The best predatory lending related news to come out of Washington, D.C. in years isn't the much needed federal law to corral the maverick lending practice, but a new brochure to help consumers circle the wagons.

Legislators on Capital Hill have been unable to marshal the votes necessary to wrangle lending outlaws, leaving it up to consumers to remain vigilant until the bad guys can be run out of town.

Nearly a dozen federal agencies from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency to the Department of Justice comprise the Interagency Task Force on Fair Lending which recently released "Putting Your Home On The Line Is Risky Business".

Predatory lending is the persistent practice of a minority number of lenders or brokers who target vulnerable homeowners who are older, have lower incomes, credit problems and other conditions that make it difficult for them to pay the bloated price of mortgages they are issued.

Homeowners who need a financial bail out from credit abuse often turn to their equity when other financial options may be a better choice.

Among the brochure's approaches to avoiding being taken on equity loans, it initially suggests borrowers begin the quest for financial assistance outside a loan office.

The brochure suggests consumers:

Published: October 31, 2003

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A journalist for 35-years, Broderick Perkins parlayed an old-school daily newspaper career into a digital news service offering editorial content and consulting services. Perkins' San Jose, CA-based DeadlineNews Group includes the flagship news site, DeadlineNews.Com, offering real estate, personal finance and consumer journalism, and a backshop, the Deadline Newsroom.