There is a growing buzz in the mortgage and financial arena these days about a company called United First Financial (UFF). Over 16,000 UFF agents are presently promoting a Money Merge Account (MMA) developed by some Utah mortgage brokers that purports to enable homeowners to pay off 30-year mortgages in as little as 8 to 11 years without changing their lifestyle or increasing their minimum monthly mortgage payments.

At first glance, this seems too good to be true. After all, we're talking about America where we repeatedly see on the news countless thousands of homeowners forced to sell their homes or who are already in foreclosure because they were unable to keep up with their mortgage payments.

So how can some homeowners pay off their mortgages in a fraction of the normal time when they make only their minimum payment amount each month like the majority of Americans? Simply put, the MMA reportedly works like your standard checking or savings account, except that it has the ability to decrease large portions of interest on your mortgage each time you deposit income into your account.

Amy Birkner of VanishMyMortgage.com explains, "By decreasing the balance on which interest accrues, you increase the portion of your monthly payment which is credited toward your principal pay down. The algorithms in the proprietary MMA system are systematically set up through a software program to create the highest interest savings possible in the least amount of time."

United First Financial makes its money through the sale of its software program used in conjunction with the MMA. Critics of UFF argue you do not need to spend $3,500 to pay down your mortgage using a software program, rather you can replicate the system yourself at no cost by setting up your own Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC).

While there may be some merit to this argument, these critics do not take into account the cost of your time spent continually pouring over spread sheets and punching numbers in a calculator to come remotely close to the results that can be realized by using UFF's easy to manage software program.

United First Financial's concept of taking money borrowed from an equity line and applying it to a primary mortgage managed by a software program is becoming increasingly appealing to more and more American homeowners. Over 1,200 MMA accounts in the U.S. were opened in April 2007 with higher monthly numbers projected for the rest of the year by company officials.

Birkner adds that this program is also excellent for families needing to better manage their finances in general, since many homeowners do not truly understand the effects of consumer interest and debt. "Thanks to UFF's software program, you now know the results of your financial decisions as well as their real effects right away. You can start making better decisions because you can see everything instantly online. Making sound financial decisions to utilize your cashflow to reduce your debts without altering your lifestyle becomes a life-changing experience."

United First Financial's Money Merge Account Software is NOT a scam. It is NOT too good to be true. In essence, it is a computer program that helps a person manage their money between their mortgage and HELOC while taking into account their income and expenses. For these benefits, UFF charges $3,500.

When deciding whether or not to buy something, it is oftentimes wise to do an analysis of costs and benefits. It is an individual decision; what might be worth it to one homeowner may not be worth it to another. If the value of the benefits exceeds the cost, then it is "worth it". With United First Financial, that is the decision each homeowner needs to make for themselves.