If you’ve experienced a financial hardship due to job loss or reduced hours resulting in a reduction in your income, the federal government has allocated funding to the State of Florida

to help people in your situation. It’s free to apply and those who qualify may be eligible for up to 12 months of mortgage payments. You can get the help you need when you need it and

it’s absolutely free to apply.

 

The US Treasury allocated Hardest-Hit funds to specific states because of their excessive housing market depreciation and to help prevent foreclosures. Two targeted unemployment programs that provide temporary assistance to eligible homeowners in Florida are:

 

Unemployment Mortgage Assistance Program (UMAP) -

Up to 12 months of payments (with a cap of $24,000) paid directly to the mortgage lender to assist an unemployed/underemployed homeowner with the first mortgage until the homeowner can resume making full payments. Also, up to $18,000 can be paid upfront to bring a past due 1st mortgage current before UMAP payments commence.

 

Mortgage Loan Reinstatement Payment (MLRP) -

To bring a delinquent mortgage current (up to $25,000) for a homeowner who has returned to work or recovered from underemployment. You must meet all eligibility requirements to be considered for the Florida Hardest-Hit Fund (HHF) Program. The following list of requirements is not inclusive, but should give you a good idea of whether you may be eligible for HHF assistance.

 

An eligible homeowner:

• Must be a Florida resident.

• Must occupy the property as primary residence (Property cannot be vacant, abandoned or rented).

• Borrower/co-borrower must be unemployed or underemployed through no fault of his/her own, with at least a 10 percent reduction in income that makes the first mortgage unaffordable.

• Must have documented total household income at or below 140% of the area median income (AMI), adjusted for household size.

• Must have an active checking/savings account that can be debited by the ACH method of funds transfer. 

• May not have unencumbered assets of $5,000 or more, or three times the current monthly mortgage payment (whichever is greater).

• Cannot have a bankruptcy that has not been discharged or dismissed.

• Cannot have been convicted of a mortgage-related felony in the last 10 years.

 

The current mortgage:

• Must be serviced by a participating lender, who agrees to accept payments on behalf of the homeowner.

• Participating lender must be a regulated financial institution.

• Must have an existing principal balance of less than $400,000.

Application for Florida’s Hardest-Hit Fund program is FREE-OF-CHARGE.

To find out if you’re eligible or for more information, visit:

www.FLHardestHitHelp.org or call (850)863-1969 Ext