Senate push for U.S. housing finance bill comes up short
Senate push for U.S. housing finance bill comes up short 1 hour ago * Committee leaders fail to round up more Democrats * Unlikely to convince Senate leader to bring up bill on Senate floor * Bill likely to clear panel with narrow majority next week By Margaret Chadbourn WASHINGTON, May 9 (Reuters) - A bid by the leaders of the U.S. Senate Banking Committee to secure more support from Democrats for a housing finance reform bill has fallen short, likely dooming their effort to push the legislation to a vote on the Senate floor. Committee Chairman Tim Johnson, a Democrat, and Senator Mike Crapo, the panel's top Republican, last week delayed a vote on the bill to build more backing for the plan, which would wind down taxpayer-owned mortgage financiers Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. But sources familiar with the negotiations said a group of six hold-out Democrats informed the leaders on Thursday they would not vote for the bill, w...