Toola,
Glad you found the forum and posted. YES, you can start the mod process before you are behind, you are experiencing financial hardship which will affect your mortgage.
On the HOME page of the forum, there is a section called HOMEOWNERS TOOLBOX which will explain how to start the process, specifically, the section on drafting a hardship letter. Getting that sent out will start the ball rolling, and dont be discouraged if they tell you you have to "wait until your behind".
The decision to modify is up to the investor on your loan, which
CW services, but going through
CW is mandatory.
You may also want to contact NACA for help with getting through to
CW.