Just got a divorce and now I am responsible for the primary mortgage which my X had been paying. I have always paid the secondary mortgage, rental property mortgage and every other living expense. My problem was a extra $1250 per month expense which I simply could not afford. My primary mortgage is with Chase Financial and since we only had about eight (8) years left on our primary mortgage I figured no problem in extending that loan for thirty (30) years and probably have a $600 or $700 a month payment and this should be done very quickly because of my fifty (50) year perfect record. Boy was I wrong. I started reviewing the Help For Homeowner program all over the internet and then Chase's web site. There are two programs. One is called HAMP for loan modification and the other is HARP for refinance. Again, these are programs the Federal government is forcing because of the TARP money and the housing market slump in general. Well, the HARP, the refinance program want to add about $3000 or more to you loan and I don't care how it is worded, it adds to the loan debt.. How could this really help a homeowner? The HAMP program is suppose to work to lower your interest rate and payment for a trial period of three to four months and then lock it in. The HAMP program supposedly does not add to your debt but that remains to be seen. All of the information on the HAMP program says you do not quality unless you are more than thirty-one (31) days late. After spending about 40 hours studing and asking the so-called experts I find out what one reads about this program is pure BS. No wonder there is only a small number of homeowners who have applied for this program. The initial guidlines would tell one they had to be behind which is not the case. I feel the writers of the Federal program deliberately did not dot their eyes and cross their tees so the financial institutions could make it as confusing as possible and therefore not cooperate. I finally got hold of Money Management International who is one of the eyes and ears for the government who was able to put pressure on my bank. My remodification is in the underwriters hands at this moment. I owe about as much as my house is now worth and if I had to do it over again I believe I would simply walk away.