For the past few years DirecTV has employed a variety of encryption techniques to keep people from getting free service. Every level of protection DirecTV has used has been eventually hacked, but this week underground DirecTV hackers learned that their card hacks had died and the early prospects of hacking the newest technology isn't looking good. Their communities are currently freaking out (1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16) but promising fixes someday. Time will tell if the underground satellite hacking community figures out a way to deconstruct it, I suspect someone, somewhere will figure out a way to break the security.

Personally, when I first got my DirecTiVo a couple years back I took a look at the satellite hacking underground to see what it was like. From what I saw, these guys put so much time and effort into it that it seemed pointless. I'm a big fan of opportunity cost, I'd rather just pay DirecTV $40 a month than tweak code for hours every night that also requires hundreds of dollars worth of shady electronics equipment.

You should call your mortgage servicer or lender (the organization to whom you make your monthly mortgage payments) and ask about the program.

Both Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have established toll-free telephone numbers and web submission processes to make this data available. Borrowers will provide or enter information to determine if either agency owns or securitized the loan. This information is not a guarantee of eligibility for the refinance program, as other qualifying criteria must also be met.