Senate votes to expand mortgage program
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The Senate on Friday overwhelmingly  passed legislation to expand the nation's largest federal  homeownership program in a move that could help struggling  subprime borrowers avoid foreclosure.
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At a Senate Banking Committee hearing yesterday, legislators and consumer advocates prodded federal banking regulators to move more quickly to put restrictions on non-traditional mortgage lending, because, they said, the new kinds of mortgages may place borrowers and lenders at financial risk.
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WASHINGTON, Sept. 18  â The House approved a plan on Tuesday to expand federal backing of mortgages in hopes of helping struggling homeowners avoid foreclosure.
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The bill would allow the Federal Housing Administration to back refinanced loans for tens of thousands of borrowers who are delinquent on mortgage payments.
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The chairman of the banking committee of the Senate will on Wednesday afternoon unveil a comprehensive plan to reform mortgage lending, sources familiar with the plan said.
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The Senate passed a bill early Friday to increase aid to college students.
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Lawmakers approved the measure by a bipartisan 344-51 margin on what might be the last day of their postelection session. Though not in doubt, passage was taking longer in the Senate.
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The US Senate voted to raise the debt ceiling by 800 billion dollars to nearly 8.2 trillion dollars, allowing the US government to avoid the unwelcome prospect of running short of operating funds.
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The Senate on Friday passed a defense policy bill that would offer more help to troops returning from combat and set conditions on contractors and pricey weapons programs.
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The Senate neared approval of an &#36;800 billion increase in the nation's debt limit on Wednesday, a major boost in federal borrowing that Sen. John Kerry and other Democrats blamed on the fiscal policies of President Bush.
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The U.S. Senate voted overwhelmingly on Friday to adopt legislation that would slash government subsidies to student loan firms and use the money saved to boost student aid by $20 billion and to reduce the federal deficit.
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The thousands of Americans facing foreclosure because of the ballooning interest rates on their subprime mortgages would get help from the federal government under legislation overwhelmingly approved by senators Friday.
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The widening U.S. housing finance  crisis prompted calls in Congress on Thursday for new scrutiny  of bond insurers and credit raters, while Senate Democrats  offered a rescue plan for troubled homeowners.
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Mortgage rates around the country rose this week but are still at levels that should continue to provide support to the vibrant housing market, analysts say.
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U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry said he would expand the low-income housing focus of mortgage finance companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, but would preserve their government-sponsored status.
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The U.S. House of Representatives on  Thursday voted to increase the federal credit limit by $800  billion to $8.184 trillion, a move that will allow the measure  to be sent to President Bush for signing into law.
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Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will have to increase their funding of mortgages for low- and moderate-income home buyers, under a new rule the Department of Housing and Urban Development announced yesterday.