Poll: Little sympathy for mortgage woes

ROCHESTER, N.Y., Jan. 25 (UPI) -- A U.S. poll indicates only a quarter of adults think the government should provide financial help to people who can't pay their mortgages.

The Wall Street Journal Online/Harris Interactive Personal Finance Poll found 42 percent are opposed to bailing out those who are at risk of foreclosure, including 22 percent who said they were strongly opposed.

A majority of those surveyed, however, agreed mortgage brokers should be better regulated.

The survey of 2,082 U.S. adults at least 18 years of age was conducted Dec. 10 and 12.

Half of those surveyed said mortgage lenders and brokers were most responsible for the trouble in the housing market and mortgage business, 21 percent said government regulators, 16 percent said home buyers and 11 percent said someone else, Harris Interactive said in a release.

Only 2 percent of those surveyed said they have missed several mortgage payments or have been in the foreclosure process.