Thinking this may be a help to consumers? Wait until you read what the people who you elected are going to do. First of all this bill is ‘bi-partisan’ and was voted ‘yea’ at 84-12. The Senate has proclaimed it as a package designed to help businesses and homeowners ‘weather the housing crisis.’ The supporters of the bill in the Senate also acknowledge it does little to help borrowers losing their homes. it actually does nothing to help them at all, there are no provisions for those in duress. For Builders The plan gives them large tax breaks. Over a three year period no less. The same guys who made huge fortunes building homes and condos at inflated prices the last 6 years. For investors $7000 tax credits for buying foreclosed properties. This can include big businesses like lenders. Buying a foreclosed home means going to a foreclosure sale. At this time this will mean 99-100% lenders tax credit as no one else will be there. $4 billion in grants for communities to buy and fix up abandoned homes. Grants will probably be given to those that can afford to buy lots of those homes, like large investment firms, lenders, and builders. Local Joe Public will see little of this in my opinion For the oil companies and their ‘renewable energy divisions.’ $6 billion in unrelated tax breaks. This tax break goes against the Senates own rules regarding revenue increases. Well, you elected corrupt people to lead, what did you expect. The businesses that made the most money in the last 10 years were Oil companies. They are the ones that will get this $6 billion tip. What the heck is this doing in a foreclosure bill? Other notes The plan modernizes the FHA to allow more people to refinance into loans back by ‘the depression-era agency.’ So, if you have good credit and payment history, the FHA will be there for you. Of course that helps no one in trouble at all. Rumors of what the House will do when it receives it. Try to reject 25 billion in tax breaks to ‘money-losing’ businesses like home builders. I think, if I were to be cynical, that only 'money-making' home builders will get this. The House seems to want to drop the tax credit for buying foreclosed properties. Maybe they are afraid too many regular people may be able to buy a foreclosed home? For the people $150 billion for pre-foreclosure counseling and stronger loan disclosure requirements. The only 'foreclosure counselors' will be your lenders. The only ones doing disclosure requirements will be your lenders. Lenders, say hello to another 150 Billion, thanks for the memories. Tax breaks for ‘first-time’ home buyers and investors in low income rental housing. You could sum this up as 'Nobody and slum lords.' A separate house bill would be paired with it that gives $300 billion to refinance loans for 1 million+ homeowners who ‘might face’ foreclosure. Keyword 'might', this means if you are in foreclosure or probably cannot stop heading towards it you will not be eligible. This is a sad joke. The White House George Bush, the President, ‘opposes’ the plan but has no plans to veto the final version coming from the House. Thanks for 'almost' George! The Bush administration countered those plans Wednesday with its own, far narrower, proposal. It would expand an existing FHA program to allow more homeowners who are facing large rate hikes to refinance into more affordable government-insured loans And this will preclude everyone in trouble or who already faced huge rate hikes