For most successors, it would be a risky financial decision to assume liability for a debt they cannot afford without knowing whether a loan modification will be approved. Perhaps in recognition of this fact, or perhaps intending to increase the number of beneficial loan modifications and avoid foreclosures, the government agency insurers and the government sponsored enterprises, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, require servicers to evaluate successor homeowners for loan modifications before they have assumed liability on the debt.631