Rescue for U.S. Homeowners?

Housing is at the root of the financial crisis, and preventing foreclosures could bring a double-barreled benefit. It would allow families to remain in their homes and could also help keep the housing market from spiraling out of control. The more foreclosed homes that get dumped on the market, the more home prices will fall. The idea of helping Main Street has an undeniable appeal.

Given all the other imperfect emergency measures that the U.S. government has taken in recent weeks, it can certainly do more to stem foreclosures than it has. The Treasury Department’s $700 billion bailout fund, as it’s now structured, may spend almost nothing on troubled mortgages.

There are two separate groups of people who are at risk of foreclosure, and they often get muddled in any discussion of the housing crisis.

The first group is made up of people who, for whatever reason, will not be able to make their monthly payments. Some took out mortgages with initial monthly payments that they couldn’t afford. Others took out adjustable-rate mortgages whose monthly payments have ballooned to an unaffordable level. Still others have lost their jobs.

The second group is quite different. It is made up of people who are at risk of foreclosure not because they won’t be able to keep up with their monthly payments – but because they may decide they don’t want to continue making them. These are the homeowners who are "under water," which is to say their houses have lost so much value that they’re now worth less than the underlying mortgage.

In recent weeks, several intriguing ideas for helping homeowners have begun making the rounds. So who should be rescued? Tell us what you think. Use the "comment" link below this article to tell us what you think about the various rescue plans that are being tossed around. We’d love to hear what you think.

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