If you're having trouble keeping up with your mortgage payments, you're not alone. In 2009, Virginia's foreclosure rate hit an all-time high, and experts predict the rate will remain high for years to come. Fortunately, there are many organizations that want to help you keep your home. 

Here's a list of organizations you should know about if you've fallen behind on your mortgage payments or if you're in some stage of the foreclosure process:

1. Your loan servicer: The company where you make your mortgage payments is where you should first seek help. Ask to speak to someone directly in the loss mitigation department. Many times mortgage servicers will negotiate with you to restructure the loan to keep it from going into foreclosure. If you're about to fall behind on your payment, contact your mortgage servicer immediately and explain your circumstances, requesting possible solutions to your situation.
2. HOPE NOW: HOPE NOW is an alliance between counselors, mortgage companies, investors, and other mortgage market participants. The alliance maximizes outreach efforts to homeowners in distress to help them stay in their homes and has created a unified, coordinated plan to reach and help as many homeowners as possible. You can reach Homeowners HOPE Hotline at 888-995-HOPE (4673) or visit their website at www.hopenow.com.
3. Homeowner's HOPE: This is a counseling service provided by the Homeownership Preservation Foundation that can work with you to find a solution to your mortgage problem. If you feel like you may be in danger of facing foreclosure and need immediate help, call 1-888-995-HOPE or www.visit995hope.org.
4. The National Association of REALTORS. NAR maintains a website offering numerous resources on saving a borrower’s home from foreclosure. These include HUD’s “Help for Homeowners Facing the Loss of their Home” and a list of counseling agencies by state.
5. Making Home Affordable. This Obama Administration affordable housing program enables lenders to offer assistance to homeowners making a good-faith effort to make their mortgage payments, while attempting to prevent the destructive impact of the housing crisis on families and communities. Not all borrowers will qualify for this program.
6. Certified Housing Counselors. These individuals have been trained and certified to assist homeowners in preventing foreclosure. They can meet with you one-on-one in their office or by telephone if the you are unable to travel to the counselor’s office. Counselors can assist in developing a spending plan, developing a plan that may prevent foreclosure, and negotiating with the mortgage servicer on your behalf. You can find the location and telephone number of housing agencies at HUD.gov or VirginiaForeclosurePrevention.com.
7. Virginia Foreclosure Prevention Task Force. The Virginia Foreclosure Prevention Task Force, established by Governor Kaine and Chaired by Secretary of Commerce and Trade Patrick Gottschalk, was created to assist Virginians experiencing or at risk of foreclosure. Information and resources regarding foreclosure prevention are available from the Task
   Force’s official website: VirginiaForeclosurePrevention.com. This Web site also has data related to foreclosure trends in Virginia.
8. Virginia Housing Development Authority. VHDA issues bonds to finance single family loans. If you a VHDA loan and are experiencing difficulty paying your mortgage, VHDA staff can explore options for providing assistance. VHDA does not have resources available to help with loans held by other lenders and is not eligible to participate in the Obama Administration’s Affordable Housing Program, which is limited to mortgage loans held by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
9. Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development. DHCD’s website provides information on homelessness prevention programs and resources, and the new federal Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP), which provides grant assistance to local governments and nonprofit organizations to purchase and rehabilitate distressed, foreclosed properties in order to help stabilize communities hard hit by foreclosure activities. Properties acquired through the NSP initiative are either resold to new homebuyers or used to provide affordable rental housing.
10. The Bureau of Financial Institutions. BFI protects Virginia consumers through administration of state laws and regulations pertaining to state chartered depository institutions and state licensed or registered non-depository institutions. Avoid mortgage loan and foreclosure rescue scams by reviewing information on BFI’s Web site.