The Senate defeated an amendment designed to reduce taxpayer exposure for risky home mortgages by increasing the minimum down payment requirement from 3.5 percent to 5 percent and placing other limits on taxpayer-guaranteed mortgages. ACU thinks loose lending practices by government agencies fueled the meltdown in the housing market, and so supported this tightening. However, the Senate rejected it May 12, 2010, by a vote of 42-57.