Is Obama's foreclosure rescue plan working?

Richmond could afford his $1,600 monthly mortgage payment when he was making $63,000 as an accountant for Bank of America. But after his position was outsourced to India in 2006, the only work he could find was as a customer service representative at Wachovia for less than $12 an hour.
Desperate, he called SunTrust Bank in January to see if he could get a loan modification. He was turned down because he hadn't yet missed a payment. So the father of five didn't make his January payment and called back in February to start the modification process. A month later, an agent told him that all modifications were being scrapped in favor of the new Obama foreclosure prevention plan.

In April, he sent in his tax and income documents, as well as a hardship letter. Richmond calls every two weeks, only to be told that the application is still being processed. In early June, an agent said a supervisor would call him back within 48 hours. He's still waiting.

Richmond thinks the Obama plan would be a blessing for him and his family.

"I can get back on my feet again and make my payments and afford my house," said Richmond, 43. "But the banks are not making it easy to get the process done. I've been waiting all these months."

A SunTrust spokesman said bank representatives "work diligently" to discuss modifications with clients in a timely manner.