Stocks are having a late rally because of this news from Reuters. The story says the President is working on a new program for homeowners that is quite different than anything we’ve seen. Under the plan, mortgage companies would use a “standardized test” to determine the borrower’s situation even before they become delinquent. And the “before” part is the critical difference. If the homeowner qualified, they’d be able to restructure their loan and hopefully avoid late payments, not to mention foreclosure.