HUD makes mortgage documents accessible in Chinese, Korean, Spanish, more

July 3 (UPI) -- The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development said Wednesday it is making 19 single family mortgage documents available in Chinese, Korean, Spanish, Tagalog and Vietnamese languages.

The new translations will be added to the existing 40 previously published translated mortgage documents.

"At HUD, we are working to ensure that homeownership is accessible to everyone who wants it -- particularly for first-time homebuyers. To do that, we must make sure everyone has access to information about our programs. This common-sense action will help families achieve their dream of owning a home," said HUD Acting Secretary Adrianne Todman in a statement. "Today, we are taking a crucial step towards a more inclusive, diverse, and equitable generation of homeowners."

The Federal Housing Administration maintains a language access page to help mortgage seekers, lenders and other FHA program participants get mortgage information.

Federal Housing Commissioner Julia Gordon said in a statement, "We continue to work to remove language access barriers for borrowers with FHA-insured mortgages. We believe it's critical for borrowers to understand the options for purchasing a home and for accessing assistance if an existing borrower has difficulty in making their mortgage payments."

She added that with the now nearly 60 translated mortgage documents in multiple languages FHA now has a comprehensive collection of translated tools for those seeking mortgages.