More than 4,000 distressed borrowers received foreclosure prevention counseling from the HOPE NOW Alliance at two separate events in the greater Las Vegas and Phoenix areas. The counseling was provided in partnership with NeighborWorks America, the Treasury Department as well as municipal and community-based housing groups. Participants could meet with representatives from their lender and counselors from Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)-approved organizations to pursue options to avoid foreclosure. “These cities have been hit hard by foreclosures and it was important for these borrowers to learn about the available options to avoid foreclosure,” HOPE NOW deputy director Larry Gilmore said in a statement. HOPE NOW said it will hold similar outreach programs in Washington, DC, Tampa and Boston. Write to Austin Kilgore.