More than any administration official, [FDIC Chairwoman]Mrs. Bair has called publicly for using billions of taxpayer dollars to finance the modification of loans threatened by default. But her advocacy has contributed to a battle that is pitting White House and Treasury officials against the F.D.I.C. and lawmakers in Congress. The discord has influenced programs that have so far proved insufficient to stem a tide of foreclosures that Moody's Economy.com expects will affect 10 million homeowners over the next five years. And it is drawing personal conflicts and animosities into the policy-making process.

White House and Treasury officials argue that Mrs. Bair's high-profile campaigning is meant to promote herself while making them look heartless. As a result, they have begun excluding Mrs. Bair from some discussions, though she remains active in conversations where the F.D.I.C.'s support is needed, like the Citigroup rescue.

A Treasury official involved in the discussions said that while Mrs. Bair was seen as a valuable part of the team, there was a sense of distrust and a concern that she always seemed to be pushing her own agenda.

Mrs. Bair, for her part, says she has always sought to work constructively with other officials and is one of the few voices within the administration pushing for a comprehensive program to help at-risk borrowers.

"I've heard the stories of people who are suffering and can stay in their homes if there is just a small adjustment to their loans," said Mrs. Bair, a Republican who was appointed to her post by President Bush two years ago. "There are some people in the Republican Party who resent the idea of helping others," she added. "But the market is broken right now, and unless we intervene, these people and the economy won't be helped."

"We're hurting," said Aoah Middleton, 31, who began missing payments on her mortgage in 2006 when her 5-year-old daughter was found to have cancer. She says she knows of people who took out loans they knew they could not afford, and do not deserve help. But she spent a year trying to catch up, and could meet her obligations if her interest rate were reduced.

Instead, her home is scheduled to be sold at a foreclosure auction this month. "We are doing everything we can to be responsible. Banks are getting helped. Rich people are getting helped. Why isn't there anyone to help me?"

Critics also argue that Mrs. Bair's program, as well as others sought by Congressional Democrats, fail to adequately distinguish between homeowners who are genuinely at risk and those who might skip payments just to qualify for a modification. And they are skeptical of how much impact such plans will have on the national economy.

"Every one of these programs seems like a great idea at first," said Tony Fratto, the White House deputy press secretary. "Our concerns are that many of them pay off people who knowingly made bad decisions and lenders who created the subprime crisis. It's unquestionable that rewarding those people lacks support among the American people."

So there you have it. They don't want to play the blame game when it comes to wealthy CEOs who are still collecting bonuses for their failures ---- everyone knows the government shouldn't micromanage business behavior. But they draw the line at helping homeowners because they can't take a chance on rewarding immoral behavior.

Besides, their feelings are hurt:

"It's become clear that if you stick your head up, it'll get cut off," said one White House official. "We're done in two months. The next administration can try to find a way out of that maze."