Neal Barofsky, the special inspector general for the troubled asset relief program, has written a highly critical evaluation of the U.S. Treasury's administration of efforts meant to help home owners remain in their homes.
The Obama Administration launched the Home Affordable Modification Program in 2009. The program was meant to help homeowners who were having trouble making their mortgage payments modify their mortgage contracts to be able to make the payments. The program has suffered delays and difficulties almost from its very beginnings.
"While it may be true that many homeowners may benefit from temporarily reduced payments even though the modification ultimately fails," Barofsky wrote in the most recent quarterly report to Congress, "Treasury's claim that 'every single person' who participates in HAMP gets 'a significant benefit' is either hopelessly out of touch with the real harm that has been inflicted on many families or a cynical attempt to define failure as success. Worse, Treasury's apparent belief that all failed trial modifications are successes may preclude it from seeking to make the meaningful changes necessary to provide the 'sustainable' mortgage relief for families it first promised."
