Free Legal Assistance Available To Troubled Homeowners

Florida Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner Charles H. Bronson encouraged homeowners who are threatened with foreclosure or fearful that their lending institution may foreclose on their property to contact the Florida Bar Association to obtain free legal assistance.

According to Florida Legal Services Inc., 77,000 state homeowners are in foreclosure, making Florida second in the nation only to California in the number of homes in that status. And many others are at least 30 days past due on their mortgage payment, which places them at risk of having their loans foreclosed.

In Highlands County, 600 mortgage foreclosure cases were filed in 2007. As of June 30 of this year, a total of 534 cases have been filed.

Florida Legal Services and the Florida Bar Association have partnered in establishing a toll-free hotline - 1-866-607-2187 - that consumers can call to answer a few initial questions about their situation to ensure accurate placement with a free attorney. The attorney will then negotiate with the lender on behalf of the client to keep the home from being foreclosed.

George Kelleher, a Realtor with Prudential Sanders Realty, said many people believe that telling a lender about financial difficulties will hasten a move to foreclosure. Borrowers need to remember that lenders do not like to foreclose on mortgages.

"Taking possession of your house, maintaining it and then attempting to sell it will nearly always be a losing proposition for your bank," Kelleher said. "Talk with your lender sooner than later to try to arrange new repayment terms."

"I applaud Florida Legal Services and the Florida Bar for offering this public service," Bronson said. "Home ownership remains a foundation of our society, leading to the stability of families and contributing significantly to our local, state and national economy, and any effort that helps families keep their homes in this uncertain economy is beneficial."

More than 10,000 Florida attorneys have volunteered their services in the program, according to Florida Legal Services Inc.