The Outcry over Florida's mortgage brokering scandal has fueled tough new talk about keeping felons out of the business – no matter what crime they committed. ...more

August 1, 2008

The revelation that more than 10,000 convicted criminals have been welcomed with open arms into Florida's mortgage industry is shocking, even in light of the state's sleazy, anything-goes history. ...more

July 31, 2008

The state's chief mortgage regulator will keep his job for now while state investigators probe allegations that his office licensed thousands of convicted criminals to work as mortgage brokers. ...more

July 30, 2008

In recent days, considerable attention has been given to the licensing of mortgage brokers in the state of Florida. This was prompted by an article appearing in the Miami Herald which implied that the Office of Financial Regulation has been lax in its issuance of mortgage brokers' licenses. Nothing could be further from the truth. Our office takes licensing very seriously. In fact, nearly 30 percent of all mortgage broker applications are not approved. Our office has procedures in place that allow for checks and balances which require each application to undergo a thorough review, insuring that all state requirements are adhered to in the issuance of the license. ...more

July 29, 2008

Florida's top mortgage regulator will likely get at least a temporary reprieve today from calls for his ouster over revelations that his office licensed thousands of mortgage brokers with criminal backgrounds. ...more

July 29, 2008

Perhaps the best way to understand how it could be possible for more than 10,000 people with criminal records to win state approval to work in the mortgage business is to think of Florida as historically sort of the Al-Qaida of real estate. ...more

July 26, 2008

MIAMI (AP) - The head of a state agency that allowed thousands of criminals to sell home loans in Florida has acknowledged that his office did not follow a screening law, but blamed legislators for failing to provide money to enforce it. ...more

July 25, 2008

The head of a state agency that allowed thousands of criminals to sell home loans in Florida has acknowledged his office did not follow a screening law but blamed legislators for failing to provide money to enforce it. ...more

July 25, 2008

The head of a state agency that allowed thousands of criminals to sell home loans in Florida has acknowledged that his office did not follow a screening law, but blamed legislators for failing to provide money to enforce it. ...more

July 24, 2008

A second group called on Tuesday for Florida's top mortgage regulator to step down, a day after the state's chief financial officer asked for his resignation. ...more

July 23, 2008