I was married when the mortgage on my house was initiated almost 15 years ago. Both my husband and I had very good jobs. Since that time, we have divorced, and my former husband provides no support. I have had a change in employment, and I am now XXXX. The net result is that the household has a mere fraction of the income that it enjoyed at the time the mortgage was initiated. 
I have applied for HARP relief twice. Both times have been unsuccessful. I have a slight bit of equity in the property, and although payments are sometimes late, they are current. It is a struggle to make the payments each month, and very stressful. My credit card debt has increased because I have used credit cards to pay household expenses such as utilities and insurance while trying to make ends meet. 
My lender has no incentive to aid with HARP eligibility, because of the existing equity and the up-to-date payments. I have been told consistently that I do not make enough money to qualify for HARP. 
The brass tacks are this : if I make enough money to keep the current mortgage current, why do I not make enough money to pay a lower mortgage? 
I was also told that it would be helpful to my case if I were behind on mortgage payments. While the HARP application worked its way through the system, I withheld payments on this advice. The result is that I was still found ineligible, but my credit score decreased dramatically. 
I seem to fall into a borderline limbo. People who have higher relative incomes vis -- vis the same mortgage payment, qualify for REDUCED mortgages. However, I must endure the higher payments ( currently at 5.5 % ) despite lower income. How is this fair? The HARP program would be a godsend to someone like me and would make a world of difference in my month-to-month struggle. It would seem like I would be the poster child for such a program, yet it remains out of my grasp. 
