Q. Is it true that the bank will give you money to help you move into a rental home if they foreclose on your home? How much is it?

A. Some lenders offer money to families losing their homes if they'll voluntarily leave by a certain date without damaging the home. (Angry borrowers vandalizing their own homes when they move out has been a huge problem during this financial crisis.)

The practice is called "cash for keys," and the offers usually come through a real estate agent or property management company hired by the mortgage holder. Lenders are willing to make such offers because evicting a homeowner will be a longer, more costly process.

From everything we've seen, families are typically offered $1,000 or $2,000 to move out. (MSNMoney claims that banks have paid borrowers as much as $20,000 not to fight an eviction, but we've never seen a credible example of foreclosed families being offered that much.)

There's nothing wrong with seeking such a deal from your lender. But such help is totally voluntary on the part of the mortgage holder. The lender is under no obligation to help you vacate a foreclosure.