This week, the D.C. Council approved a measure requiring lenders to go through six months of mediation with a homeowner before proceeding with a foreclosure.

Mediation allows the borrower and the lender's representative to negotiate, with the guidance of an impartial go-between, over possible alternatives to a foreclosure, such as a loan modification. But neither side can be compelled to agree to a mediated solution.

You can find the full article from The Washington Post [here].