Florida deadline to file for foreclosure aid is Friday

TALLAHASSEE — Florida is making a final effort to find former homeowners who may be eligible for payments as part of a national settlement with five major lenders.

The deadline to file a claim under the settlement is Friday. The settlement applies to loan that were serviced by Bank of America, Wells Fargo, JP Morgan Chase, Citi or GMAC/Ally.

Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi announced Wednesday that she has hired a company to make phone calls to tens of thousands of people who lost their homes to foreclosure between 2008 and 2011. The state plans to spend up to $187,000 on the effort.

So far less than half of the estimated 167,000 people in Florida eligible for payments have responded to previous outreach efforts.