The Obama administration’s program for helping troubled mortgage borrowers avoid foreclosure has been less than a success. Few people received long term help because of the onerous amounts of paperwork needed for the processing of loan modifications and the unwillingness of banks to dedicate sufficient staff to handle it all.

Obama has been under fire for not doing enough to ease the burdens of the unemployed and middle class families at risk of losing their homes and his recent State of the Union speech reflected his newfound dedication to the cause.

So in an attempt to improve the efficacy of his anti-foreclosure programs, the Treasury Department offered up changes designed to accelerate the processing of the burdensome paperwork required for its foreclosure relief plan, according to people briefed on the matter.

Like so many of the big government programs launched by this administration, there’s been a lot of money allocated ($75 billion in this case) and little quantifiable results. Americans are now looking for accountability in the face of rising national debt and this change in course should provide more measurable benefits.

The new rules, which start June 1, will effectively shift the paperwork burden to the start of the process.

“They aim to make it easier and quicker to provide permanent modifications,” said U.S. Treasury Assistant Secretary Herb Allison. “These changes also will enable servicers to process more efficiently and handle more volume effectively so we can help more people more rapidly.”

Lenders will now be required to collect two pay stubs at the start of the process, and borrowers will have to give the Internal Revenue Service permission to provide their most recent tax returns at the same time, according to the people who declined to be identified because the details were not yet final.

Participating mortgage companies must acknowledge receipt of a borrower’s application within ten days and approve or deny the application within thirty. Under the new rules borrowers will still be required to make three months of trial payments before the modification becomes permanent.

If you are behind in your mortgage and don’t have a plan to keep your home, contact your lender immediately and to learn more about government programs that may help visit http://makinghomeaffordable.gov.