The focus on predatory lending has coincided with the heady growth of the so-called subprime mortgage market. Subprime lenders offer higher-interest loans to people with troubled or non-existent credit ratings. While most subprime loans are not predatory, consumer advocates caution that all predatory loans are subprime.

* Uneven regulation. Mortgage brokers, middlemen who match buyers with lenders, now originate 50% of subprime mortgage loans -- about the same as for regular mortgages -- but are lightly licensed and monitored by states. The number of mortgage brokerage firms has climbed to 44,000 last year from 7,000 in 1987. State laws on predatory loans don't govern national banks, which are exempted under a ruling by the federal Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. The banks fall under less-restrictive federal rules.

GRAPHIC,b/w,Adrienne Lewis,USA TODAY,Sources:Experian; Federal Reserve Board; Inside MBS & ABS; Federal Home Loan Mortgage, AARP; Loan Performance; Harvard joint Center for Housing Studies, February 2004 paper Bringing Subprime Mortgages to Market and the Effects on Lower-Income Borrowers" by Ira Goldstein; Mortgage Bankers Association; USA TODAY research by Kelly Barry(Line graph,Pie chart,Bar graph); Memphis: [Edgar McDaniel], 68, ended up owing more than $78,000 for repairs on a house on which he originally owed only $4,800. The work was never completed. He is suing the lender and the contractor.Bad surprise: [Priscilla White], who financed during a divorce, thought she was getting a6% rate. At closing, she found out it was 11.25% but signed anyway for fear of adding to problems.Problem snowballed: Homeowner [Martha Lawler] stands outside the Brooklyn property she nearly lost after falling behind on her payments. Her loan troubles started with a new mortgage that carried an 18.25% rate.No credit blemishes: Pam Caudill, with daughter Alayna and dog Barbie, ran into trouble with a much higher mortgage rate than was average.Problems add up: [Elzenia Pitchford] contracted for $20,000 in home repairs that, according to a lawsuit, ballooned into a bill consolidation plan with high payments. New siding, she says, didn't cover exterior holes.