The Obama administration’s main housing rescue program showed signs of stabilization in December as those receiving permanent mortgage modifications during the month outnumbered those dropped from the program.

The Treasury Department on Monday said 30,030 homeowners received permanent loan modifications in December under the Home Affordable Modification Program, or HAMP, slightly above the 29,972 that received permanent modifications in November.

A total of 18,448 borrowers were cut from both permanent and trial modifications in December, less than the month’s tally of new permanent modifications. For much of 2010, dropouts had outnumbered new permanent modifications as documentation requirements became more stringent.

However, 792,529 borrowers had been dropped from the program through December, or about 54 percent of the 1.47 million modifications that had been started since the program was launched in 2009. (Reuters)