If I want my neighbor's help in moving some boxes, I don't tell him to get his dog out of my yard first. (I know, bad analogy, but at 4AM I couldn't come up with anything better.) Things tend to become more muddled when large companies and governments are involved. For example, on the one hand numerous representatives and regulators are calling for the phase out of Fannie & Freddie with their replacement being the private sector (assumed to be banks). On the other hand, these same companies in the private sector continue to keep reserves, not knowing what the next lawsuit or buyback or servicing penalty will be. The latest news involves the HAMP program: while servicers are required to address all instances of non-compliance, beginning this month, the Treasury Department is withholding financial incentives for three servicers, Bank of America, JPMorganChase and Wells Fargo. (Ocwen slid by and did not have its financial incentives taken away, in spite of also needing substantial improvement, due to its compliance results being substantially and negatively affected by a large servicing portfolio acquired during the compliance testing period.)

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