The foreclosure prevention program that works

As Republicans try to kill an Obama administration foreclosure prevention program that even Democrats agree hasn’t lived up to expectations, a program in Pennsylvania is being lauded for being simpler, cheaper and more effective. It’s called the Pennsylvania Homeowners Emergency Mortgage Assistance Program and was established in 1984, long before the recent mortgage crisis. The program gives bridge loans to people who have recently lost their jobs. Loans do not accrue interest until the participant’s income is restored. And a recent study from the New York Fed says the Pennsylvania law works, far better than the $30 billion national program set up in 2009 called the Home Affordable Modification Program, which so far has led to 630,000 loan modifications, against a target of 3 to 4 million.