Attorney General McCollum Hosts South Florida Community Forum on Housing Issue
MIAMI, FL – March 15, 2010 – (RealEstateRama) — Attorney General Bill McCollum and the Florida Interagency Mortgage Task Force today hosted a community forum in Miami to discuss the housing crisis. The event was designed to present a comprehensive approach for dealing with housing-related issues and provide information and assistance to consumers. Participating agencies included state agencies, law enforcement and regulatory authorities.
“Florida’s foreclosure crisis is a state of emergency that must be approached the same way we approach any other state of emergency – with an ‘all hands on deck’ effort,” said Attorney General McCollum. “I am glad we have banks participating at this point, but I encourage them to continue working on a better, more permanent solution to address the concerns of struggling homeowners.”
In addition to presentations from numerous government entities, the forum featured 25-30 representatives from Bank of America, JP Morgan Chase Bank and Wells Fargo Bank to offer personal assistance to those who were seeking loan modifications and other mortgage-related guidance. Attorney General McCollum requested the assistance of these banks after hearing from hundreds of homeowners from across the state about their frustrations while attempting to save their homes or modify the terms of their mortgages.
Last April, Attorney General McCollum called together the first meeting of the Interagency Task Force to address the ways different state agencies could work together to fight mortgage fraud and protect Florida homeowners. One of the task force’s primary initiatives is to increase the public’s awareness about what services are available for affected homeowners as well as to provide information about potential scams to avoid. The task force is also charged with sharing information about potential cases and developing a comprehensive method for informing other agencies when mortgage fraud cases may involve their jurisdiction. To date, three community forums have been held in Tampa, Ft. Meyers, and Broward County.
More information about the Attorney General’s efforts to combat mortgage fraud and consumer educational materials is available online at: http://www.myfloridalegal.com/mortgagefraud. Consumers and homeowners can report mortgage fraud or other economic crimes to the Attorney General’s fraud hotline at 1-866-966-7226 or online at http://www.myfloridalegal.com.
Contact:
Sandi Copes
Phone: (850) 245-0150
