For some lucky families, a new loan modification program by The Black-Eyed Peas’  Will.i.am is allowing them to keep a roof over their heads.

The program -  the “i.amhome fund” – combines money from the musical artist’s own savings with a fund-raising campaign to collect donations that will help out families on the verge of losing their homes.

The idea of helping people facing foreclosure has inspired a whole new category of philanthropy. The Foundation Source, for example, allows foundations to provide no-interest loans to homeowners threatened with foreclosure. While not specifically targeting foreclosure cases, the LendingTree Foundation is a private, nonprofit organization designed to provide advice to families and individuals with financial problems.

Will.i.am, with his star power, brings the issue literally into the spotlight. Appearing on The Oprah Show, the songwriter shared this month how he was moved to start the program because …

Yesterday at LeadsCon in Las Vegas, Tree.com Chairman and CEO Doug Lebda spoke to an auditorium full of lead generation professionals regarding Tree’s future expansion into markets outside of the mortgage and finance industry.

Some highlights:

The platform will create a more dynamic search experience for consumers, and a more robust advertising experience for service providers.
Consumers will benefit from having a, “…destination for consumers around smart decisions.” They will be able to find information to help them make buying decisions such as quotes for comparison shopping, company ratings and reviews, and provider profiles.
Companies will benefit from an integrated interface that allows them to monitor their brand online and interact with consumers.
The platform will include over 50 categories of market areas.
Various other forms of content and media, such as videos and blogs, will also be part of the mix.
Tree.com will partner with entrepreneurs who are already established in their markets, and …

Today, Tree.com Chairman & CEO Doug Lebda met with Maria Bartiromo of  CNBC’s Closing Bell to discuss his announcement tomorrow at LeadsCon in Las Vegas. There, he will be sharing information on their new platform to provide reverse-auction marketplaces for markets outside of mortgage and finance.

From educational loans to vacation packages, consumers will be able to use this new platform to get competitive offers, find ratings & reviews and get their questions answered like they currently do on LendingTree, but on a much wider variety of ‘big-ticket’ items. While Tree.com has been involved in some of these services for varying periods of time, this marks a revamping of their overall site for a more engaging customer experience.

As of today, some competitors in these markets do exist. However, Lebda noted, Tree.com will stand apart as a site where consumers and advertisers will be working with brands they …