The Fed is considering:

--barring lenders from penalizing subprime borrowers — those with spotty credit or low incomes — who pay their loans off early.

--forcing lenders to make sure that borrowers, especially subprime borrowers, set aside money to pay for taxes and insurance.

--restricting loans that do not require proof of a borrower's income.

--examining lenders' failure, in some cases, to consider a borrower's ability to repay a home loan.

--improving financial disclosure so people better understand the terms and conditions of their mortgages and get this information when it is most useful.

--curtailing abuses in mortgage advertising.