The three-and-a-half hour hearing, a fact-finding mission for the subcommittee, included testimony from former Atlanta mayor and United Nations ambassador Andrew Young, state Sen. Vincent Fort, Georgia Bankers Association CEO Joe Brannen, along with consumer advocates, academics, home builders and a victim of predatory lending practices. "The far-reaching turmoil caused by the collapse of the market has changed many communities indelibly, and some may never fully recover ... Here in Atlanta, residents experienced a spectacular rise in home values, and have watched them fall, nearly as dramatically." Foreclosures are four times historical national averages, with predictions of 10 million to 12 million foreclosures before the financial crisis ends, Kucinich said. Full Article at Atlanta Business Chronicle