Mortgage programs provide help on home front
• Allegheny County Residential Mortgage Foreclosure Program: Coordinates mortgage negotiations between lenders and homeowners who have received foreclosure notices. Call 866-298-8020.
• Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Western Pennsylvania: South Side nonprofit that reviews homeowners' finances and directs them to outside mortgage-assistance programs. Call 888-511-2227
• Making Home Affordable: Program under the federal Treasury Department to restructure troubled home mortgages to help people avoid foreclosure. Call 888-995-HOPE (4673)
• Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency has three programs:
— Homeowners' Emergency Mortgage Assistance Program (HEMAP): Provides loans to bring delinquent mortgages current and payment help for up to 24 months. Assistance may continue for 36 months.
— Refinance to an Affordable Loan (REAL) program: Provides 30-year fixed-rate mortgages to refinance a troubled adjustable-rate one.
— Homeowners Equity Recovery Opportunity (HERO) program: For those ineligible for REAL, provides refinancing for those with serious credit issues or whose homes are worth less than the mortgage amount.
