AFFILIATED BUSINESS ARRANGEMENT and CONFLICT OF INTEREST DISCLOSURE

Florida Non Profit Housing, Inc (FNPH) is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization, and has several business relationships with companies such as: United States Department of Agriculture Rural Development (USDA-RD), United States Department of Labor (DOL), United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Florida Housing Finance Corporation, other financing institutions and/or mortgage brokers. FNPH provides various counseling and educational services for free or for a cost. Clients using one service are not obligated to use any other service(s) offered by FNPH or its business affiliates. The Affiliated Business Arrangement Disclosure portion of this form is prepared and provided in compliance to the provisions of SS.494.0023, Florida statues.

Disclosure Statement: FNPH provides the services listed below under “Description of Services”. FNPH wants you to understand there is no obligation to use any of these services and you may select services provided by other organizations and/or companies of your choice. Participants attending our homebuyer workshops are not obligated to participate/use/purchase any product or housing service advertised or sold by FNPH Inc. or its affiliates.

DESCRIPTION OF SERVICES

The Final Rule defines Homeownership Counseling as Housing Counseling related to homeownership and residential mortgage loans when provided in connection with HUD's Housing Counseling Program or required by or provided in connection with HUD Programs. Homeownership Counseling is housing counseling that covers the decision to purchase a home, the selection and purchase of a home, issues arising during or affecting the period of ownership of a home (including financing, refinancing, default, and foreclosure, and other financial decisions), and The sale or other disposition of a home. This Definition applies to Pre-purchase counseling, Mortgage delinquency, and non-delinquency post-purchase.

Pre-Purchase Counseling is an individual one on one counseling session to review the client's current financial profile (including analysis of the income, expenses, debt, and credit obligations). This review will cover the client's current affordability for home ownership, and a personalized strategy for increasing savings for a down payment.

Pre-Purchase Homebuyer Education Workshops are offered throughout the year and cover, start-to-finish, the entire home buying process. Workshops are typically delivered for 6 hours in a single day

Fair Housing Pre-Purchase Education Workshops—FNPH's mission is to educate thecommunity about housing discrimination and their rights and responsibilities. We offer fair housing information at all our workshops. This service educates households on fair housing laws, advises them on how to recognize discriminatory acts, and assists those who feel that they have been victims of discrimination. The counselor would support and facilitate all phases of the complaint.

Predatory Lending Education Workshops are done in conjunction with our homebuying workshops to educate participants on how to avoid predatory lending. The client can also expect to gain familiarity with terms and forms used in the mortgage

Resolving/Preventing Mortgage Delinquency Workshops are offered to give an overview of the loan modification process and what would be needed to obtain a possible resolution. The workshop highlights the various options in retaining one’s home or transitioning out of the home. The class will discuss any grants that are available to bring the mortgage current.

Financial Management/Budget Counseling/Credit review—FNPH’s counselors work with individuals or shares with a group, data and tools to increase the self-sufficiency of the clients.

Financial Management/Budget, and Credit Workshops —Through these counseling sessions, clients learn the basics of banking, credit, financial planning, money management and savings and investing.

Non-Delinquency Post-Purchase Workshops for Homeowners – these workshops offer information for existing homeowners who are not delinquent but want information on topics which will allow them to remain successful

Rental Housing Counseling — Counselors will help clients develop a personalized spending plan and provide guidance for saving money, increasing income, and reducing The rental counseling program is a comprehensive, preventative and proactive case management and service coordination approach to prevent homelessness.

PRIVACY POLICY AGREEMENT

FNPH is committed to assuring the privacy of individuals and/or families who have contacted us for assistance. We realize that the concerns you bring to us are highly personal in nature. We assure you that all information shared both orally and in writing will be managed within legal and ethical considerations. Your “nonpublic personal information,” such as your total debt information, income, living expenses and personal information concerning your financial circumstances, will be provided to creditors, program monitors, and others only with your authorization and signature on the Foreclosure Mitigation Counseling Agreement. We may also use anonymous aggregated case file information for the purpose of evaluating our services, gathering valuable research information and designing future programs.

Types of information that we gather about you:

Information we receive from you orally, on applications or other forms, such as your name, address, social security number, assets, and income;

Information about your transactions with us, your creditors, or others, such as your account balance, payment history, parties to transactions and credit card usage; and

Information we receive from a credit reporting agency, such as your credit history.

Photo/Media

I give Florida Non-Profit Housing, Inc., permission to use a photograph and/or video of me for publication and/or promotional purposes. My signature below gives Florida Non-Profit Housing, Inc authorization to use and publications required by grant funders. I release, hold harmless and waive all claims related to the publication and marketing materials.

*Release of your information to third parties:

FNPH may disclose some or all of the information that we collect, as described above, to your creditors or third parties where we have determined that it would be helpful to you, would aid us in counseling you, or is a requirement for grant awards which make our services possible. We may also disclose any nonpublic personal information about you or former customers to anyone as permitted by law (e.g., if we are compelled by legal process).

Within the organization, we restrict access to nonpublic personal information about you to those employees who need to know that information to provide services to you. We maintain physical, electronic and procedural safeguards that comply with federal regulations to guard your nonpublic personal information.

Disclosure Statement

About Us and Program Purpose: Florida Non-Profit Housing, Inc is a nonprofit, HUD-approved comprehensive housing counseling agency. We provide education workshops and a full spectrum of housing counseling including pre-purchase, foreclosure prevention, non-delinquency post-purchase, rental and homeless counseling. We serve all clients regardless of income, race, color, religion/creed, sex, national origin, age, family status, disability, or sexual orientation/gender identity.

Agency Relationships: FNPH has or may have a financial affiliation and/or a professional affiliation with HUD, USDA Rural Development, DOL, Florida Housing Finance Corporation, and other financial institutions and mortgage brokers. As a housing counseling program participant, I am not obligated to use the products and services of Florida Non-Profit Housing, Inc. (FNPH) industry partners.

Alternative Services, Programs, and Products & Client Freedom of Choice: Florida Non-Profit Housing, Inc. (FNPH) has a first-time homebuyer program developed in partnership with other financing institutions or housing agencies. However, I am not obligated to participate in this or other FNPH programs and services while I am receiving housing counseling from the agency. I may consider seeking alternative products and services from entities including the USDA Rural Development for first time homebuyer loan programs, and Florida Housing Finance Corporation, United States Department of Labor, United States Department of Housing and Urban Development and for other first-time homebuyer programs or down payment assistance.

I am entitled to choose whatever real estate professionals, lenders, and lending products that best meet my needs.

FNPH employs persons who are qualified to provide the services rendered. To that end, all FNPH housing counselors are required to be certified. New counselors employed by FNPH have one year to acquire such certification, which can be obtained through the Association of Housing Counselors, the National Federation of Housing Counselors or Neighbor Works.

CLIENT/COUNSELOR AGREEMENT

Florida Non-Profit Housing, Inc and its counselors agree to provide the following services:

Development of a spending plan
Presentation and explanation of reasonable options available to the homeowner
Assistance communicating with the mortgage servicer and other creditors
Timely completion of promised actions
Explanation of the collection and foreclosure process
Identification of assistance resources
Referrals to needed resources
Confidentiality, honesty, respect, and professionalism in all services

I/We, ___________________________________________agree to the following terms of service:

I/We will always provide honest and complete information to my/our counselor, whether verbally or in writing.

I/We will provide all necessary documentation and follow-up information within the timeframe requested.

I/We will be on time for appointments and understand that if we are late for an appointment, the appointment will still end at the scheduled time.

I/We will notify the agency within 6 hours of a scheduled appointment if I/we will be unable to attend an appointment.

I/We will contact the counselor about any changes in our situation immediately.

I/We understand that breaking this agreement may cause the counseling organization to sever its service assistance to me/us.

THIS INCLUDES NOT PROVIDING THE REQUESTED INFORMATION IN A TIMELY MANNER.

I/We will understand that I must schedule an appointment in advance if I need further assistance and that I understand Florida Non Profit Housing, Inc does not allow walk-in appointments.

HOLD HARMLESS AGREEMENT

I give Florida Non-Profit Housing, Inc permission to use my name in publications or reporting. Furthermore, because Florida Non-Profit Housing, Inc is a non-profit organization, I hereby release, hold harmless and waive all claims associated with these publications and marketing materials which I may have against the agency and its employees.

COUNSELING, FEES AND NO STEERING AGREEMENT

I understand Florida Non-Profit Housing, Inc provides financial capability and mortgage readiness counseling/coaching, and I will receive an action plan, consisting of recommendations for handling my finances, including referrals to other agencies, as appropriate.
I understand that counseling services are FREE, however, a fee (Single-$43; Joint $73) is charged for a tri-merge (3-bureau) credit report inclusive of all 3 credit bureau scores. The credit report is necessary to effectively assess my financial situation and determine the best course of action. THIS FEE MUST BE PAID AT OR PRIOR TO TIME OF COUNSELING APPOINTMENT.
I understand the Florida Non-Profit Housing, Inc will close my case file after several attempts to communicate with me via email, telephone, and/or S. postal mail.
I understand I am not obligated to utilize any of the services offered me and may be referred to other housing services offered by the agency or to an outside agency to assist with concerns that may have been
Counselors may answer questions and provide information but will not give legal If I want legal advice, the recommendation will be that I seek legal assistance from the appropriate entities.
I understand that Florida Non-Profit Housing, Inc will not make referrals to specific agencies but will provide me with a list of at least three (3) agencies and I will make my own decision. I further understand that the housing counseling I receive does not oblige me to choose any of these loan products or housing programs.
I understand that Florida Non-Profit Housing, Inc receives grant funds (including, but not limited to, USDA-RD, United States Department of Labor (DOL), Florida Housing Finance Corp), and may be required to submit client data related to grant activity and give consent to be contacted for purposes of grant oversight or program
I give permission for all grant/program administrators and/or their agents to follow-up with me within the next three (3) years for the purposes of program

CREDIT REPORT AUTHORIZATION AND PRIVACY DISCLOSURE FORM

I hereby authorize and instruct Florida Non-Profit Housing, Inc. (hereinafter “FNPH”) to verify information on my credit report and public records. My credit report will be obtained from a credit reporting agency chosen by FNPH. I understand and agree that FNPH intends to use the credit report for the purpose of evaluating my financial readiness to purchase a home and/or engage in post-purchase counseling activities.

My signature below also authorizes the release to credit reporting agencies of financial or other information that I have supplied to FNPH in connection with such an evaluation. Authorization is further granted to the credit reporting agencies to use a copy of this form to obtain any information the credit reporting agency deems necessary to complete my credit report.

I further approve FNPH to forward a copy of my credit report, past and present employment records, bank accounts, stockholdings and any other asset balances that are needed to process my mortgage application to participating lending institutions such as, but not limited to, USDA-RD, HUD, United States Department of Labor (DOL) Florida Housing Finance Corporation and any other mortgage institutions or home buyer agencies, for the purpose of obtaining a mortgage loan. I authorize the above-listed institutions to also provide my credit information to Florida Non-Profit Housing Inc., as needed.

It is understood that a photocopy or facsimile of this form validates the borrower’s authorization. Information obtained from me is to be used in processing my mortgage application.

I hereby acknowledge that I am fully aware that falsifying information on my application to obtain a mortgage loan is a federal crime punishable by fine, or imprisonment, or both.

I understand that I may revoke my contract with these disclosures by notifying FNPH in writing.