In today's Bee, reporter Jeff St. John takes a look at the national housing relief bill passed last month and finds that it isn't as helpful as many hoped for.

In some ways, it could even hurt some segments of the real estate industry. That's because the bill bans seller-funded down payment assistance programs, such as the one through Sacramento's Nehemiah Corp. of America - which is popular with home builders.

Here's a link to the story. . And here's a link to the blog of Jim Wasserman, a Sacramento Bee reporter who has been reporting on the Nehemiah angle.