Florida: The Most Crooked & Most Screwed-Up Place In America?

A column in The Miami Herald observes:

• The revelation that more than 10,000 convicted criminals have been welcomed with open arms into Florida's mortgage industry is shocking, even in light of the state's sleazy, anything-goes history. At first blush, things look bad for the Office of Financial Regulation and its commissioner, Don Saxon, whose long nap was harshly interrupted by last week's headlines.

• And although it's tempting to view this story as just another embarrassing validation of Florida's reputation as the most crooked and most screwed-up place in America, there might be an upside to the scandal. Granted, a Miami Herald investigation(1) revealed that just about any scumbag with an arm's-length rap sheet can get work as a mortgage broker or so-called loan originator.

For more, see Loan scandal: Maybe it was just job rehab.

See also, Excuse for broker fiasco a tough sell.

(1) Go here and go here for links to The Miami Herald media reports on their investigation.