Loan Modification and Foreclosure Scam Alert TV Special to air across Texas

Texas PBS in cooperation with the Texas Foreclosure Prevention Task Force and NeighborWorks® America will air a 30-minute special in January on scams surrounding foreclosure prevention and loan modification. Scam artists across the country are preying on homeowners who are facing foreclosure, promising to modify loans and guaranteeing to save a home from foreclosure. They charge fees up front and then disappear. Many victims lose money and their homes. The PBS special will feature an expert panel discussion on the warning signs of a scam, how people are approached, including an interview with a family who was victimized by a scam.

The moderator of the show is Purva Patel, a consumer reporter with The Houston Chronicle. She has written extensively about mortgage issues. Patel leads a conversation of the following experts:

• Deanya Kueckelhan, Regional Director of the Federal Trade Commission. Deanya is an attorney involved in prosecuting loan modification and foreclosure rescue scams.

• Joyce McDonald, Executive Director of Austin-based Frameworks Community Development Corporation. Frameworks is a HUD-approved housing counseling agency. They offer homebuyer education, financial literacy and foreclosure mitigation services at no cost to their clients.

• Yolanda McGill, Lawyer's Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. McGill works as the senior counsel for the groups Fair Housing and Fair Lending Project. A large portion of

her work involves preventing loan modification scams and serving as a clearinghouse for information from around the country.

The show will air in the following markets on the following dates:

• Amarillo (KACV): Monday, January 24 at 9:30 pm

• Austin (KLRU): Thursday, January 6 at 7:30 pm and Sunday, January 9 at 3 pm

• College Station (KAMU): Sunday, January 9 at 4 pm

• Corpus Christi (KEDT): Thursday, January 6 at 7 pm and Monday, January 10 at 11:30 pm

• Dallas/Fort Worth (KERA): Monday, January 10 at 10 pm

• El Paso (KCOS): Sunday, January 9 at 10 pm

• Harlingen (KMBH): Thursday, January 6 at 7 pm

• Houston (KUHT): Sunday, January 9 at 4 pm

• Lubbock (KTXT): Thursday, January 6 at 7 pm

• Killeen/Waco (KNCT): Thursday, January 6 at 7:30 pm

• Midland/Odessa (KPBT): TBD

• San Antonio (KLRN): Thursday, January 6 at 9 pm

The special is made possible by a grant from NeighborWorks® America to the Texas Foreclosure Prevention Task Force and Texas State Affordable Housing Corporation. For more information on loan scams and how to report this illegal activity, please call 1-888-995-HOPE or visit www.LoanScamAlert.org. These sources can also connect you to HUD-approved housing counseling agencies that are available to assist homeowners with FREE foreclosure prevention services.

____________________________________________________________________________________ About the Texas Foreclosure Prevention Task Force The Texas Foreclosure Prevention Task Force is a statewide initiative that works to inform at-risk borrowers of the options available to them, link them with local housing counseling services, and increase the capacity of these local counseling organizations.

Facilitated by NeighborWorks® America, the Task Force is comprised of representatives from over 90 organizations representing state, local, and federal government organizations, the financialal industry, and the

nonprofit sector working

together toward a common goal- avert home mortgage foreclosures and the impact of foreclosure on Texas families and communities. The Texas State Affordable Housing Corporation serves as a participating member and the fiscal sponsor for the Texas Foreclosure Prevention Task Force.

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About the Texas State Affordable Housing Corporation: The Texas State Affordable Housing Corporation (TSAHC) is a non-profit organization created by the Texas Legislature. TSAHC facilitates the creation of affordable housing through programs aimed to serve Texans who do not have comparable options through conventional financial channels. All TSAHC programs are offered statewide, with special attention given to rural areas and other underserved populations. www.tsahc.org