Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Greater Atlanta (CCCS) Partners with Homeownership Preservation Foundation to Provide Foreclosure Prevention Counseling to Homeowners Nationwide.

MINNEAPOLIS -- The Homeownership Preservation Foundation has formed a partnership with Consumer Credit Counseling Service (CCCS) of Greater Atlanta to provide foreclosure prevention counseling to homeowners in financial distress through the Foundation's toll-free hotline, 1-888-995-HOPE, beginning September 14, 2005.

CCCS of Atlanta will join the Homeownership Preservation Foundation's network of HUD-certified counseling agencies, whose counselors provide free foreclosure prevention counseling to homeowners throughout the United States. The Foundation's network is called the Credit Counseling Resource Center (CCRC) and is now comprised of the following agencies: Auriton Solutions, NovaDebt, Springboard, and CCCS of Atlanta.

CCCS, based in Atlanta, Ga., has more than 40 years experience with budget, credit and housing counseling and is a member of the National Foundation for Credit Counseling. In 2004, CCCS conducted 65,000 counseling sessions with consumers on a variety of credit issues. CCCS has its own system of counseling agencies, called the CredAbility Network, with locations in Georgia, Florida, Mississippi and Tennessee.

"CCCS of Atlanta has an established record of counseling people through tough financial situations," said Walt Fricke, President and Executive Director of the Homeownership Preservation Foundation. "Teaming up with this trusted agency will increase our ability to reach consumers who need foreclosure prevention counseling."

"The Homeownership Preservation Foundation and the CCRC is one of the leading organizations fighting to prevent residential foreclosures," said Suzanne Boas, President of CCCS of Greater Atlanta. "We're excited to join the Foundation's network of credit counseling agencies. We believe that by working together, we can really offer hope to financially distressed consumers."

Homeowners can call 1-888-995-HOPE, a toll-free telephone hotline that connects homeowners facing foreclosure with counselors who provide free foreclosure prevention counseling services. The hotline is available 24 hours-a-day/7 days-a-week (24/7), nationwide.

Foreclosure prevention counseling offered through the CCRC is funded by the Homeownership Preservation Foundation, a Minneapolis-based nonprofit dedicated to reducing residential foreclosures. The Foundation is dedicating $7 million over the next three years to fund the operation of the hotline and the availability of free counseling for homeowners anywhere in the United States.

Since the CCRC was formed in April 2002, its HUD-certified counseling agencies have provided foreclosure prevention counseling to more than 47,000 homeowners.

About CCCS

For 40 years, families have turned to Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Atlanta for help with money problems. CCCS is a nonprofit, community service agency dedicated to empowering consumers to achieve a lifetime of economic freedom. A United Way partner, CCCS provides free, confidential budget counseling, community and personal money management education, debt management programs, and comprehensive housing counseling.

CCCS is accredited by the Council on Accreditation of Services for Families and Children and is a member of the Better Business Bureau and the National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC). Governed by a community-based board of directors, CCCS is funded by creditors, clients, contributors and grants from foundations, business and government agencies. Service is available in English, Spanish and American Sign Language. CCCS offers around the-clock help by phone at 1-800-251-CCCS or at its Web site, www.cccsinc.org.

CCCS Atlanta is the headquarters for the CredAbility Network, a family of agencies serving consumers in north Georgia, south Florida, middle Mississippi and east Tennessee. Georgia branches of CCCS are in downtown Atlanta, Cobb County, Decatur, Douglasville, Fayetteville, Gainesville, Gwinnett County and Rome.

About The Homeownership Preservation Foundation

The Homeownership Preservation Foundation (HPF) received its 501(c)(3) status in September 2004, and was founded with a $20 million seed contribution from GMAC-RFC, a leading private issuer of mortgage-backed securities and mortgage related asset-backed securities. The foundation partners with city, county and state governments; federal government agencies; community-based non-profit organizations; and mortgage lenders and servicers, to offer creative solutions to preserve home ownership. For more information about the Homeownership Preservation Foundation, please visit www.hpfonline.org.