With all the dubious assistance programs and out-right scams preying on home owners facing foreclosure, it can be difficult to find legitimate help.
Here’s a list of programs that are either operated by the U.S. government or have its seal of approval:

To find a counselor, contact the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) at [...]

With incomes falling and loans remaining hard to get, the best bargains are probably yet to come in some of the nation’s largest housing markets, predicts Forbes magazine.
To figure out which housing markets still haven’t hit bottom, Forbes calculated the spending power, unemployment, credit availability and housing stock over the last 27 years in the [...]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal and state officials are cracking down on mortgage modification scams, accusing “criminal actors” of preying on desperate borrowers caught up in the nation’s housing crisis.
Government officials said Monday that scammers are seeking to take advantage of borrowers in danger of default by charging them upfront fees of $1,000 to $3,000 for [...]

To help provide first-time home buyers with peace of mind when purchasing a home, the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®’ (C.A.R.) Housing Affordability Fund is offering a new mortgage protection program to first-time home buyers.
Through the C.A.R. Housing Affordability Fund’s Mortgage Protection Program, first-time home buyers who lose their jobs due to layoffs may be eligible [...]