�Know Your Credit Rights � Be An Educated Credit Consumer�

The Pennsylvania Bar Association, in partnership with local bar associations across the commonwealth, launched an important public education campaign about consumer credit issues on Oct. 7, 2002.

Modeled after the four successful previous education campaigns on wills, real estate, child support and elder law, this campaign, �Know Your Credit Rights,� was designed to educate consumers about credit issues and help them sift through complicated credit subjects like bankruptcy and debt management. The campaign focused on the laws governing such topics as credit collection, credit reporting, filing for bankruptcy and predatory lending.

Working with the Pennsylvania Newspaper Association, advertisements were placed in newspapers throughout the state, and a statewide toll-free hotline was made available for citizens to request a free brochure outlining credit issues. A formal news conference announcing the kick-off of the campaign was held on Oct. 7 in Harrisburg. Representatives of various organizations, including the Department of Banking and the Pennsylvania Attorney General�s Office, Bureau of Consumer Protection, took part in the news conference.

The following local bar associations participated in the campaign: Allegheny County Bar Association; Beaver County Bar Association; Bedford County Bar Association; Berks County Bar Association; Centre County Bar Association; Cumberland County Bar Association; Dauphin County Bar Association; Erie County Bar Association; Franklin County Bar Association; Indiana County Bar Association; Lancaster County Bar Association; Lehigh County Bar Association; Lycoming Law Association; Monroe County Bar Association; Montgomery Bar Association; Northampton County Bar Association; Washington County Bar Association; Westmoreland County Bar Association; and Wilkes-Barre Law & Library Association.