Foreclosure Prevention Hotline Honors 'Unsung Heroes'

WASHINGTON, DC--(Marketwire - March 2, 2009) - The Homeownership Preservation Foundation (HPF) awarded sixteen men and women for their outstanding services to and on behalf of the Homeowner's HOPE™ Hotline (888-995-HOPE™), as part of HPF's 2009 'Unsung Heroes' awards program on February 24, 2009.

"These men and women are exemplary of the highest levels of quality and concern in supporting homeowners in navigating the foreclosure crisis, including those who call 888 995 HOPE, the Homeowner's HOPE Hotline," stated Colleen Hernandez, President and Executive Director of the Homeownership Preservation Foundation. "I am proud to help recognize every one of these unsung heroes who have consistently gone above and beyond to serve thousands of struggling homeowners each day."

The Homeowner's HOPE™ Hotline, created and managed by the Homeownership Preservation Foundation, is a national 24/7 hotline offering free, bilingual, personalized housing counseling to homeowners.

"On behalf of HPF, our 9 network partner agencies, and the over 1.2 million homeowners served by the Hotline, I thank each HPF Unsung Hero for their dedication and fervent commitment to serving everyone who contacts the Homeowner's HOPE Hotline," continued Hernandez. "I am proud to continue to work alongside each of these individuals and their organizations, who I know will continue to provide vital support to the Hotline."

2009 Recipients of HPF's Unsung Heroes Awards:

Kathy Conley, Housing Counselor, GreenPath. Kathy is recognized for providing excellent customer service to homeowners calling the Homeowner's HOPE™ Hotline and for her constant willingness to seek out the best information for her clients, whether that means contacting their lender or doing research on her own.

Chip Fichot, Senior Information Technology Manager, Novadebt. Chip is recognized for his loyalty, innovation, and invaluable commitment to preserving and expanding homeownership by keeping the information flowing from homeowners to a path of hope.

Albert Anderson, Housing Programs Counselor, Consumer Credit Counseling Service of San Francisco. Albert is recognized for his vital participation in numerous high level media events and presentations, as well as for his commitment to handling high profile cases with the utmost responsiveness, professionalism and privacy.

Tom Sachs, Certified Credit Counselor, Auriton Solutions. Tom is recognized for his practiced ability to offer realistic, step by step help to struggling homeowners, giving every caller both the hope and the help they truly deserve. In addition, Tom is recognized for the extraordinary amount of positive feedback he has received from his clients.

Marilyn Thomson, Counselor II, Money Management International. Marilyn is recognized for always going the extra mile to serve both the English and Spanish speaking communities calling the Hotline and for providing excellent budget education to every caller; enabling callers to avoid trouble in the future.

Susan Smith, Director of Training & Financial Education, Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Greater Dallas, Inc. Susan is recognized for her vital role in the development and implementation of many of CCCS, Dallas processes, and for consistently keeping the focus on quality counseling and the client experience.

Harold Thomas, Assistant Financial Counseling Manager, Springboard. Harold is recognized for his instrumental role in building the Springboard Hotline counseling department from the ground up -- from 13 to 100 counselors in less than 18 months.

Sandy Spernak, Housing Counselor, ByDesign Financial Solutions. Sandy is recognized for always going the extra mile for both the organization and the clients she serves and for constantly performing quality counseling.

Judy MacKenzie, Vice President of Housing, Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Greater Atlanta (formerly CCCS - Central Florida). Judy is recognized for her commitment to providing quality housing counseling.

Brian Oliver, Manager of Homeowner's HOPE Hotline team, Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Greater Atlanta. Brian is recognized for his outstanding oversight of a team of both Spanish and English speaking housing counselors and for his strong work ethic and focus on client service -- serving as a role model for his team.

Bill Longbrake, former Senior Policy Advisor to the Financial Services Roundtable and current Policy Advisor to the Obama Transition Team. Bill is recognized for his patience, dedication and insight in helping the industry to understand the importance of loan modifications and, in particular, his leadership in the collection and interpretation of company data and best practices concerning loan modifications.

Katie Wechsler, Executive Director, HOPE, Government Affairs Manager of the Housing Policy Council. Katie is recognized for her vital role in obtaining industry support to sustain the important role and viability of the Homeowner's HOPE™ Hotline in helping those facing foreclosure.

Shelia Green, Director, Fannie Mae National Servicing Organization. Shelia is recognized for her unwavering commitment to help bridge relationships between servicers and nonprofit counseling organizations to keep families in their homes.

Jeanne Fekade-Sellassie, Director of the National Foreclosure Mitigation Counseling Program, NeighborWorks America. Jeanne is recognized for her outstanding work ethic, remarkable attention to detail and overall commitment to the National Foreclosure Mitigation Counseling Program (NFMC) program and NeighborWorks.

Eric Selk, Project Manager, HOPE NOW Alliance. Eric is recognized for his hard work and dedication to the Alliance and the homeowners it serves.

Regina Kale, Senior Administrative Assistant, Wells Fargo. Regina is recognized for her professionalism, tireless good humor, wisdom and good judgment in providing incredible support, days, nights, weekends and holidays for the important work of the organization and its leadership in providing options and solutions to homeowners in need.

About the Homeownership Preservation Foundation

Founded in 2004, the Homeownership Preservation Foundation (HPF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to reducing foreclosures and preserving homeownership for American homeowners. HPF partners with city, county and state governments; federal government agencies; community-based nonprofit organizations; and mortgage companies to offer creative solutions to preserve homeownership. HPF's cornerstone service is the Homeowner's HOPE™ Hotline, a foreclosure prevention counseling service available free in English and Spanish to homeowners by calling 888-995-HOPE™. The Homeowner's HOPE™ Hotline received 1.2 million calls in 2008 and continues to assist in this ever-growing crisis. For more information about the Homeownership Preservation Foundation or the Homeowner's HOPE™ Hotline, visit www.995hope.org.

Contact Information: Contacts: Sarabeth Patch spatch@qorvis.com 202.683.3111 Deborah Watts dwatts@995hope.org 612.230.4023