Freddie Mac has joined with 14 other major financial organizations including some of the nation's largest mortgage originating and servicing companies to create a multi-faceted foreclosure avoidance program.

The program, which will be largely administered by the NeighborWorks® Center for Foreclosure Solutions, will be aimed at increasing the industry's ability to provide effective counseling to borrowers, undertaking new research, and assisting public and private organizations to educate the public about resources and options available when a mortgage becomes delinquent.

A spokesman for Freddie Mac stated that the corporation's decision to contribute to the $1 million necessary to fund the program was based in part on a company sponsored survey conducted by Roper Public Affairs and Media/GFK NOP which found that 61 percent of borrowers who were behind on their mortgage payments were unaware that there were options available to help them keep their homes and 64 percent were unaware that companies servicing Freddie Mac mortgages provided counselors to help them understand those options.

Ingrid Beckles, vice president of default asset management at Freddie Mac said "We are delighted to be joining NeighborWorks and the other co-sponsors to launch this promising new effort to show borrowers how to avoid unnecessary foreclosures." Among those joining in sponsoring the program are Countrywide Home Loans, Option One Mortgage, Wells Fargo, and HSBC.

Freddie states that the current programs in which it works closely with lenders and organizations like NeighborWorks assists an estimated 50,000 distressed homeowners to keep their homes or dispose of them in an orderly manner each year.

A state by state list of agencies and programs currently available to borrowers who need help keeping their homes can be found at the link above. There is also a link to that site at www.freddiemac.com. The Freddie Mac site also provides a lot of information about alternatives to foreclosure that are available to troubled borrowers.