 Scurlock's purpose for the film and book was to raise awareness of how credit and lending issues are affecting society.The main premises of the documentary and book are that banks and other creditors deliberately market to people who are more likely to have problems paying and that the creditors benefit from connections to government, the debt collection industry, and from lawmaker apathy.The non-profit organization Americans for Fairness in Lending (AFFIL) has organized screenings of "Maxed Out" around the country as part of its work.