WASHINGTON — Congress is focusing new attention on a rising tide of home foreclosures that could lead to tighter regulation of the lending industry and a bailout for homeowners struggling to keep up with increasing mortgage payments.

One such homeowner is Barbara Hunt of Detroit, a public health nurse who refinanced her house with a subprime loan in 2004 to help pay for a heart bypass operation.

Last year, the interest rate on her loan increased from 10 percent to 13 percent, and her monthly payments jumped from $527 to $841. Hunt, already behind in paying off her mortgage, recently learned her interest rate will increase again.

"If it keeps going up, I can't catch up," said Hunt, a 61-year-old widow who earns about $42,000 a year. "I should have known more about my loan. I should have been a smarter person."

The popularity of subprime loans — such loans usually require little or no down payment and carry a variable interest rate — is a major factor behind a record number of foreclosures. Black and Hispanic homeowners have been particularly hard hit.

Congressional lawmakers, including Democratic Sen. Charles Schumer of New York, have responded with vows to crack down on what they say are predatory lending practices in the subprime market. Some subprime lenders extend loans to homebuyers who clearly can't afford the payments and charge excessive fees to homeowners who try to refinance, Schumer said.

"Over the past several months, it has become increasingly clear that irresponsible subprime lending practices have been contributing to a wave of foreclosures that are hitting homeowners and rattling the housing markets," said a report released this week by the Joint Economic Committee headed by Schumer.

"The subprime mortgage meltdown has economic consequences that will ripple through our communities unless we act," he said.

The report from the Joint Economic Committee predicts a steady increase in foreclosures this year and next year as interest rates on about 1.8 million subprime mortgages rise during a weakening housing market.

Schumer has proposed giving local housing agencies more federal grant money to help homeowners in default.

Democratic Rep. Barney Frank of Massachusetts, chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, plans to hold a hearing to assess other proposals, including some designed to end what he calls the "discriminatory aspect" of subprime lending.

Subprime loans accounted for one out of every four mortgages issued last year, according to the Center for Responsible Lending. The loans are especially popular with low- and moderate-income homeowners and those with credit problems.

Civil rights groups, including the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the National Council of La Raza, are urging Congress to impose a six-month moratorium on foreclosures.

"The problem is so big (Congress) doesn't have the luxury of ignoring it," said Ellen Schloemer of the Center for Responsible Lending.

But the Mortgage Bankers Association says Congress would be unwise to tinker with the mortgage market.

The group says the wave of foreclosures is tied to a slump in the housing market and other factors, including poor local economies and the displacement of hurricane victims.

Eleanor Bennett Lee, 81, of Keithville, La., was shocked that her lender charged her thousands in fees when she refinanced to avoid paying more than 15 percent interest on her subprime loan.

Like many homeowners with subprime loans, Lee blames her own lack of knowledge.

"The problem was not knowing anything, not asking enough questions," she said.