Government program aims to help homeowners

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A new program to help the 9 million Americans that are in danger of losing their homes due to increasing job losses has seen successes and failures, according to Fox 5. The Making Homes Affordable Program, created by Housing Secretary Sean Donovan and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, allows qualified homeowners to reduce their mortgage payments to affordable levels and allows those who owe more than their homes are worth to refinance and get better interest rates. More than 50,000 homeowners have gone through the system successfully so far, but broker Konnie McKee, who deals with foreclosures and short sales, says that the program only helps 1 percent of troubled homeowners. Donovan said that there can be additional incentives for homeowners who apply for modification before the 60-day delinquent period. As a result, families may not fully benefit from the program if they have been in financial trouble for more than 60 days.