•  DO CONTACT your mortgage lender when you first detect financial troubles caused by a lost job, divorce, illness or other problems. Lenders can best help homeowners pay their mortgage after one or two missed payments.
   
• DON'T IGNORE mail or phone calls from your lender. Most lenders will start the legal process toward foreclosure if you don't respond.
   
• DO CONTACT a HUD-approved housing counseling agency, which will help you negotiate with your lender, work out a monthly budget plan and tell you what financial and legal options are available.
   

• DO CONTACT a nonprofit consumer credit counseling agency to help you restructure credit payments. Many of the agencies' services are free or low-cost. Avoid credit counseling agencies that require a large upfront fee or donation.
   
• DON'T SIGN any document you did not read or understand.
   
• DO BEWARE of unscrupulous lenders, especially those who deal with high-risk second mortgages. Some lenders engage in predatory practices, such as giving a mortgage loan to someone who doesn't have the income to repay it and charging excessive interest. For more info Click Here.
   
• DO CONTACT the CRF for assistance with a predatory loan. 

SOURCE: The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Federal Housing Administration, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Labor.