Meet The Winner!

WASHINGTON, D.C.///April 16, 2008///Five students from across the United States - three from Ohio, one from Philadelphia and one from Michigan -- have been selected as the finalists in the Web-based video contest at www.KeepItInYourPants.org that offers a top prize of $5,000 for creating a public service announcement about the threat that "Debt Disease" poses to American consumers.

The winner of the contest will be named on April 22, 2008 at a red-carpet event in Charlotte, N.C. The first-place winner of the "Keep It In Your Pants" contest - which was open to students 14 years of age and older enrolled in middle school, junior high, high school, college, or graduate school - will receive a $5,000 scholarship for school-related expenses.

The co-sponsors of the contest -- Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and the League of Young Voters (LYV) -- announced the following five finalists (in alphabetical order):

• Nicholas Baker, of East Lansing, Michigan, a student at Michigan State University. The video by Baker uses fast-moving graphics to illustrate the long-term consequences of debt disease. You can see the video online at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TwuO0-e4qw.


• Angel Ho, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, a student at the University of Pennsylvania. The video by Ho shows a young man protecting himself by wrapping his credit cards - and his wallet - in condoms. You can see the video online at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPXUSV_SYv4.


• Aimee Phillips, of Newark, Ohio, a student at Central Ohio Technical College. The video by Phillips is a 1950s-style flashback showing "Jimmy," a student who graduates from high school and mistakenly thinks that being an adult means maxing out his credit card. You can see the video online at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tU-oHUPquoo.


• Leanna Pribonic, of Johnstown, Ohio, a student at Central Ohio Technical College. The video by Pribonic features a testimonial from a distressed woman who confesses that she has no self control when it comes to her credit cards. You can see the video online at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWqjd3XXMJE.


• Jordan Unternaher, of Newark, Ohio, a student at Central Ohio Technical College. The video by Unternaher focuses on locker room talk in which a young man share his problem and is told that abstinence is the only sure-fire cure for debt disease. You can see the video online at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DufZQX9AzBw.

All five finalist videos can be reviewed at http://www.keepitinyourpants.org/entercontest.cfm and the YouTube "Stop Debt Disease" channel at http://www.youtube.com/user/stopdebtdisease.

Two filmmakers -- Ian Inaba and Amos Poe -- and comedian/writer Billy Kimball are serving as the judges for the SEIU/LYV contest. Inaba and Poe are joined on the five-reviewer panel by William Upski Wimsatt, director of the League of Young Voters, and the Rev. Lennox Yearwood, Jr., president of the Hip Hop Caucus.

With the biggest banks in the United States - including the nation's largest bank by deposits, Bank of America - increasingly marketing credit cards to college students in particular, the "Keep It In Your Pants" contest is designed to focus attention on the growing problem of "Debt Disease" among young Americans.

"Credit card debt can ruin your life, spreading and growing like a disease," said Stephen Lerner, SEIU Assistant to the President and Director of the Private Equity Project. "We're warning young people of the dangers of 'Debt Disease'-and urging them to protect themselves the same way they would against any other dangerous and contagious social epidemic."

Complete rules are available at www.KeepItInYourPants.org/Rules.

BACKGROUND ON DEBT DISEASE

With Americans holding nearly one trillion dollars in credit card debt nationally, "Debt Disease" is a growing issue among college-age individuals in particular. Some of the biggest banks in the country employ troubling practices that contribute to Americans - including students - going deeper and deeper into debt. KeepItInYourPants.org explains what "Debt Disease" is, how it can be caught, and how to avoid it, providing statistics including:

• The average American carries as many as nine different credit cards.


• College students are one of the credit card industry's fastest-growing markets. It is estimated that 78% of college students have at least one credit card.


• The biggest banks already control the majority of the credit cards issued in the United States, and Bank of America controls 1 in 5 credit cards and 1/5 of the credit card debt in the country.


• 82% of Americans believe household debt is a serious problem and the general public is more concerned about falling into debt than about being the victim of a terrorist attack or a natural disaster.

ABOUT SEIU

With 1.9 million members, the Service Employees International Union is the fastest-growing labor union in North America. Together with consumer advocacy organizations and elected and community leaders around the country, SEIU is leading efforts to hold the nation's largest banks accountable to working families and our communities.

CONTACT: Ailis Aaron Wolf, (703) 276-3265, or aawolf@hastingsgroup.com.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For more information about SEIU and bank-related abuses against working families and other consumers, please visit www.bigbadbanks.org.