Floridians
for Honest
Lending
Protecting the American Dream in the Sunshine State
Floridians
for Honest
Lending
Protecting the American Dream in the Sunshine State
Lending used to be simple, but today it’s a wall street money making machine. Millions risk losing their homes to unethical and illegal lending practices. That’s not right. We deserve honest, accountable, and transparent lending.
Homeownership is the foundation of the American Dream. A home is not just a house: it’s a place to raise a family, to gain wealth, to find a place and purpose in your community. A home determines who your neighbors are, where your children go to school, and even where you decide to work and worship. For decades, a family buying and owning a home has been a major life event supported and applauded as the foundation of the American Dream.
Lending used to be simple, honest, and transparent. Lenders used to loan directly to homeowners and have a stake in keeping families in their homes. But over the last three decades, lending has turned into a wall street money-making machine.
Today, instead of working with families to keep them in their homes, banks continue the unethical servicing and fraudulent foreclosure practices they promised to stop doing after the $25b settlement with the 49 State Attorneys General.
To ensure the dream of homeownership remains reachable for all of us, Floridians for Honest Lending is working to ensure banks, mortgage servicers, and lawyers all play by the same set of common sense rules.
We believe that our system will only work with honesty, accountability, and transparency.
Quick Links
Honest Lending Report
Get Help
If you are a homeowner, renter, or landloard and need financial help, you may want to check out the federal government’s new website, from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. There are TONS of resources available here.
Tell Your Story
Floridians For Honest Lending works to collect and expose stories of abusive practices in the mortgage and property insurance industry so that the press and our elected leaders are aware that these practices are still happening. If you or your family have been a victim of a fraudulent foreclosure or abusive practice from the mortgage servicing industry or property insurance industry, help us tell your story.
Watch the Videos on Florida's Property Insurance Crisis
An educational video seriesFloridians are facing skyrocketing property insurance rates because insurance companies are going bankrupt or are leaving the state. Watch the video series about how this crisis started and what the state can do to fix it and bring insurance rates down now.
Recent Updates
How you can prepare for insurance claims after Hurricane Ian
If you’re a homeowner in Hurricane Ian’s anticipated path, you may want to think about how to get ready for insurance claims as you get ready for the storm. According to the...
Can installing rooftop solar panels get your home insurance canceled?
Ron Hurtibise reports in the South Florida Sun Sentinel that many rooftop solar owners may be surprised to learn that their new solar systems may affect their home insurance bill...
“Trapped” – A single mom’s home held hostage by bank for over 10 years
Cheri Melchione entered into a mortgage agreement with Bank of America in February 2008 just before the housing crisis hit, causing the largest recession in the twenty-first century. More than 10 years later, after battling abusive practices including dual tracking, and a foreclosure lawsuit which she won, Cheri just wants her nightmare to end.
Our Priorities
An Honest Deal
Accountability
Everyone understands that when you make a mistake the right thing is to apologize and make amends. Yet, in court when dealing with foreclosure matters, banks consistently hold that their mistakes are irrelevant. Untold numbers of Floridians have lost their homes even though they could prove beyond a doubt that the banks foreclosing on them had lied. It’s the result of a judicial system that gives banks the benefit of the doubt – but doesn’t extend the same to Floridians.
