"I was very pleased to be able to help bring the 'Don't Borrow Trouble' education campaign to Detroit and southeastern Michigan last year," Stabenow said. "Far too many of Michigan's families have become victims of predatory lending, and the 'Don't Borrow Trouble' campaign addresses this problem by educating consumers to recognize and avoid predatory lending practices."

Predatory lending is the practice of unscrupulous lenders targeting people in financial crisis with exorbitant loan rates, hidden fees, onerous payment penalties and unnecessarily complicated contracts. A member of the Senate Banking Committee, Stabenow has been a leader in advocating for enhanced resources for the Federal Trade Commission to fight predatory lending. Earlier this spring she helped spearhead an effort to double the FTC's budget to help the agency properly combat unscrupulous lenders to $2.5 million.

Stabenow is also an original cosponsor of the predatory Lending Consumer Protection Act of 2002, which would create a new, more expansive definition of a high-cost loan to trigger a more comprehensive set of protections for consumers.

"I am pleased that the Detroit Alliance for Fair Banking will have an opportunity to carry its popular workshops - 'Don't Borrow Trouble,' 'Financial Literacy Education,' and 'Mortgage Qualification,' to businesses and individuals in the Detroit area, including Detroit's Empowerment Zone," Stabenow said.

"Predatory lending practices hurt individuals and families, and they also unfairly cast a pall over many legitimate, upstanding lenders across the state and the country," she said. "These workshops provide a great service to the entire region."