Millions of Americans have not been able to pay their mortgages in over a year, and fortunately, many are in mortgage forbearance. However, most of those forbearance periods end in just a few months and many could be in danger of losing their homes.

According to the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau (CFPB), at least one million Americans will be in “imminent danger of foreclosure” by October, and by December, that number could rise to more than 2 million.

“This is sort of an unprecedented situation,” said Mark McArdle, assistant director of mortgage markets at the CFPB.

The CFPB is a government agency that was created after the 2008 housing crisis and is charged with preventing another housing crisis this year.

"A lot of this depends on income and whether folks get their incomes back,” explained McArdle. “If they do, there are a lot of interesting tools out there to help them.”

The CFPB issued a warning this month to banks, essentially asking banks to start working with homeowners to prevent foreclosures.

The agency suggests banks do the following: increase staff, address potential language access issues for non-English speaking homeowners, start contacting borrowers before the foreclosure period ends, and give borrowers options.

The CFPB has approved a streamlined process for loan modification to make this option easier for banks and borrowers.

“We want servicers to know that we are paying close attention,” said McArdle. "This is our number one priority to make sure servicers treat borrowers fairly, that they evaluate them for all options and that they use all the tools at their disposal.”

To ensure that, the CFPB is also proposing a rule to stop banks from filing any foreclosures until the end of the year. After a brief public comment period, it’s expected to be approved by the end of summer and banks could face hefty fines if they do not comply.

The CFPB said it will monitor, in real-time, whether banks and services are following the guidance. Homeowners with potential issues could file complaints directly on the CFPB’s website.

“The jury is out on how effective the enforcement action will be, but it is certainly better than sitting on the government's hands and doing nothing,” said Patricia McCoy, a law professor at Boston College Law School.

McCoy was the first head of the CFPB’s Mortgage Markets unit.

She recommends homeowners protect themselves further by proactively reaching out to the mortgage service or at least pick up the call when they make the required effort to reach out to you.

McCoy also suggests asking for an evaluation. The earlier you do it the better chance you won’t get jammed up with millions who will be coming off forbearance at the same time. To further protect themselves, homeowners should document all contact with their servicer or bank. It’s important to note the name of the person you talked to, the date, time, and a note about the conversation.

“Last piece of advice: there are free housing counselors in every state,” said McCoy. “They can help you. They can be your counselor through this process.”

The Consumer Finance Protection Bureau has a ‘find a housing counselor’ tool on its website. You simply put in your zip code and will be given the information on a free housing counselor near you.

Around 2 million homeowners are still in mortgage forbearance even as many people start paying again.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau warns millions of families are at risk of losing their homes to foreclosure in the coming months.

But there is action people in forbearance should start taking now, even before that forbearance ends, to try to prevent this.

“Many borrowers, if they can't afford to resume their payments at the levels that they were at before the forbearance, they will have other options, so we expect to see loan modifications, things like that, where they might need to change the terms of their mortgage to be able to make the payments,” said Kristen Holt, CEO of GreenPath, a national nonprofit credit counseling service.

Holt says GreenPath has been getting more calls recently about forbearance and housing needs.

As more people look to exit forbearance, complaints about mortgages and mortgage servicers are up as well.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau says the agency saw the highest monthly volume of mortgage-related consumer complaints in nearly three years in March.

The top complaint is having issues communicating with loan servicers. That's where contacting a free credit counseling service first might be helpful.

“We can look at your situation and tell you what options there might be. We can also even call the servicer with you, if you're nervous about that or you want a little bit of translation,” said Holt.

She says when you talk with the servicer, make sure you're writing everything down, so you can go back later and see your options.

If you can't afford payments anymore, but you feel like the situation is temporary, you may be able to get your forbearance extended.

One good thing now compared to during the house crisis in 2008 and 2009 is you likely have equity in your home now.

It's also a seller's market, so that could be an option if your home isn't affordable to you anymore.

GreenPath's number to get free help is 888-995-HOPE. They also have virtual financial coaching on their website, if you'd rather start there first.