Thousands of Florida homeowners win $6K each in Countrywide settlement

Countywide Financial is handing over roughly $6,000 to each of more than 2,700 Florida homeowners as part of a $16.9 million settlement, Attorney General Bill McCollum announced yesterday. The settlement is the result of a lawsuit brought against the company by McCollum in 2008, accusing Countrywide of misleading borrowers into taking on mortgages they had no chance of ever paying off. Bank of America has since acquired Countrywide, and McCollum is pressing the company to be more responsive to borrowers now seeking modifications on those mortgages.