Personal finance story winners named

The McGraw-Hill Companies 2010 Personal Finance Journalism Awards will go to journalists from Mercado De Dinero, Telemundo and The Hartford Guardian for coverage of consumer debt and the housing crisis.

The winners are:

* First Place: Elizabeth Ostos for her article “Credit consolidation in a country in debt” in monthly newspaper Mercado de Dinero. The article illustrates the credit crisis in the United States through the lens of an immigrant family.

* Second Place: Carlos Rajo of Telemundo, Los Angeles, for his article “A House of Their Own: Is the American Dream too Expensive?” Rajo explains how the mortgage crisis has changed the perception of home ownership among the Hispanic community.

* Third Place: Ann Marie Adams of The Hartford Guardian for her story “Losing Ground: Foreclosure Rate Higher Among Minority Homeowners.” Adams details the particular hardships faced by minority homeowners in Connecticut facing foreclosure.

The journalists were among 30 reporters who participated in a 12-week online program, taught in English and Spanish. The program sought to provide in-depth knowledge of consumer finance issues of particular importance to minority communities.

The International Center for Journalists administers the program. Over three years, this program has trained more than 100 journalists throughout the United States. The McGraw-Hill Companies sponsors the program.

The winners will be honored Sept. 22 at The McGraw-Hill Cos.’ headquarters in New York. The New York Times personal finance columnist Ron Lieber will give the keynote address. He will also participate in a panel discussion with Hispanic personal finance expert Xavier Serbia. Serbia was the Spanish-language instructor for the course. ICFJ’s president Joyce Barnathan will moderate.

“These journalists tackled financial issues—and offered sound advice on how to avoid pitfalls,” said ICFJ’s Barnathan. “As a result, they are helping to make their communities stronger and more financially literate.”

Read more here.

DISCLOSURE: I am one of the instructors for the 12-week course and helped select the entries.