President Obama summoned top bank executives to the White House Monday, to pressure them on offering more lending to small businesses and to help millions of homeowners avoid foreclosure by modifying their mortgages.
Obama said the banks have received "extraordinary" assistance from American taxpayers, and that, it's time to repay the favor.
Maria Rubio, her husband and five children are preparing for what may be their last Christmas in their California home.
"Right now we are facing foreclosure. Our house is set to go on foreclosure January 5th," Rubio said.
The Rubio's have been trying for months to get a loan modification to lower their monthly payments and keep their credit intact.
Instead, the Rubios and others in their predicament say they're getting the run around from their banks.
"They don't accidentally put money into your account, but they're losing documents every day," homeowner Nylton Andrade said.
It's a tale of two Christmases, said liberal Christian groups who accuse Wall Street of acting immoral, if not criminal.
One is the tale of wealthy bank executives enjoying bloated year end bonuses, and the other, ordinary taxpayers who helped bail out the banks, but now can't catch a break.
"Wall Street has sinned against the common good," Rev. Jim Walllis said.
At the same time, Obama met with top banking officials in an effort to pressure them to become part of the solution to the lingering economic recession that's still personal to millions of Americans.
The meeting came one day after the President made it clear it is not his goal to be helping out a bunch of " fat cat bankers."
Obama said the Treasury has collected 60 percent of money loaned to banks with interest, but that doesn't mean they're off the hook.
"Given the exceptional assistance banks received to get them through a difficult time, we expect them to explore every responsible way to help get our economy moving again," he said.
The president also told executives that more credit must be made available to small businesses so they can start hiring again, and more mortgages must be reworked so more Americans can stay in their homes.
"I've told my kids to keep trusting God, and they ask me, I told them God hasn't said we're moving. 'Mom, what's going on, you said God would say we would not move, but on the other hand, foreclosure is here,'" Rubio said.
They Rubio's are praying for modification approval before it's too late.