Downpayment Help

The state has launched a new program that it hopes will give a jolt to the stalled housing market---and help people get their first house. The Missouri Housing Development is offering what are, in effect, no-interest loans to qualified people who lack the ready cash for a down payment on their first house. The program turns a 75-hundred dollar federal tax credit into a 67-hundred-50-dollar cash advance payment to be used for a down payment., House Speaker Rod Jetton.

But people wanting to take part have to act quickly. The program ends on June 30th. www.mhdc.com.