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Award-Winning “Maxed Out” Now Available In Paperback!

(New York, NY) January 4, 2008 – “Maxed Out”, the companion book to the documentary film, is now available on paperback, with a new foreword by author James D. Scurlock as well as a study guide. The book, published by Scribner, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, predicted much of the turmoil that is now front-page news in both the mainstream and financial press. “It seems like an eternity since the book was first published back in March,” observed author James Scurlock. “Back then, few people knew what ‘sub-prime’ was, and the financial industry and government regulators were still telling us that everything was under control. Now the cat’s out of the bag. However, there is still a great deal of confusion about the nature of the crisis itself, as well as what needs to be done to start fixing the monumental problems in our ‘easy credit’ system. The paperback brings things up-to-date. I hope that the book makes a contribution to the much-needed debate that’s been spearheaded by consumer groups like NACA, NCLC and Americans for Fairness in Lending.” “Maxed Out,” the film, won the 2006 South by Southwest Film Festival and was one of the critics’ best-reviewed films of 2007, scoring an 88% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the industry’s premier website. The film also won NACA’s national media award last year. The book, Maxed Out: Hard Times in the Age of Easy Credit, was recently named one of the top ten books of 2007 by Mother Jones, the largest progressive magazine in the country, and is nominated for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society’s “Book to Better Your Life Award,” to be announced next month. More information about the book and film can be found on http://www.maxedoutmovie.com. The book and film are available at major online and physical retailers nationwide. Bulk discounts are available by contacting Simon & Schuster directly at 1-800-456-6798. Source: Katie Monaghan, Scribner, Katherine.Monaghan@simonandschuster.com
Ohio Citizens, Stand Up For Your Rights! Overturn S.B.117
Join the campaign. Click here to go to the YourOhioRights Website
Last year the citizens of Ohio were cheated. The legislature swindled us out of the consumer protections that residents of this state had enjoyed for 30 years. Our elected officials limited the amount companies that cheat customers might have to pay if they're sued. The legislature changed the law at the request of the car dealers' lobby, but the damage limit applies to retail sales, predatory home loans, home repair contracts - almost any transaction a consumer makes. But even worse, the legislature cheated us out of having our say: It refused to allow any public testimony before it voted... . It's time to get our law - and our legislature - back...." Consumer Affairs columnist Sheryl Harris in the September 27, 2007 Plain Dealer.
Ban Mandatory Binding Arbitration!
Click Here to Join Us
When Congress enacted the Federal Arbitration Act ("FAA"), its goal was to allow an alternative forum for parties on equal footing to resolve their disputes. Yet a series of court decisions moved the law away from its original intent and opened the door for arbitration to be used to deprive ordinary citizens in employment, consumer, and franchise disputes of their constitutional right to use the civil justice system.
Maxed Out
Learn More and Take Action
Maxed Out shows how the modern financial industry really works, explains the true definition of "preferred customer" and tells us why the poor are getting poorer and the rich getting richer. By turns hilarious and profoundly disturbing, Maxed Out paints a picture of a national nightmare which is all too real for most of us. Maxed Out won critical acclaim at the South by Southwest film festival in Austin, Texas in March, and Simon & Schuster plans to publish a memoir based on Director James Scurlock's interviews and travels during the making of the film next year. Ann Hornaday of the Washington Post, calls Maxed Out a "riveting examination of America's debt problem." Sally Foster of Film Threat says that "Maxed Out is a skillful intertwining of facts, interviews and vignettes, ultimately coming together to form a picture of our country's current financial state."

Recent Updates

4/29/2008
Act Quickly on Mortgage Ills
If foreclosure looms, contacting your lender right away could help.
4/25/2008
NACA Supports H.R. 3609, the “Emergency Home Ownership and Mortgage Equity Protection Act” (Download File ) We, the undersigned organizations, strongly urge you to support the bipartisan substitute version of H.R. 3609, the “Emergency Home Ownership and Mortgage Equity Protection Act.” This legislation will help hundreds of thousands of families stay in their homes while they repay their mortgage debt. It will also help avoid the decreased property values and increased crime in neighborhoods that come with concentrations of foreclosures.
4/24/2008
NACA Supports The Amendment to H.R. 5830, the “FHA Housing Stabilization and Homeownership Retention Act (Download File ) April 24, 2008 The Honorable Barney Frank Chairman House Financial Services Committee 2129 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 The Honorable Spencer Bachus Ranking Member House Financial Services Committee B371a Rayburn House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 Dear Chairman Frank and Ranking Member Bachus: We are writing to urge you to support Representative Mel Watt and Representative Nydia Velázquez’s amendment to H.R. 5830, the “FHA Housing Stabilization and Homeownership Retention Act,” that would provide funding to state and local legal organizations representing homeowners in danger of losing their homes. As you are all too well aware, thousands of homes across our country are being lost to foreclosure on a daily basis and this tide is only continuing to rise. Funding for state and local legal organizations is an essential and necessary component in directly providing much needed relief to at-risk homeowners. We applaud Congress’ resolve to provide much needed increased funding to housing counseling agencies, however that effort is simply not enough. Housing counselors, who play a vital role in helping at-risk homeowners, are unfortunately limited in their ability to pursue federal and state legal claims for abusive lending practices. Legal Aid and other non-profit lawyers, with their experience in representing homeowners and their legal knowledge of state and federal consumer protections, have the unique ability to change that equation and force recalcitrant servicers into creating loans that allow homeowners to remain in their homes and their communities. Unfortunately, the reality is that there are not enough non-profit attorneys doing this kind of direct service work and many are needed to quell the tide of foreclosures. The existing pool of such attorneys already report a flood of incoming homeowners seeking assistance for abusive loans. By providing funding to legal providers at the state and local levels, thousands of homes can and will be saved. We therefore urge you to support Representative Watt and Velázquez’s amendment to H.R. 5830. If you have any questions, please contact Cora Ganzglass, Legislative Director, National Association of Consumer Advocates, at (202) 452-1989 or cora@naca.net. Sincerely, ACORN Black Leadership Forum Center for Responsible Lending Consumer Federation of America Consumer Union National Association of Consumer Advocates National Coalition of La Raza National Consumer Law Center (on behalf of its low-income clients)

Events

5/16/2008
NACA 2008 Auto Fraud Conference, May 16-18, 2008, San Antonio, Texas
Register Now!
5/23/2008
Teaching Consumer Law
--The Who, What, Where, Why, When and How
9/5/2008
NACA 2008 Mortgage Lending Litigation Conference
Mark your calendar and plan to attend!