THE SHORT ANSWER

We use company websites, government records and court documents to check the facts. Each guide links to the sources used so you can read them yourself.

A researcher reviewing historical company documents

How we tell the companies apart

The NYDFS 2018 order identifies the Melville lender. The Georgia regulator’s July 2016 report separately lists Franklin First Financial Ltd. and 1st Franklin Financial Corporation. Company history and SEC filings anchor the Georgia business. Merrill Lynch filings anchor the separate First Franklin mortgage transaction.

Continue: How We Write Our Guides

Where practical information comes from

Official company pages support portal, payment, document and branch guidance. Branch data is a dated snapshot of published listings, not a live operational feed. Where official pages differ, the article tells the reader to confirm the account- or branch-specific detail.

Continue: Franklin First vs. 1st Franklin: Which Company Do You Mean?

Questions the sources have not answered

This research does not establish a bankruptcy docket or a successor transaction connecting the Melville company to 1FFC. It does not establish every current court case, an individual’s account status, a lender referral bonus or a complete historical branch archive.

Read the original sources

NYDFS · November 16, 2018 cease-and-desist order (PDF) NYDFS · Mortgage enforcement action register U.S. Department of Justice · February 7, 2017 civil settlement HUD archive · 2010 Franklin First settlement Federal Register · HUD 2013 agreement notice (PDF) FDIC · Professional-liability settlement register Georgia Department of Banking and Finance · July 2016 report (PDF) SEC EDGAR · 1st Franklin Financial Corporation, 2025 annual report SEC EDGAR · Merrill Lynch 2007 report and First Franklin acquisition New York State courts · 2013 First Franklin opinion CFPB · Mortgage lender and servicer: different roles 1FFC · Official licenses and disclosures

Frequently asked questions

Why link to primary sources?

They let readers inspect the actual named parties, dates, scope and qualifications.

Is this a complete legal due-diligence report?

No. It is a public reference with stated limits and source links.

Sources

Read the original documents and company pages behind this guide.

  1. NYDFS · November 16, 2018 cease-and-desist order (PDF) www.dfs.ny.gov · reviewed October 16, 2026
  2. Georgia Department of Banking and Finance · July 2016 report (PDF) dbf.georgia.gov · reviewed October 16, 2026
  3. 1FFC · Official company history www.1ffc.com · reviewed October 16, 2026
  4. SEC EDGAR · 1st Franklin Financial Corporation, 2025 annual report www.sec.gov · reviewed October 16, 2026
  5. SEC EDGAR · Merrill Lynch 2007 report and First Franklin acquisition www.sec.gov · reviewed October 16, 2026
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