A bill that would extend unemployment benefits as well as expand the homebuyer's tax credit program won't be voted on until Monday evening at the earliest.

The Senate has agreed on a compromise measure to extend and expand the popular home buyer's tax credit, which is set to expire at the end of November, said two leading proponents

The measure would both extend and expand the popular homebuyer incentive, according to a Capitol Hill source.  What happens next, however, depends on the outcome of a battle over a more important bill, providing additional unemployment benefits.

If 2008-2009 was the winter of our discontent, will 2009-2010 be a winter wonderland for investors? Given events of the past two years, we all have cause for being skeptical about the investment horizon, especially after a massive, six-month rally in equities and lingering concerns about corporate profits and the economy.

There's almost no chance the Senate will vote Wednesday on extending the popular homebuyer's tax credit, which is set to expire at the end of next month, a key Capitol Hill source told CNBC.com.

Obama officials and House Democrats are no longer considering having financial firms pre-pay into a fund to help cover the costs of winding down too-big-too-fail financial firms, a source said.

The Fed would play less of a role in handling firms that pose a systemic risk to the economy, giving more authority to a council composed of several regulatory agencies

With a key Congressional committee  beginning markup of legislation creating a consumer financial products watchdog, the Federal Reserve's unusual role as a source of funds will likely draw attention.

President Barack Obama promoted a new financial protection agency by saying it would prevent banks from using "ridiculously confusing contracts." He also said the US Chamber of Commerce has made "completely false" claims about the new agency.

The White House is returning to the  complicated task of pushing radical financial regulatory reform through Congress by focusing voters on new consumer protections.