MANY large financial institutions are facing backlogs of mortgage applications as more homeowners take advantage of low interest rates and the government-sponsored Home Affordable Refinance Program, or HARP.

Borrowers looking to accelerate the process are finding some relief from brokerages and community banks that are not servicing HARP loans.

“We’ve heard stories about 60-day to 90-day loan waiting periods in some cases,” said Michael Fratantoni, the vice president for research and economics of the Mortgage Bankers Association, adding that larger banks are “running at full capacity.”

According to the Mortgage Bankers Association weekly survey released Wednesday, nearly 80 percent of the mortgage applications were for refinancing; previous weeks’ surveys showed roughly a quarter of the transactions were HARP-related. HARP was created by the federal government to simplify the refinances of homeowners with mortgages owned or guaranteed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, who seek less onerous loan terms. The program was expanded last fall as HARP 2.0.