For those looking to obtain a new home loan, a bill approved Wednesday in Congress could help keep the mortgage process from becoming too restrictive.  Otherwise, Realtor Dan Crouse says loans would be more difficult to obtain, "for everybody but the most qualified, best-credit people."

Crouse is a former president of the Warren Area Board of Realtors.  He calls housing the nation's largest industry, and says lawmakers need to take steps to shore up mortgage holders "Fannie Mae" and "Freddie Mac", which purchase loans, providing the money banks need to issue new mortgages.  But more importantly, it provides help for people on the verge of losing their homes by allowing banks to re-write mortgages with lower, more affordable interest rates and avoiding the costly process of foreclosure.

The bill also addresses the issue of so-called predatory lenders who charge customers very high interest.  Crouse says while the mortgage-banking industry has been cracking down on these lenders over time, a lot of homeowners have fallen through the cracks.

There are a couple other provisions in the bill of interest, one to provide four billion dollars to cities like Youngstown and Warren to, help demolish blighted homes.

Another would allow financially troubled companies, like General Motors that are losing money, to use existing tax credits to invest back into their corporations to help create more jobs.