Fannie Mae has opened a new mortgage help center in Dallas, Texas and partnered with two non-profit housing agencies that will provide free counseling services for struggling homeowners in the greater Dallas and Fort Worth metro areas, with loans owned by Fannie Mae.

The Fannie Mae Dallas/Fort Worth Mortgage Help Center is the sixth Fannie Mae facility in a series of nationwide help centers to assist borrowers in the hardest hit areas.

The North Texas Housing Coalition is partnering with Fannie Mae to work directly with borrowers at the help center. A second partnership with Tarrant County Housing Partnership also offers counseling services for homeowners with Fannie Mae loans at their facility in the Fort Worth area.

According to Fannie Mae, counselors will provide a full range of services, which include reviewing a borrower’s loan, discussing foreclosure alternatives, collecting the required documents for the federal Making Home Affordable Program and providing help to finalize any pending loan workout efforts.

Fannie Mae senior vice president for National Servicing Organization Jeff Hayward said distressed homeowners facing economic hardships of varying degrees should know that free counseling is just a phone call or email away, and that Fannie Mae experienced staff is here to help each homeowner navigate through the myriad of options available to them.

"With one in every 281 Texas homes in foreclosure, and Dallas and Tarrant Counties ranking second and third in the state for the highest foreclosure rates, we are reaching out to thousands of local homeowners to help resolve their mortgage situation," Hayward said.