WASHINGTON -(Dow Jones)- A U.S. House panel on Tuesday approved legislation to avert an Oct. 1 ban on seller-funded downpayment assistance programs for federally-insured mortgages.

WASHINGTON -(Dow Jones)- A U.S. House panel on Tuesday approved legislation to avert an Oct. 1 ban on seller-funded downpayment assistance programs for federally-insured mortgages.

WASHINGTON -(Dow Jones)- A U.S. House panel on Tuesday approved legislation to avert an Oct. 1 ban on seller-funded downpayment assistance programs for federally-insured mortgages.

WASHINGTON -(Dow Jones)- A U.S. House panel on Tuesday approved legislation to avert an Oct. 1 ban on seller-funded downpayment assistance programs for federally-insured mortgages.

Hopes that hard-pressed families had seen the worst of the economic downturn were dashed yesterday as the global financial crisis plumbed new depths.