The epicenter of the U.S. mortgage mess might be Florida, with Southern California and Nevada following close behind.

Even without much of a real estate bubble here, more people in Butler County are finding themselves in financial trouble and on the brink of foreclosure.

In southern Florida, there is a backlog of 100,000 foreclosure cases. The problem in Butler County is certainly less severe, but it still has come to dominate the civil courts, with 2009 seeing 2,193 cases involving mortgages or credit card default — accounting for 90 percent of the civil suits filed that year.

The skyrocketing number of cases threatened to clog the courts system and it also exposed situations in which homeowners could remain in their homes with a little bit of flexibility from financial firms.

In many foreclosure cases, homeowners bought a house they couldn’t afford or put themselves in jeopardy by living beyond their means. But in other cases, the threat of foreclosure came after a serious health issue or a drop in household income or loss of a job.

For those not in too far over their heads, Butler County Judge Marilyn Horan created Butler County’s Consumer Credit or Mortgage Foreclosure Diversion Program, better known as Credit Crunch Collaboration. The program is a forum for borrowers and lenders to meet face-to-face and work toward a resolution that avoids foreclosure.

This opportunity alone is significant, given how difficult it can be to deal with a large faceless financial firm. Desperate borrowers often face automated telephone systems and frustrating layers of bureaucracy.

The county’s Credit Crunch program has grown to the point that, starting this month, there will be two monthly sessions — one for mortgages and another addressing both mortgage and credit card issues.

Once a borrower is notified that a lawsuit has been filed, he or she can request a reconciliation meeting with the lender. If requested by a borrower, Horan’s program requires that lenders participate.

With a court date delayed for Credit Crunch, there is then time for credit counseling, where an assessment, an action plan and a budget are prepared.

Credit Crunch is not a magic wand that makes debts disappear. But it is an opportunity for a borrower and a lender to try to work out a compromise, most often an extension or modification of a mortgage. Still, in cases where the circumstances are dire, no compromise is workable and Credit Crunch participation ends with a homeowner signing over the deed to the house in exchange for a few more months in the house to find a new place to live.

About one in five participants crafted a workable resolution in Credit Crunch. Another 50 percent had a plan in development. But mixed results are to be expected. Not everyone facing foreclosure is a more-or-less innocent bystander to their financial woes.

The ability to deal with the lender face-to-face and also get professional credit counseling and budget help gives those facing a financial crisis a fighting chance to turn things around.

Another benefit is the human support, even if the final outcome is not what a borrower wanted or hoped for. As Butler attorney Mike Pater, who volunteers to help with the mortgage cases, said of the program’s benefit to borrowers, “Now, they are not walking in alone in front of a judge. They have a whole team.”

Knowing that people care — even people working for banks — and that proper channels are being followed in the legal process is a help to people who find themselves in financial trouble. Horan’s efforts have created a win-win-win situation — reducing some congestion in the courts, helping people explore options and develop budgets through in-person meetings instead of anonymous phone calls, and, in some cases, helping people keep their homes.

Seeing a growing problem here, Judge Horan stepped forward to create a system for dealing with credit problems in a more humane way. Even if some people still lose their homes, at least they’ve had someone to guide them and support them through the process. And for those who are able to save their homes, the program and its volunteers are a blessing.