Are you a homeowner who's struggling to pay your mortgage?Seeking a govt program loan modification?

[happy_liberal]

Since last May, nearly 800 struggling homeowners from all over the country have shared their stories with ProPublica about their efforts to get a loan modification through the federal program. With their help, we showed the incredible delays <1> and frustrations applicants typically face: mortgage servicers have repeatedly lost documents <2>, misinformed homeowners <3>, and denied modifications <4> for reasons that run contrary <5> to the program’s guidelines. Among the 1.1 million homeowners who’ve begun the program’s trial stage, which is supposed to last three months, hundreds of thousands have waited in limbo for six months or more <6>.

We have no doubt that there are many more important stories to be told. By any account, millions of homeowners are facing possible foreclosure. Although we read every homeowner’s story, we can only use a fraction in our coverage. That’s why we’re offering to set up our readers with local journalists (with the homeowner’s permission, of course). Often, the media can be the most effective recourse for homeowners who have nowhere else to turn <7>.

We’re calling our service ProPublica’s Reporting Matchmaker. Here’s how it’ll work.

Struggling homeowners, share your stories with us <8> – and give us permission to share your email or phone number (or both) with a local journalist. Once you do that, a pushpin representing you will be added to our map. Your contact information will not be published on the web nor shared without your permission.

Journalists, sign up here <9> and we’ll put you in contact with struggling homeowners in your area who want to talk with local journalists. A quick look at our map will show you whether we’ve currently got a match. We’ll let you know if someone in your area wants to speak with a local journalist.

http://www.propublica.org/ion/loan-mods/item/loan-mod-matchmaking-reporting-map