Bank settlement boosts heating help

CROWN POINT, Ind. (AP) - A multi-state settlement involving large banks is helping low-income Indiana residents keep the heat on as the state heads into the cold-weather months.

Indiana has directed about $29 million in funds from that settlement into its Energy Assistance Program, which last year helped nearly 200,000 households pay utility bills. The average benefit was $420.

The money came from a settlement Indiana and 48 other states and the federal government entered into last year with the nation's five largest banks over foreclosure abuses and mortgage-servicing practices.

The Times of Munster reports Indiana's overall share of that settlement was about $145 million. About $100 million of that was directed to Hoosiers who lost their homes to foreclosure and to borrowers who seek to refinance their home loans.