Maryland regulators told a state Senate committee Wednesday about measures they are considering to curtail bad practices by mortgage lenders that are leading to a high number of foreclosures. They include insisting lenders verify the ability to repay the loans, cutting penalties for paying off a loan and beefing up licensing requirements for lenders.

Lawmakers, lenders and officials all agreed that they didn?t want new regulations to create a money crunch for people finding a hard time buying a house, as the subprime market has been important aid to homeownership and wealth creation, particularly for minorities.