Loan Plan for Homeowners, an article from the Wall Street Journal Online, reports that under a proposal introduced the the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. to help stem foreclosures, struggling U.S. homeowners could receive federal loans to pay down as much as 20% of their principal.  The program would depend on the willingness of mortgage servicers and investors to agree to restructure troubled loans, as well as to pay the financing cost of making the federal loans.  The FDIC said in a document outlining the plan, "Only the federal government is in a position to help arrest the downward cycle in housing markets by facilitating temporary aid to borrowers facing financial difficulty and encouraging widespread restructuring of unaffordable mortgages."
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120959995720957839.html?mod=RealEstateMain_1

Additional articles that you may find of interest:

SIDE STREETS: Forum could answer your neighborhood questions
http://www.gazette.com/articles/neighborhood_35855___article.html/forum_maintenance.html

With eye on inflation, Fed lowers rates again
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24385539/

Realty Viewpoint: Economy, Housing Staying Alive
http://realtytimes.com/rtpages/20080501_realtyviewpoint.htm

Moving Hard-to-Sell Homes with Staging
http://realtytimes.com/rtpages/20080501_sellstaging.htm