BY LINDA OCASIO
Lost amid the collapse of the subprime mortgage market and the ensuing wave of foreclosures is the role of well-meaning advocates for the poor, who, like their clients, cherish home ownership as an inte gral part of the American dream.

At the heart of the crisis, of course, are banks and unscrupulous lenders who were eager to encourage the engrained dream -- at the cost of wildly high interest rates and hidden fees. Low-income customers with poor credit histo ries didn't ask -- or didn't know to ask -- the right questions, holding fast to their dreams, even when the numbers didn't make sense.

READ MORE: http://www.nj.com/opinion/ledger/perspective/index.ssf?/base/news-1/1191731842182640.xml&coll=1

---