This page provides general background and information on the housing programs established by Treasury under TARP. If you are a homeowner seeking help with your mortgage, please visit Making Home Affordable.
In the beginning of 2009, the U.S. economy was facing the fallout from a housing bubble that by some measures had doubled home prices in a period of six years. By the time the Obama Administration took office in January 2009, home prices had fallen for 30 straight months. Home values had fallen by nearly one-third. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac had been in conservatorship for four months, and American families were struggling to buy and keep their homes.
In February 2009, President Obama announced a number of steps to strengthen the housing market and help struggling homeowners avoid foreclosure. As part of this broad response to the housing crisis, Treasury, under TARP, established two central programs,
Making Home Affordable® (MHA) and the
Hardest Hit Fund ®(HHF).