The country's recent economic crisis, and major foreclosure activities which followed, have devastated all of us and caused a large number of homeowners to no longer own their home or to be significantly underwater when it comes to the current value of their home versus their mortgage payments.

There are several initiatives at the federal, state, and local level to address problems some homeowners are experiencing. Banks have paid billions into funds based on prosecutions by the U.S. Justice Department and State Attorneys Generals. Below are some resources available to seek redress and/or relief for homeowners:

MDHOPE Program (DHCD Foreclosure Assistance)

 Help For Homeowners :

Visit the Help For Homeowners section of the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development's website for information about foreclosure assistance under the MDHOPE Program. You will find vital information, links, and resources for homeowners about how to prevent foreclosure.

Mortgage Late? Don’t Wait! Call the HOPE Hotline 877-462-7555 as soon as you start having any trouble with paying for your home. Assistance and information are provided to homeowners in the four categories listed below.

• Counseling : Housing Counseling Agencies are available around the state of Maryland to assist homeowners who are dealing with a potential foreclosure. The Counseling webpage includes the contact information for the nonprofit agencies in the HOPE Network that are located near you.
  
  
• Mediation : This webpage includes critical information about foreclosure mediation including what is mediation, who is involved during the process, what a homeowner needs to know about mediation as well as key details that are very important to remember. Phone numbers and locations are listed for the nonprofit legal servicers that provide foreclosure prevention legal services to homeowners.
  
  
• Attorney’s General Mortgage Servicing Settlement : The record breaking agreement between the Maryland Attorney General’s Office and the country’s five largest loan providers is explained in terms of which individuals are eligible for assistance and the different forms of assistance available. This webpage has various website links and documents about the benefits, facts and general information are available to view about the Attorney General’s Mortgage Settlement.
• Avoid Fraud : The Avoid Fraud webpage is available for homeowners to read about how to avoid the several scams that exist during the mortgage process. The time during a homeowner’s foreclosure presents the perfect opportunity for fraud and scam to happen. On this page, view documents about how to avoid potential fraud as well as how to report a case if an individual unfortunately gets scammed during their foreclosure process.

 Federal Resources

•  STOPFRAUD.GOV 
  Learn about mortgage, loan, lending and related fraud, and find resources and publications on how to protect yourself at stopfraud.gov.
  
• FBI Foreclosure Fraud (U.S. Department of Justice)
  This FBI website provides general information, tips on preventing mortgage fraud, and stories of major mortgage fraud scams.
  
• Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP) 
   (U.S. Treasury Department)
  In February 2009, President Obama announced a number of steps to strengthen the housing market and help struggling homeowners avoid foreclosure. As part of this broad response to the housing crisis, the U.S. Treasury Department, under TARP, established the Making Home Affordable Program (MHA). The program provides mortgage relief to homeowners to prevent avoidable foreclosures which includes the Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP).
• Avoiding Foreclosure (HUD) Find tips to avoid foreclosure, mortgage assistance programs, and tips to avoid foreclosure scams at this HUD site.
  
•  Other Federal Resources
  Read about other federal assistance programs available to homeowners.