Benefits for AFGE Members

When you join the union, you have access to these AFGE benefits. These benefits are backed by the collective strength of over 10-million members of AFL-CIO unions. By using one or two of the programs, many members save as much as their annual dues.

These Money-Saving Benefits are Available Only to AFGE Members:

Save My Home Hotline

Act now if you are facing mortgage payment problems

If you are a homeowner worried that the next change in your adjustable rate mortgage (ARM) will put payments out of reach or facing financial trouble that may make you fall behind on your mortgage payments, the Union Plus Save My Home Hotline may be able to help.

You can arrange a confidential, free consultation with expert housing counselors who can provide advice, help you find answers and develop an action plan to get your financial house in order. Don't wait until it's too late. Members can call any time day or night.

Advice designed especially for you

Fully-trained, HUD-certified counselors will discuss your individual situation and offer advice and guidance that is personalized for your situation. Save My Home Hotline housing counselors can:

• Provide a free budget and spending analysis to assess your current financial situation
• Explain how best to work with your lender and understand all of the options available to help you retain your home and prevent foreclosure.
• Protect you from future credit problems before you get too far behind on mortgage payments.
• Provide a written plan of action you can follow.
• Offer referrals to other resources, including credit and bankruptcy counseling, the Union Plus Legal Service and the Union Plus Mortgage program, if appropriate.
• It's free and confidential

Counseling offered by the Save My Home Hotline is confidential and free. The counselors at Money Management International (MMI), the nation's largest and most trusted full-service nonprofit credit counseling agency, are ready to help. MMI and its family of Consumer Credit Counseling Services agencies have helped consumers nationwide for more than 46 years by providing high-quality, comprehensive credit counseling, and education and debt management assistance.

In addition to telephone counseling, face-to-face counseling at more than 100 local offices in 22 states and the District of Columbia is also available.

Mortgage assistance grants

MMI has created a Preserving Homeownership And Savings Education Strategies (PHASES) program through a $1 million grant from HSBC, the provider of the Union Plus Credit Card. PHASES grants can assist qualified homeowners in participating states who are experiencing temporary financial distress and who are past due on one or two mortgage payments. Grants are available to homeowners in 15 states: Arizona, California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas and Virginia. Hotline counselors can determine if you are eligible.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who can participate in the program?
Union members, their parents and their children.

What are the Save My Home Hotline hours?
The Save My Home Hotline is available by telephone 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Is there a web site with more information?
Yes: UnionPlus.org/SaveMyHome

Can I talk to a counselor in person?
Yes. There are more than 100 local offices in 22 states and the District of Columbia. Call the Save My Home Hotline at 1-866-490-5361 to schedule an appointment.

Is there a charge to use the Save My Home Hotline?
No. This service is free to union members and families.

I already am behind on my mortgage payments. Can the Hotline help me?
Yes. The hotline's HUD-certified counselors can help you establish a budget, set priorities and explain all the available strategies to stop foreclosure and help you keep your home. Landlords and lenders often are willing to be flexible about repayment of late or missing payments.

If you simply cannot make your payments, your counselor can provide advice for working with the lender. Your lender may be able to restructure your loan to a fixed rate, for example, or allow you to make smaller payments for a limited period of time (those payments will be added to the loan balance, though.) If necessary, your counselor will make referrals to other resources or alternatives such as a deed-in-lieu of foreclosure (where you essentially turn the home back over to the lender). You'll leave the session with a written Homekeeper Action Plan outlining actions you need to take.

Will the counselors work directly with my lender?
No. Unlike with credit counseling, the Save My Home Hotline counselors are unable to work directly with your lender. However, they will create a written Homekeeper Action Plan to help you address your housing concerns. After the session, you should be better prepared to work with your lender. And, you may call the Hotline to speak with a counselor as many times as you need to make sure all of your questions and concerns are answered.

What type of information should I have ready to discuss with a counselor?
Your counseling session will consist of a review of your circumstances, including income, expenses, debts and mortgage terms. You should have the account numbers, billing addresses, current payments and balances for all creditors you owe, as well as any information from your mortgage lender, including payment amount and time delinquent (if applicable).

Who offers the Save My Home Hotline?
The Save My Home Hotline is offered by Union Plus, which provides benefits to union members, through Money Management International (MMI). MMI is the nation's largest full-service, nonprofit credit counseling agency and currently assists nearly 100,000 clients in repaying their debts. For more than 46 years, MMI and its family of Consumer Credit Counseling Services agencies have helped consumers nationwide, with more than 100 local offices throughout the country.

Available outside the US?

Answer: Yes

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Access: This benefit is only available to members of AFGE. If you are a member of AFGE, please login to the Members Only section. If you are not a member, but would like to find out how to become one, please visit the Join AFGE section.

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