Here is a Reuters story (via the LA Times) on the bill going through the House of Representatives to help provide mortgage relief to US homeowners:
WASHINGTON — — The U.S. House of Representatives voted Tuesday to overhaul the Federal Housing Administration and allow the mortgage insurance program to help more homeowners in danger of losing their homes.
The FHA, set up in 1934 during the Depression, was designed to help first-time home buyers win favorable loan terms by guaranteeing mortgage payments to lenders.
The new legislation would broaden underwriting standards so that current homeowners could refinance before they lose their homes.
Lawmakers passed it by a vote of 348 to 72. The Senate Banking Committee is due to vote today on its version of the legislation.