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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Sunday, April 27, 2008

70% of mortgage holders still need help

By Dina ElBoghdady
Washington Post

WASHINGTON — Seven out of 10 troubled mortgage borrowers remain without a plan to work out their loans despite increased industry efforts to help them, according to a new report from a coalition of state attorneys general and banking regulators.

The coalition collected data from 13 of the largest subprime lenders from October through January and found that they are overwhelmed by their workload and unable to keep pace with the growing number of borrowers who are falling behind on payments.

The report is the most recent effort to assess how well lenders are responding to foreclosure problems now that many of them are under pressure by policy makers and consumer advocates to offer swifter and more meaningful help.

The good news is that more lenders appear to be embracing long-term solutions by rewriting the loan terms instead of simply rescheduling payments, the report said. Five of the 13 lenders are modifying the loans, usually by lowering interest rates and less often by forgiving part of the principal.

But while lenders appear more motivated to help, they continue to work on a case-by-case basis instead of adopting a more systematic approach. As result, the process is time-consuming and often fails to help borrowers before they fall into foreclosure. Almost two-thirds of the cases that lenders started between October and January were not completed within the following month, the group said.