It is safe to say that no one in America will be untouched by the current crisis in home mortgages and the growing number of defaults. While some experts predict that over 2 million Americans will lose their homes (over 460,000 of those in California), we all will be impacted by the reactions in the stock market, the number of empty, abandoned houses that serve as magnets to crime, and the local government programs that will be delayed because of the lack of local tax revenues.

To give Californians a better understanding of the mortgage crisis, I’m offering this special web feature to my constituents. It includes some basic background, summarizes legislation that I am supporting to help deal with the crisis, and links to websites offering tips to those with mortgage problems.

Many experts say that we are seeing only the beginning of the problems with home mortgages. If you are concerned about your own loan, if you have friends or others who are at a loss about what to do about their situation, or if you just want to learn more about what caused this crisis and ways that we might avoid it deepening, I encourage you to explore this feature.