With city after city experiencing record number foreclosures, one government agency is taking a creative approach to getting the word out on fair lending rights.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced this week that a public service announcement (PSA) designed to educate consumers about their fair lending rights is now running on 595 screens in 32 movie theatres in 28 cities, including 10 cities with some of the nation's highest foreclosure rates. HUD's PSA featuring Dennis Haysbert, will run through July 25.

Last year, HUD and its state and local fair housing partner agencies received more than 10,000 complaints alleging some form of housing discrimination, including complaints that alleged discrimination related to home financing transactions.

"This is a tremendous opportunity to alert the public that housing discrimination can occur when a family seeks a home loan," said Kim Kendrick, HUD Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity. "With greater awareness, we believe we can help homeowners get out of a bad situation."

This is the latest in efforts to educate a public and stave off future mortgage defaults. Even the Federal Reserve Board is in on the action -- hosting this website to educate the public on their rights.

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Published: July 23, 2008

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