With the Obama administration stumbling to modify large numbers of troubled mortgages, a little-known Pennsylvania program designed to assist struggling homeowners has been attracting increasing attention. Pennsylvania’s program is geared toward providing short-term aid to borrowers suffering from temporary hardship such as a job loss. It helps homeowners meet the terms of their existing mortgage with separate, below-market rate loans. The federal program, by contrast, aims primarily to provide long-term assistance to borrowers by modifying mortgages to make the payments more affordable.