Foreclosure Help:

Loan Aid Leaves Some Worse Off

One in Four in Government's Mortgage Program Is Dropped; Tales of Exhausted Savings

By JAMES R. HAGERTY

The government's mortgage modification program has left some struggling homeowners worse off than they were before.

The Treasury reported Monday that nearly one in four homeowners who were offered lower payments under the Obama administration's 15-month-old effort have been weeded out of the program. Many people were removed from the trials because they failed to make payments, didn't provide all the financial documents needed to qualify or were found to be ineligible.

Foreclosure Help:

A Surprise Tax Hit on Foreclosures 

By JEFF D. OPDYKE

Maxine McDaniel has a message for Americans considering walking away from an unaffordable mortgage: Beware of taxes.

Though not every homeowner who's underwater on a mortgage need worry, many are finding that a foreclosure or other form of housing loss can lead to a big tax obligation.