Over the past five years, I have talked with more than 1,000 homeowners struggling with mortgage issues.

When Lenny first came into our office in October 2012, he had been struggling to get mortgage relief from his bank to no avail, for several years. His mortgage problems began when he went through a costly divorce, causing him to fall $10,000 behind in his payments.

The one basic principle which I have consistently preached in this column is that in the world of securitized lending, it is profitable to foreclose.

Joe and Jenny Robb came to see us in August 2012, after being sued for foreclosure on their $72,000 mortgage. They ran into problems in paying on the mortgage when Joe’s income dropped after he was forced to find a new job.