HAMPering Homeowners

The Homeowner Assistance and Modification Program needs modification and assistance itself. The program, touted by the Obama Administration as a means of reducing foreclosures and assisting homeowners in modifying mortgages, remains a mess.

More troubled homeowners are dropping out of the Obama administration’s main foreclosure-relief program, which has been widely criticized for failing to help more people keep their homes.

The Treasury department said Wednesday that about 774,000 homeowners have dropped out as of last month. That’s about 54 percent of the more than 1.4 million people who applied. And it’s up from October, when approximately 756,000 had fallen out.

The program is intended to help those at risk of foreclosure by lowering their monthly payments. Borrowers start with lower payments on a trial basis. The program has struggled to convert them into permanent loan modifications.

Another 505,000 homeowners have secured lower payments permanently. That’s about 35 percent of the number who enrolled on a trial basis, up slightly from October’s reading.

However, the program reached more homeowners in November than in October. The number of new trial modifications increased to about 30,000, up from about 24,000 in October. And the number of trial modifications that turned permanent rose to about 31,000, up from about 26,000.