By John Poirier
WASHINGTON, May 20 (Reuters) - A Senate plan to help U.S. homeowners avoid foreclosures would also crack down on mortgage brokers by requiring them to be fingerprinted by the FBI and licensed by state regulators.
Critics say mortgage originators contributed to the U.S. housing crisis by crafting so-called "liars' loans" in recent years that required little money down and no verification of a consumer's income.