In case you somehow missed the bad news, which borders on impossible, foreclosures are a pretty big problem these days. In fact, the national housing market has been in turmoil for about four years now.

The United States government was initially slow to respond, failing to recognize the magnitude of house of cards (pun intended) that was about to collapse. Eventually, several housing/foreclosure assistance programs, along with their requisite acronyms, were gradually rolled out over time.

Not a single one, or all of them in combination, however, have had their intended impact on recovery. Not yet, anyway.

In fact, in a recent Gallup Poll, 58 percent of Americans want the government to do more to prevent additional foreclosures. In contrast, 34 percent of Americans are against increasing government intervention and prefer that “housing market resolve its problems in its own.”

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Slow ride, take it easy …

Many Americans are taking the Foghat approach to living these days, unable (or unwilling) to meet their monthly mortgage obligations and, in the process, living rent-free until theirs lenders evict them from their homes.

And with the average distressed homeowner able to live like this for nearly two years (674 days) it’s actually emerged as a popular “strategic” move because of the economic hardship plaguing millions throughout the nation. Indeed, according to a recent CNN Money report, nearly 40 percent of homeowners in default have not paid their lenders a single penny throughout the entire foreclosure process.

The other 60 percent in distress have made some sort of payment(s), ”looking for ways to make good with lenders and get their homes back.”

So how is it possible to live in a home for so long without paying a mortgage?

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The heated battle between Main Street vs. Wall Street has taken another twist, with the grassroots “Occupy” movement shifting its focus to the nationwide housing crisis.

In particular, protesters have vowed to help families who have lost their homes to foreclosure by taking the vacant properties back. It’s been described as a “natural next step” in the fight to highlight the alleged excesses and abuses of the United States financial system.

In addition to moving displaced/distressed families back into their homes, which is illegal because they no longer own them, the Occupy movement has vowed to “disrupt” public foreclosure auctions throughout the nation.

If at first you don’t succeed try and try again.

Still looking for ways to cauterize the nationwide foreclosure crisis, the Barack Obama-led administration today announced another plan aimed at keeping roofs over the heads of unemployed homeowners. The latest effort is available to out-of-work homeowners who have FHA-insured loans, which is about 3,500 borrowers a month, according to the Los Angeles Times.

To put that into more perspective, the report indicates that “only 10% of some 50 million mortgage loans outstanding nationwide are backed by the FHA.”

The good news is that mortgage servicers who participate in the Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP) will be required “whenever possible” to extend the program to distressed homeowners who qualify for the federal loan modification program, adding about another 1 million or more into the mix.

However, the HAMP candidates who qualify for the year-long forbearance could have the 12 missed payments tacked back onto their mortgage balance once they are on solid financial footing.

The report indicates that several “hurdles” are being lifted to qualify for the program, making it easier for unemployed homeowners to qualify for the assistance.

If you’re unemployed and would like to learn more about this latest foreclosure assistance program and others click here.

Desperate times sometimes call for desperate measures.

But in the case of a 45-year-old distressed homeowner from San Diego, Calif., he likely took his pending foreclosure case way too far.

He seems to have gone over a cliff, actually.

The unidentified individual apparently “created a phony court document and signed a judge’s name” to avoid foreclosure on his Mission Valley home, according to the Los Angeles Times. It appears that the name of the judge who he used was real, however, he sent the forged documents to the lender in regard to a civil suit that didn’t even exist.

Talk about poor planning.

The good news is that he struck a plea deal with the prosecutor under which he would not ask for a jail sentence more than 90 days. The bad news is that the judge who rules on the case doesn’t have to agree and can sentence him to a maximum of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Hopefully, he’s not golfing buddies with the judge whose name was forged. Eek.