In 2011, during a Twitter town hall, one user asked President Barack Obama, “What mistakes have you made in handling this recession and what would you do differently?” Obama responded that, could he travel back in time, he would have more clearly explained to the country that “it was going to take a while to get out of [the recession].” He also admitted that housing debt had remained stubbornly high.

His administration, Obama noted, had attempted several times to “revamp” its signature housing measure, the Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP) — but to little avail. Declining to explain the details or difficulties with HAMP’s implementation, and providing no clear answer about how he might change housing and mortgage policy going forward, the president moved on to the next question.

Obama’s truncated answer was apt considering how little time the administration spent publicly promoting the program. Indeed, despite Obama’s proclamation that the foreclosure crisis was among his chief vexations, he left a legacy in which even today, relatively few Americans are familiar with HAMP.