells Fargo’s voluntary extension adds 12 additional months on top of AB 238’s mandate, bringing the total to 27 months from the date of the original request.

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin framed the Wells Fargo action as part of a coordinated public-private recovery effort. “EPA’s cleanup cleared the path to rebuild, and private partners like Wells Fargo stepping up to ease the financial burden on survivors is exactly the public-private effort this recovery needs,” Zeldin said in the EPA press release. The EPA’s LA wildfire cleanup became the agency’s largest wildfire cleanup ever, with teams clearing 13,612 residential and 305 commercial properties in 28 days, according to the same release.

Serhat Oztop, Wells Fargo’s head of Home Lending, said in the EPA press release that the bank’s commitment extends beyond forbearance. “Beyond the forbearance extension, Wells Fargo has donated more than $5 million across nine nonprofits focused on small business capital and housing and offers free financial coaching to individuals and business owners through HOPE Inside centers in select branches,” Oztop said. “Together, the measures give impacted homeowners additional breathing room as reconstruction gets underway.”

In her statement, Barger credited federal pressure as a factor in the outcome. She said that when she met with President Trump earlier this year, “one of the central topics of discussion was ensuring that wildfire survivors receive meaningful relief and support as they rebuild their lives.” Her office has pressed for expanded forbearance at every level of government: in April, the LA County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved her motion supporting AB 1847, pending state legislation that would extend the forbearance period to 36 months and push the request deadline to January 7, 2029.

Altadena homeowners with Wells Fargo mortgages who have been impacted by the Eaton Fire and wish to request the extended forbearance should contact Wells Fargo’s mortgage servicing line directly.

“For many homeowners, this mortgage forbearance extension will offer greater stability and financial breathing room during an extraordinarily challenging period,” Barger said in her statement. “I remain committed to advocating for every available resource and recovery tool that will help our wildfire survivors move forward and rebuild.”