One in five of us have worries over meeting our mortgage repayments in the next 12 months.... ...and 25% of us don't have any plans in place for dealing with the issue.

In a poll by conducted by the Financial Services Authority (FSA), 19% were concerned about meeting the cost of their mortgage repayments.

Does that include you?

The Financial Services Authority has thus urged 1.4 million customers looking for new mortgages not to panic.

But the FSA is sufficiently concerned about the situation that it is launching a £2 million advertising campaign and an advice guide for homeowners whose fixed rate or discounted mortgages are coming to an end.

How ironic is that? The FSA is launching a £2 million advertising campaign...to tell people that they shouldn't spend money they haven't got!

The Homeowners Survival Guide To The Credit Crunch

Anyway, the advertising campaign (to be run in newspapers, posters and on the radio) follows the FSA's warning in January 2007 about how those of us with a mortgage may not cope with the economic slowdown.

At the time, it said homeowners may have become too reliant on cheap credit and rising house prices to sustain their levels of spending. And guess what folks, they are beginning to be proved right! The FSA's new campaign is particularly targeting those of us whose fixed-rate and other mortgage deals are coming to an end this year, as well as householders looking to move home or remortgage, and customers who think they may struggle to meet mortgage repayments if their circumstances change.

Your mortgage; to fix or not to fix?

The campaign outlines a three-point plan for mortgage customers and it aims to help homeowners "stay in control" of their finances.

- check your budget - start planning now - get help from your mortgage lender

The Financial Services Authority has warned that 1.4 million of us mortgage customers are on 2 and 3 year deals who will need to remortgage in the months ahead. With the mortgages ending, we risk being exposed to a painful jump in rates as banks pull away from loans for more than 90% of the property value.

High street lenders have all but scrapped deals offering you more than the cost of your homes, with Northern Rock scrapping its pioneering 125% mortgage last month.

We face paying higher rates as mortgage lenders are tightening their criteria and some are stepping away from mortgages because of difficulties raising finance in the money markets. Can you still get a good mortgage deal?

The FSA's 3 point plan suggests that you check your budgets and think about how you would cope if your mortgage payments increased significantly.

It also advises that you start looking at your options well in advance of your current mortgage coming to a close.

The FSA's mortgage tables, checklists and tips for borrowers are available here.

For those of you already seriously struggling, it says you should talk to your lender and seek free, confidential advice from an independent debt advice agency.

The Consumer Credit Counselling Service (CCCS) is a debt advice charity that offers free and impartial advice. Their helpline is open from 8am to 8pm, Monday to Friday, on 0800 138 1111.

Credit Action also offers impartial and ethical advice about all things debt related.

If you are already in debt and are having problems keeping up your payments, then you should speak to a debt specialist who can help.

If you also need impartial mortgage advice to help you when you come to remortgage, click here.