Lenders are stepping up the pace of mortgage modifications, according to a recent story in the Patriot Ledger. The article highlights the plight of a Brockton woman who was able to secure a loan modification from GMAC Mortgage within a few weeks.

It’s a hopeful story, and a sharp contrast to the stories that have appeared elsewhere of homeowners who’ve gone through a tortuous experience just trying to get someone at their bank to talk to them.

Clearly thousands of frustrated borrowers haven’t been as lucky as the Brockton homeowner.

They’ve been told to submit and resubmit countless documents; they’ve been shuffled from one department to another; they’ve made repeated calls and left messages that go unanswered; and they’ve been told they’re eligible for a modification only to be rejected after months of waiting.

I attended a meeting of foreclosure researchers in July and experts who were present said banks and mortgage companies are still overwhelmed by the number of requests they receive. One critic charged that lenders are under-staffed and have dragged their feet in hiring and training employees to modify loans.

A well-known economist who studies housing trends said he tried for months to refinance a loan with a large lender he’d done business with for decades. He couldn’t get a response until he threatened to take his business elsewhere.

If he can’t get a lender’s attention for something so routine, I can’t imagine what it’s like for a homeowner who’s in danger of losing his home.