Don't trust your lender? Call this hotline instead.

Borrowers who fall behind on mortgage payments are often reluctant to contact the lender.

Perhaps not surprisingly, it turns out that a lot of borrowers don't trust the mortgage industry. Many feel they got into trouble by talking to lenders. Why should they do it again?

But working out an agreement with the lender is often the only way to escape foreclosure. Lenders are under increasing political pressure to modify unaffordable loans. Doing so is also in their financial interest, sometimes.

As part of the industry's effort to show that it's trying to help, several large lenders are funding a toll-free hotline staffed by non-profits that borrowers can call for help. The idea is that borrowers may be more willing to talk with a third party.

The number is 1-888-995-HOPE. There is also a Web site.

On Wednesday, the consortium -- comfortingly called HOPE NOW -- also announced it would send letters to about 200,000 delinquent borrowers encouraging them to call the hotline.