Census Bureau Median Family Income by Family Size
State of Florida

(Effective on or after March 15, 2009)

Family size      Annual Median Income
1 earner           $42,468
2 people           $53,939
3 people           $60,162
4 people           $71,124
5 people           $78,024
6 people           $84,924
7 people           $91,824
8 people           $98,724

To determine if you fall above or below the annual median income allowed, calculate your annual median income by taking the last six (6) months gross income and multiply by two.

Personal bankruptcies soared last year in Western states hit hardest by the real-estate bust.

In states such as California, Arizona and Nevada, where housing prices soared and then collapsed during the past decade, consumer bankruptcy filings rose roughly twice as much as the national average increase of 32%. Homeowners fell behind on mortgages and could no longer tap into their home equity to pay down other debts.

It's official. The number of Tampa Bay residents declaring bankruptcy is at an all-time high. In the fiscal year that ended in September, 28,504 individuals and businesses sought protection from creditors in the Tampa-Fort Myers division of federal bankruptcy court. That's a 46 percent jump from last year, and 7 percent more than in 2005, a year that saw a record number of filings nationwide as debtors rushed to court before a tough new bankruptcy law took effect.

Nor is there any sign of a slowdown as Tampa Bay's unemployment rate sits at 11.7 percent and nearly half of homeowners owe more on their mortgages than their houses are worth.

Many people are unable to make their mortgage payments these days to no fault of their own. Some are experience a loss of job, health spouse or higher mortgage rates, property taxes, home owner dues.

There is little sense in having people without a home and a home without their owner and someone to take care of it. What can you do? Please Read the following options:

1. Contact your lender and ask for the work out dept.
2. Consult with a Bankruptcy attorney.
3. Consult with a real estate attorney