One Stateline small business owner is doing her best to avoid foreclosure. But says she's having a hard time getting the mortgage modifications she needs to pull out of debt.

The first time we introduced you to Rocky Coleman she was struggling to stay in business after high gas prices forced her to turn off the pumps at her gas station and market 10 miles west of downtown Beloit. Today the pumps aren't the only things running dry.

"I shut down on the 8th of December because there were no funds left to pay the bills," says Coleman.

And Coleman's problems didn't end there. She defaulted on her mortgage in October and this spring foreclosure proceedings began on the property. But she isn't going down without a fight.

She says, "The business was already closed, I wasn't opening it back up. But I still lived here."

Coleman's house is part of the same parcel of land. In March she contacted the national Hope Now Alliance, that provides free foreclosure prevention assistance. Through Hope Now, Coleman met a local HUD-approved counseling agent, who told her what to do to qualify for a mortgage modification. That would lower her payments and interest to a more manageable rate.

"I fixed things around, lowered some of my bills, took on a renter and got my income above what my expenses were," says Coleman.

She even found a friend willing to buy the property. But Coleman says Hope Now is dragging its feet with help and her bank rejected her request for modifications, saying it was too much of a risk.

But Coleman says, "Look around you, I'm not the only one. It's happening to millions of Americans. I want to know how they make their decisions. How do you decide who gets to have help and who doesn't."

Coleman has hired an attorney to help stop the foreclosure proceedings and allow the prospective new owner to reopen the business.

We also spoke with Congressman Don Manzullo, who sits on the House Financial Services Committee. He says mortgage assistance is a top priority for that group and he recommends that struggling local homeowners contact the Rockford Area Affordable Housing Corporation. You can reach them at: (815) 962-2011.

To reach Beloit Housing Services dial: (608) 364-6650.
The hotline number for the Hope Now Alliance is: 888-995-HOPE.