State Attorney General Pam Bondi was in Orlando Friday morning with Mayor Buddy Dyer to discuss money still available to Florida homeowners from a year-old national mortgage settlement. Bondi is touring the state to spread the word that time is running out to apply for the aid.
There’s so much unclaimed money for Florida’s underwater and foreclosed homeowners that the deadline for applying for it has been extended nearly a month. Bondi is making in-person appeals around the state.Florida got $8.4 billion from a $25 billion joint federal-and-state settlement with the nation’s five largest mortgage companies. The agreement covers foreclosure and mortgage abuses from Bank of America, Citibank, Ally, Wells, or J-P Morgan Chase between 2008 and 2011.
If that sounds familiar, Bondi urges a visit to myfloridalegal.com to see if you’re eligible. But she says time is running out – completed applications are due February 15th.
“Fill out the form, but please do it today", said Bondi. "Please do it as soon as possible, because they may ask you for just other minor documents, but this isn’t money that you have to fight for, it’s there waiting on you if you suffered any abuse from one of these mortgage servicers during that time.”
Bondi says $170 million is still unclaimed. The relief mostly comes in the form of loan modifications, principal reductions and other remedies like short sales.