New Program Now Available to Help You Refinance Your Mortgage - Consumer News Roundup for 12/06/11

A roundup of consumer-focused articles from around the web.

• New program now available to help you refinance your mortgage (KOMO TV)
  There is now more help for those who would like to refinance their home loans: The Home Affordable Refinance Program or HARP is now up and running.
• Washington Department of Revenue providing more tax information through email (Bellingham Herald)
  The Washington Department of Revenue has created a new general information listserv to make it easier for taxpayers, particularly business owners, to stay informed. The listserv will alert subscribers via email to new legislation, revisions to tax laws, rate changes, and any department programs that might impact their businesses.
• Tips for avoiding mortgage modification scams (CFPB)
  Tips from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau on avoiding mortgage modification scams.
• Joint task force formed to combat HAMP mortgage modification scams (CFPB)
  The Office of the Special Inspector General for the Troubled Asset Relief Program (SIGTARP), the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), and the U.S. Department of the Treasury announced the creation of a joint task force to combat scams targeted at homeowners seeking to apply for the Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP).
• Feds give $19.7 mil for state business lending, new VC fund (Seattle Times)
  Washington state's getting into the venture capital business. The state's underwriting a new venture capital fund affiliated with the University of Washington, to provide early stage funding for startups based on research from the UW and other state schools.