CLEVELAND -- Help is on the way for many homeowners caught in the middle of the mortgage meltdown.

Homeowners with mortgages from Countrywide Loans and who are nearing foreclosure could soon save their homes.

Eight thousand Ohioans have risky mortgages with Countrywide and many of them live in the Cleveland area.

The Ohio Attorney General's office has been investigating Countrywide and negotiating with the company for two years over what the state calls risky loans.

The settlement will allow many Countrywide customers to rework their loans with lower rates and lower payments. This mainly affects people more than two months behind on subprime adjustable rate mortgages.

Other criteria are:

• Borrowers who got loans between 2004 and before 2008.
• The loan balance must be 75 percent of the current value of the home.
• The borrower must be able to afford the new payments.

For more information to find out if you're eligible, to redo your loan with Countrywide, call 1-800-669-6607.