21 Dumbest Moments in Business 2008

Remember Hope for Homeowners? We didn't think so. In July, Congress passes the only housing rescue to date: a plan to guarantee up to $300 billion worth of mortgages and prevent more than 300,000 foreclosures.

But to participate, banks must take steep losses -- and doing so is voluntary. The anti-climactic upshot: A piddling 321 applications have been filed since the program's Oct. 1 launch - and not one loan workout has been completed, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. -- By Penelope Patsuris, CNNMoney.com senior producer

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