When a borrower is getting in over their head, they are always recommended to turn to their loan servicers, which leads to automated telephone calls, push option 1, being on hold for who knows how long, transferring you to another department, and then perhaps a voice mail. JPMorgan Chase is looking to make this easier by creating more homeownership centers, where borrowers, counselors, and servicers could meet. More homes could potentially be saved, if borrowers are able to modify their mortgages with the servicers before they are already too behind. Since February, Chase has opened over 24 centers in areas with large amounts of foreclosures. In these centers, representatives can work on loans serviced by Bear Stearns´ EMC unit, Chase, and Washington Mutual. While not many banks are stationing representatives in centers such as Chase, others do attend one-day events, where borrowers can meet directly with servicers.

Chase has told counselors in their Paramus, N.J., center that they will each be assigned one of the seven servicing representatives, so that they can truly work together on shortening the modification process and making it more efficient. Judith Lockhart, the Eastern regional manager for the centers, said that doing this will allow them to "take more time to understand their situation,". E. Michael Taylor, the director of housing and community development in Essex County, N.J., said that just allowing borrowers to work in person with someone, start to finish, is a great help. "Here you look at somebody and feel you are dealing with an individual instead of a bank,".

Of course, some counselors while they appreciate these changes, do not necessarily believe in their level of effectiveness. Access to servicers will not change their stubbornness in modifying loan terms to make loans more affordable and manageable. Jack Guttentag, who manges the Mortgage Professor website and is a professor at the Wharton School of Business, remarked that "It's not that hard to get access,...The problem is what happens after you get the access." Once the borrowers, counselors, and servicers can meet, will the servicers be more apt to truly work on helping the borrower?