A mortgage is a transfer of interest in the property to a lender as security for a debt, usually a loan of money. While a mortgage in itself is not a debt, it is the lender's security for a debt. It is a transfer of an interest in land from the owner to the mortgage lender, on the condition that this interest will be returned to the owner when the terms of the mortgage have been satisfied or performed. In other words, the mortgage is a security for the loan that the lender makes to the borrower.
Financial enterprises similar to real estate investment trusts, except they invest in mortgages rather than real property. There are a lot of folks with commercial and home mortgage notes who are just now beginning to discover that they are not quite up to the task of managing these notes and frankly, would not know what to do if they had to foreclose and resell the property.
The mortgage modification re-adjusts the interest rate, reducing it back to an amount you can deal with. By reducing the interest rate you can reduce the amount of the monthly payment and overall interest paid drastically. Sometimes this is only for a limited period of time, such as 5 years. This may be just long enough to allow you to survive in the short term and provide you with time to gain strength for the future.
Mortgage modifications are usually for those that have the ability to get back on their feet. If you are in such disarray that the lending institution cannot realistically picture you recovering, then you most likely will not be granted a modification. However you should never allow the situation make you loose hope. If you think your financial situation can be saved then by all means, pursue a mortgage modification, and if at first you get turned down then you may want to find a source that may be willing to help you succeed.