The bill revises the bankruptcy code to help homeowners facing default and foreclosure, biting into already hard-hit profits at mortgage lenders. The House also approved reducing taxes of some strapped homeowners by $650 million while eliminating a tax break that had been available on the sale of second homes.

And tomorrow I'll have a story about some significant home buying trends in 2006. Here's a taste:

Home sales in Maryland dropped sharply last year, but black buyers proved the exception.

They took out slightly more loans for home purchases than they did in 2005, a marked contrast to the big decrease in buying among white and Asian borrowers, according to an analysis of federal data released Thursday by Genworth Financial Inc. and Compliance Technologies Inc. Whites took out 23 percent fewer loans, while loans to Asian borrowers fell 35 percent -- among the biggest drops in the nation for both groups.