STOCKTON, CA - APRIL 29: (FILE PHOTO) A foreclosure sign sits in front of a home for sale April 29, 2008 in Stockton, California. During a weekend session of the Senate congress passed legislation to aid failing mortgage companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac that would allow homeowners to escape foreclosure by getting the chance to refinance into more affordable loans backed by the Federal Housing Administration on July 26, 2008 in Washington, DC. The $3.9 billion bill would aid neighborhoods devastated by the housing crisis buy and fix up foreclosed properties, helping an estimated 400,000 homeowners. Getty Images logo Getty Images 16 months ago

STOCKTON, CA - APRIL 29: (FILE PHOTO) A foreclosure sign sits in front of a home for sale April 29, 2008 in Stockton, California. During a weekend session of the Senate congress passed legislation to aid failing mortgage companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac that would allow homeowners to escape foreclosure by getting the chance to refinance into more affordable loans backed by the Federal Housing Administration on July 26, 2008 in Washington, DC. The $3.9 billion bill would aid neighborhoods devastated by the housing crisis buy and fix up foreclosed properties, helping an estimated 400,000 homeowners.

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  1. U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke (R) and former Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson testify at the House Financial Services Committee hearing on "Oversight of Implementation of the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 and of Government Lending and Insurance Facilities; Impact on Economy and Credit Availability" on Capitol Hill in Washington in this November 18, 2008 file photo. In September 2008, a turbulent month that saw the fall or near-death experience of industry giants like Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, AIG, Merrill Lynch and Lehman Brothers, Paulson met with Bernanke numerous times. At the time, Bernanke eagerly backed a proposal by Paulson that was widely criticized for being way too thin on details, weighing in at a mere three pages -- and with nary a mention of Wall Street pay.
  2. FILE - In this Sept. 7, 2008 file photo, Federal Housing Finance Agency Director James Lockhart, left, concludes his remarks as Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, Jr., right, takes his turn at the microphone during a news conference in Washington on the bailout of mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. A year after the collapse of the mortgage companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, Americans remain almost entirely dependent on the government to keep them and the housing market alive.
  3. U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke (R) and former Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson testify at the House Financial Services Committee hearing on "Oversight of Implementation of the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 and of Government Lending and Insurance Facilities; Impact on Economy and Credit Availability" on Capitol Hill in Washington in this November 18, 2008 file photo. In September 2008, a turbulent month that saw the fall or near-death experience of industry giants like Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, AIG, Merrill Lynch and Lehman Brothers, Paulson met with Bernanke numerous times. At the time, Bernanke eagerly backed a proposal by Paulson that was widely criticized for being way too thin on details, weighing in at a mere three pages -- and with nary a mention of Wall Street pay.
  4. FILE - This Sept. 8, 2008 file photo shows Anthony Campagna, left, Donald Himpele Jr., and Chris Enright, right, all of Spear, Leeds, & Kellogg Specialists, gathering around the post where their firm trades Fannie Mae prior to the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange in New York. A year after edging dangerously close to free fall, there are signs the economy is regaining a foothold. But Americans' sense of financial security is badly shaken and the nation confronts questions that defy quick or comfortable answers.
  5. FILE - In this Sept. 7, 2008 file photo, Federal Housing Finance Agency Director James Lockhart, left, concludes his remarks as Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, Jr., right, takes his turn at the microphone during a news conference in Washington on the bailout of mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. A year after the collapse of the mortgage companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, Americans remain almost entirely dependent on the government to keep them and the housing market alive.
  6. FILE - This Sept. 8, 2008 file photo shows Anthony Campagna, left, Donald Himpele Jr., and Chris Enright, right, all of Spear, Leeds, & Kellogg Specialists, gathering around the post where their firm trades Fannie Mae prior to the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange in New York. A year after edging dangerously close to free fall, there are signs the economy is regaining a foothold. But Americans' sense of financial security is badly shaken and the nation confronts questions that defy quick or comfortable answers.
  7. US President Barack Obama speaks during an event celebrating the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate, at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Washington, DC, on October 14, 2009. Dedicated to improving civic education and educating about the role and importance of the US Senate and named after the late Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy, the Institute will be located on the campus of the University of Massachusetts.
  8. U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) puts his arm around Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi as they speak about their meeting between Congressional leadership and President Barack Obama on Afghanistan and Pakistan at the White House in Washington, October 6, 2009.
  9. WASHINGTON - OCTOBER 01: Ranking member U.S. Senate Finance Committee member Chuck Grassley (R-IA) listens during a hearing on Capitol Hill October 1, 2009 in Washington, DC. The committee continued to vote on amendments to healthcare reform legislation.
  10. WASHINGTON - OCTOBER 01: Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME) speaks during a hearing before the U.S. Senate Finance Committee on Capitol Hill October 1, 2009 in Washington, DC. The committee continued to vote on amendments to healthcare reform legislation.
  11. WASHINGTON - OCTOBER 01: U.S. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT) (2nd R) talks to Sen. John Rockefeller (D-WV) (L) and Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) during a break in a hearing on Capitol Hill October 1, 2009 in Washington, DC. The committee continued to vote on amendments to healthcare reform legislation.
  12. WASHINGTON - OCTOBER 01: Ranking U.S. Senate Finance Committee member Chuck Grassley (R-IA) (C) speaks as (L-R) Sen. John Rockefeller (D-WV), Committee Chairman Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT), Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME) listen during a hearing on Capitol Hill October 1, 2009 in Washington, DC. The committee continued to vote on amendments to healthcare reform legislation.

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