Across the country, thousands of people are losing their homes because payments on their subprime loans have increased to the point that they can’t afford the loans.

But in Massachusetts, where foreclosure filings have nearly doubled during the past year, the governor is asking lenders to give homeowners more time.

The move follows a recent protest at Gov. Deval Patrick’s office by homeowners who said their loan officers and mortgage brokers lied to them about the interest rates they would pay on their subprime loans.

“I have a 4-year-old son. I work hard. I’m a single parent. I have a good job. I’m doing what I’m supposed to do. I cry every night because I don’t know what’s going to happen the next day,” said protester Raymona Bowen, who stood to lose her home in a matter of days.

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Washington Mutual Inc., the largest U.S. savings and loan, offered to refinance $2 billion worth of mortgages at lower interest rates to help subprime borrowers meet rising payments on their homes.

Homeowners who anticipate higher payments on a Washington Mutual adjustable-rate subprime mortgage can apply for assistance, the Seattle-based thrift said Wednesday in a statement.

One of the options is a 30-year, fixed-rate loan that charges half a percentage point of interest less than borrowers would otherwise pay.

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Area Realtors and loan officials saying that the rush to judgement against the sub-prime loan market may hurt the ability of people who need special assistance in getting home loans or refinancing their existing loans to do repair work.

‘‘Sub-prime loans are not bad,’’ Daniel Crouse, president of the Warren Area Board of Realtors, said. ‘‘It is the abuse of them that has been bad.’’

The sub-prime loan market has been getting a lot of scrutiny by legislators, federal regulators and others, because some of these loans — often called predatory — have led tens of thousands of people across the country into foreclosure and bankruptcy.

However, Crouse and others are saying that people should not paint all of these loans with the same broad stroke of being bad.

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