Home rescue plan delaying, not solving crisis
(Reuters.com)
Home rescue plan delaying, not solving crisis
By Nick Carey and Al Yoon
ALBANY, Ohio/WEST PALM BEACH, Florida (Reuters) – Within weeks of taking office, U.S. President Barack Obama rode to the rescue of homeowners resigned to financial ruin.
Obama, grappling with the worst U.S. housing crisis since the Great Depression, pledged to help as many as 9 million families keep their homes by reworking their mortgages.
Eight months later, the plan is plagued by delays, red tape and, some critics say, a reluctance by banks to do their part. Just 17 percent of eligible borrowers have had their loans modified and monthly payments cut. Hardly any have been given a cut in the amount they owe on homes which are now worth less.
That means many successful applicants are left with loans that they still will not be able to afford in the long run. So instead of resolving the housing crisis that pushed the U.S. economy into recession, America may be prolonging it and, in the process, stunting the global recovery.