DAYTON, Ohio -- Michael Benson knew he was in trouble when he returned home from an extended illness.

"I was in a nursing home for four months and when I came home, everything was turned off, including gas and electric," Benson said.

His Dayton home is in decent shape, but his finances are a disaster.

With little money to make ends meet, Benson responded to an ad that arrived in the mail.

A Florida company promised to save his home from foreclosure for $700.

"I got ripped off--bad, too," said Benson.

Companies promising to forestall foreclosure have become an underground industry all their own, according to David Dewberry of the Community Reinvestment Institute Alumni Association.

"Be careful who you work with. Seek out professional expertise and make sure you're dealing with a reputable organization," Dewberry said.

The foreclosure crisis has been well documented in Montgomery County.

Records obtained from the Montgomery County Clerk of Courts indicate 5,075 foreclosure cases were filed in 2006, setting an all-time high.

So far in 2007, 4,259 cases have been filed.

The total since 1997 is 36,137.

The foreclosure crisis has been blamed on job loss, predatory lending and outright fraud.

Montgomery County Recorder Willis Blackshear launched a drive to notify home owners who have adjustable rate mortgages before their rates go up.

He said some have seen 8.1 percent mortgages jump to 14.1 percent, leaving families unable to pay their bills.

Montgomery County's nonprofit development agency, County Corp, has joined the drive to prevent foreclosures.

Free counseling sessions are available for home owners.

County Corp has also, for the first time ever, begun to make home improvement loans available to help families avoid high-cost lenders.

Blackshear said many adjustable rate mortgages have not yet reset, so many families have felt the full impact of the crisis. He supports a move by Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland to encourage lenders to renegotiate mortgages and transfer the loans to fixed rates.

Looking to the future, Blackshear said his research shows the foreclosure crisis will continue to spiral higher until 2013.

Until then, he said he is hoping to help home owners realize that they must seek help early and not delay action when they find themselves in financial trouble.

To hear more from Willis Blackshear, click the play button in the box above.

Jim.otte@whiotv.com