Feb. 6, 2012 — With one of the highest mortgage default rates in the country, Kern County is an epicenter of the national mortgage crisis. And the effect reaches every segment of Kern County's population – homeowners, lenders, business owners and taxpayers. To address the ethically-related impacts of the mortgage crisis, the Kegley Institute of Ethics at California State University, Bakersfield is hosting a panel discussion titled "Ethics, Justice and the Mortgage Crisis" at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 15, in the CSUB Student Union Multipurpose Room.

"This panel will address some of the causes of the mortgage crisis, as well as some of the personal and financial sector hardships the crisis has created," said Dr. Christopher Meyers, director of the Kegley Institute of Ethics and panel moderator. "We are very fortunate to have true experts on the topic, including Louis Gill, director of the Bakersfield Homeless Shelter, who will speak to the direct impact on families who have lost their homes. We will also have Steve Renock, president of Kern Schools Federal Credit Union, speaking to the efforts the lending industry is undertaking to help keep people in their homes."

CSUB associate professor of economics, Aaron Hegde, will also join the panel discussion.

The event is free and open to the public. Sponsors include Mercy and Memorial Hospitals of Bakersfield, San Joaquin Community Hospital and Kern Schools Credit Union. Parking in Lot K will be free after 6:30 p.m. and light refreshments will be provided.

For more information about the Kegley Institute of Ethics, call 661-654-2555 or visit www.csub.edu/kie.