Service Referrals
Read below to see if another agency may be able to better serve you:
Hawaii HomeOwnership Center
If you are not considering bankruptcy and do not have over $10,000 in unsecured consumer debt, contact the Hawaii HomeOwnership Center. They will review your mortgage situation and the options available to you. Download their intake packet at www.hihomeownership.org
Legal Aid Society of Hawaii
The term predatory lending covers a wide array of dishonest lending practices intended to strip wealth or income from an individual. A predatory loan may be described as a high-cost loan coupled with unscrupulous practices that pressure a borrower into a loan. Predatory loans are typically more expensive than justified by the risk associated with the loan. Another form of predatory lending is a foreclosure rescue scam, in which one party proposes to help a homeowner in default or foreclosure and instead takes either money or title from the homeowner, with little or no compensation to the homeowner.
Some characteristics of a predatory loan may include but are not limited to: excessive or hidden fees, charges for unnecessary products, high interest rates, terms designed to trap borrowers in debt, fraud and refinances that do not provide any net benefit to the borrower.
If you are a homeowner and think you were a victim of predatory lending practices, please contact the Legal Aid Society of Hawaii. www.legalaidhawaii.org
- Provide confidential debt management and credit counseling to families and individuals of Hawaii.
- Educate individuals and the community at large about the intelligent and responsible use of credit.
- Help over-burdened families regain control of their financial lives.
- Promote financial and social responsibility.
- Dealing with Debt - Money Matters from the Federal Trade Commission
- To Lend or Not to Lend
- Tips for Getting a Handle on your Finances
- Debt Test: How to Know if You're in Financial Trouble
- What to Do When You Lose Your Job
- Loan Modification Scam Alert
- Hawaii Community Foundation TV Spot "Don't Wait"
- Hawaii Community Foundation TV Spot "Anyone"
- DebtAdvice.org TV Spot
- GAO: Fraudulent, Abusive, and Deceptive Practices Pose Risk to Consumers (PDF)
