Date Received: 2020-01-06
Issue: Struggling to pay mortgage
Subissue:
Consumer Complaint: Freedom Mortgage LN XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX CA XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX We started a short sale with Freedom Mortgage on XX/XX/2019. Today, Freedom Mortgage has come up with even more illegal acts to add to the list of illegal acts they have committed on every file we have with them. Freedom Mortgage has outright denied the short sale due to the existence of Water District Lien and an HOA Lien. Freedom Mortgage is demanding for the seller to pay for a lien that is currently on title, in order that it be removed from title before they will continue their review of the short sale, and have refused to move forward with the short sale until the seller removes the lien from the property. There are several issues with this request. 1. This is a violation of CFPB Guidelines, as they are committing illegal acts. 2. This is an illegal request, according to California State Law CA 580e. ( ( ( See attached code. ) ) ) 3. This is a Federal RESPA violation, as they are requiring liens to be removed outside of escrow. 4. This is a violation of servicing guidelines, as they are committing illegal acts Does the investor know this is going on? 5. The California Department of Real Estate has stated emphatically that hiding liens from the investor, which Freedom Mortgage is attempting to do, is in fact ILLEGAL 6. Freedom Mortgage is attempting to act as escrow title in a transaction for which they are not only not in that role, but more obviously, they do not have the training, education nor licensing to act as title or escrow in the loans they service. This is also a conflict of interest for them. 7. Freedom Mortgage has no say in what happens to the other liens on the property. They do not have authority to dictate ANY TERMS on ANY OTHER LIENS. Freedom Mortgage needs to keep their focus on the loans they do service and do this appropriately. So far, they have shown a gross inability to service their loans appropriately since they do not even know the laws for the state AND COUNTRY in which they are servicing. **They do not understand current State and Federal Laws!!!!!! ***These directives are coming from Freedom Mortgages Underwriting department. Freedom Mortgage has trained their underwriters to commit these illegal acts, and as such needs to take full responsibility. We have explained several times that these liens will be resolved at the close of escrow - just like any liens on the other 3000 short sales we have done. -- -- -- -- -- -- - IT IS ILLEGAL TO FORCE A HOMEOWNER TO remove Utility Liens and HOA Liens from the title report. The language directly from the FHA handbook 4000.1 is this : ( ( ( see attached ) ) ) Pre-Foreclosure Sales Eligibility Condition of Title ( III.A.2.l.ii. ( B ) ( 4 ) ). The Mortgagee must ensure that all FHA-insured mortgaged Properties sold under the PFS Program have clear marketable title. Before approving a Borrower for participation in the PFS program, the Mortgagee must obtain a title search or preliminary report and determine whether the title is impaired by : unresolvable title problems ; liens that can not be discharged as permitted by HUD ; or a PACE obligation NONE OF THE ISSUES ABOVE APPLY TO THIS FILE. THERE ARE NO UNRESOLVABLE TITLE ISSUES. THERE ARE NO LIENS THAT CAN NOT BE DISCHARGED. THERE IS NO PACE OBLIGATION. -- -- -- -- - THERE ARE NO CLOUDS ON TITLE. -- -- -- THERE ARE NO ISSUES THAT WOULD IMPEDE CLOSING!!!!!!!!!!! It is apparent that Freedom Mortgage is exceptionally unqualified to be in this industry. They do not have any knowledge of not only the State of Californias Laws, but also Federal Law and this is required if they are going to do business in the State of California, or quite frankly in any state. Since we end up having to file the same complaints on every file we have with Freedom Mortgage it is apparent they are not training their employees at all. Their employees do not know how to read a HUD, are attempting to act as title and escrow ( which is a conflict of interest ), and do not understand Lien Priority. They have a training program that seems to be based on learning from their mistakes and CFPB complaints.
Company Response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
State: CA
Zip: XXXXX
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2020-01-06
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2020-01-06
Issue: Problem with a credit reporting company's investigation into an existing problem
Subissue: Problem with personal statement of dispute
Consumer Complaint: I have tried to rectify an issue with Freedom Mortgage on several occasions. I am XXXX XXXX military and frequently travel outside of the US in completion of my duties. I am often difficult to get in contact with and often have a delayed response to inquiries. On XXXX19 I called Freedom Mortgage in response to a letter I received to ensure my account was up to date and there were no issues. During the XXXX19 call I initiated I asked if 1 ) my account was current 2 ) did I owe any monies ( fees, late charges, etc. ) 3 ) why there was an increase to my payment and what was the new payment. The individual on the phone was very helpful, albeit a bit rushed, and assured me there were no issue with my account. They relayed to me that : 1 ) My account was current. 2 ) The difference in the new and old payment amounted to {$46.00}, there were no late fees or additional charges because it fell below the {$50.00} threshold and since I am XXXX XXXX military there would be no further assessed fees. I would also pay the {$46.00} in addition to my scheduled payment in my XXXX19 payment. The individual assured me that was fine. 3 ) They could not provide an explanation of the approximately {$13.00} per month increase, but they assured me it was common and a minor amount that would fluctuate. I thought this strange and asked them to ensure this was not an ARM loan. They stated it was not and the new payment would be {$1400.00}. I informed him I would make the changes to my direct deposit and that it will take effect on the very next payment of XXXX19. Again, they stated that was fine and there was not a problem. Unfortunately, there did appear to be a problem. I was informed through a credit monitoring account there was an issue with my credit rating due to this matter. I immediately called the customer service line and was told, although there were no additional fees and the lapse between old and new payments was under the {$50.00} threshold, I was 'turned in ' and would have to write you in order to rectify the matter. I am hoping this will clear up any misunderstanding and that Freedom Mortgage will make the necessary corrections with the Credit Bureau. Please let me know if there is any additional information I can provide. Thanks.
Company Response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
State: VA
Zip: 22150
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2020-01-06
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2020-01-03
Issue: Trouble during payment process
Subissue:
Consumer Complaint: Good Day : In XX/XX/XXXX we refinanced our VA loan with Freedom Mortgage. We signed the documents on XX/XX/XXXX, and the rescission period was complete on XX/XX/XXXX. The previous loan was an in-house and they paid off their old loan and replaced it with a new Freedom Mortgage loan through a VA rate reduction refinance with a first payment due of XX/XX/XXXX. On XX/XX/XXXX, we received a late notice for the old paid off loan for the XX/XX/XXXX payment. The next day, we received a loan statement saying we were due for the XX/XX/XXXX and XX/XX/XXXX payments on the old paid off loan. I called the customer service line and input the old loan number, and the IVR system said I still owed the XX/XX/XXXX payment for the paid off loan. I called the IVR system and input my new loan number, and it stated that my new loan payment was due XX/XX/XXXX. I figured there was some sort of internal computer error, so decided to wait 45 minutes on hold and talk to a representative. I spoke with a XXXX, who told me the following : 1. Our IVR has always worked this way. Maybe management doesn't know it. And that the billings " crossed in the mail '' with my refinance. ( the print dates on the documents were XX/XX/XXXX and XX/XX/XXXX, respectively ... my loan closed XX/XX/XXXX ) 2. She said my loan did not pay off until XX/XX/XXXX, which is why you got a late notice for XX/XX/XXXX and a statement for XX/XX/XXXX/XX/XX/XXXX payments ( I told her this was an internal problem with them ... .it should have paid off on XX/XX/XXXX as the interest for the XX/XX/XXXX payment was collected up to that date in the closing process ) 3. She confirmed that we didn't owe anything, but we had a negative escrow balance on the old loan we would have to pay. I told her we owed nothing on the old loan, that the old loan was paid off and the escrow was transferred to the new loan. ( there was actually an overage in the escrow account at the time we paid off the old loan ) 4. I told XXXX I wanted to file a complaint. She said she couldn't help me with that, and I would have to file it at XXXX. I told her I would not accept that, and she needed to escalate my complaint to a supervisor. She got XXXX on the phone. 5. XXXX told me despite when my documents were signed and when the rescission period was up the loan was not paid off on Freedom Mortgage 's system until XX/XX/XXXX, and there was a negative balance in the escrow because my homeowner 's insurance bill came in and they paid it from the old loan!!!!! 6. I told XXXX that was not my fault, and they needed to correct the error internally as the insurance should have been paid from the escrow on the new loan, where the escrow funds were transferred. She told me I would have to talk with my loan officer, as she could not resolve the situation for me, and she further told me I owed $ 600+ to them for the negative escrow balance, and they wouldn't close out the old loan until I paid it!!!!!! She told me that the " payoff '' came in late, and they used my escrow account to " net out '' the additional interest owed when the loan did not pay off promplty on the XX/XX/XXXX!!!!!!! That is purely illegal! The loan should have been closed on XX/XX/XXXX. They should not be charging me interest on the old loan after XX/XX/XXXX and using my escrow account to cover interest I didn't even owe! 7. I told XXXX I would not be a go between between the servicing and origination departments at Freedom Mortgage. I told her this was their internal error in not paying off the loan on XX/XX/XXXX, and they needed to correct it. She insisted I had to resolve the situation on my own. I told her I would not hang up, and that we needed to have a three way call with the origination department to get the situation straightened out. She transferred me to a man named XXXX, who is the first person who understood the issue, and offered to help. 8. XXXX stated that some sort of internal error occurred, as the loan should have been paid off XX/XX/XXXX. He didn't know why the loan was left active until XX/XX/XXXX, which apparently caused the error when the bill came in for the insurance, and for it to be paid from the wrong account. He could not figure out what they did ... but it looked like they treated the payoff as a " short payoff '' and netted funds out of escrow to pay additional interest I did not owe. XXXX said he would look into it further, and get back to me. I am filing this complaint to make you aware of the illegal lending practices at Freedom Mortgage. If I was not a savvy financial services executive, and instead someone who did not understand lending and escrow accounts, I would be cheated out of interest not owed, and be sending them a check for a negative escrow balance! The first two representatives at the company did not want to help me. They wanted me to go away. If I had not insisted on staying on the phone for an hour and arguing with them, I would never have gotten to XXXX, who does seem to understand that Freedom Mortgage made some very big mistakes related to charging me excess interest and paying my insurance from the wrong escrow account ( from a loan that was supposed to be paid off ). XXXX says he will call me back ... I have not heard from him yet, but I want to escalate this complaint promptly as we can not allow mortgage companies to get away with this sort of illegal and unethical behavior. I consider this a UDAAP issue, and it needs to be promptly addressed. At this point, I do not have any resolution from Freedom Mortgage. Regards, XXXX XXXX
Company Response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
State: OR
Zip: 974XX
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2020-01-03
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2020-01-02
Issue: Closing on a mortgage
Subissue:
Consumer Complaint: Freedom Mortgage Loan officer XXXX XXXX NMLS ID XXXX sent me a closing disclosure on XX/XX/2019 that only included a VA funding fee of XXXX and assured me multiple times that this was the only closing cost. Upon closing on the loan on XX/XX/2019 the closing costs had ballooned to include the entire previous years escrow amount as well even though taxes were already paid. Reached out to loan officer and never got a response. Made mistake known to closing company who reached out to XXXX County and requested the check be sent back. Upon receiving the check from the county the closing company reached out go Freedom Mortgage to see if they could mail me the check directlt. Freedom Mortgage said no, to mail the check to them. Upon Freedom receiving the check, I called to have an ESCROW analysis performed as I was told by their representatives to do. After waiting 2 weeks for the analysis to be performed and calling back I was told the ESCROW department would not perform the analysis until it was regularly scheduled for the loan. Asked to speak to a supervisor who told me that as this was a new loan from the refinance, closing costs must include a years worth of ESCROW. This is in direct contradiction to what I have in writing on the closing disclosure. Also was told an ESCROW analysis could not be performed until after 45 days of receiving the first loan payment by law. At this point I asked to speak to and left a message for XXXX XXXX supervisor explaining what happened amd requesting a call back. I receive contradicting information every time I call and speak to someone different. I have had a history of other financials issues with this company but those seemed more like mistakes. This seems more like I'm being given the runaround so that they can financially benefit with me paying interest on money that should have never been taken out of the loan per what i have in writing.
Company Response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
State: TX
Zip: 751XX
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2020-01-02
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2020-01-02
Issue: Struggling to pay mortgage
Subissue:
Consumer Complaint: I have been having an issue with my mortgage company freedom mortgage since XX/XX/XXXX. I filed for divorce in XXXX and at that time I was unable to pay some mortgage payments. I have tried to gain a modification through freedom mortgage and complied with all of their requests. As of now they have granted me a trial. Which I have been paying for the past six months they also told me in writing that I would be the successor of the loan. I am finding out that they no longer are willing to allow me to be the successor of the loan and want my ex-husband to still be responsible. I am willing to make payments in order to keep my home for myself and my XXXX small children I have been treated unfairly and have been fighting for my home since XXXX this has been a great struggle and I am finding that freedom mortgage is not willing to allow me to keep my home even through all of the efforts that I have made. I have fully complied with everything they requested ... they have given me false information they have lost a certified bank check that was made during this trial period and now they are taking back things that have been in writing. I am desperate for help!
Company Response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
State: NY
Zip: 11704
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2020-01-02
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2020-01-01
Issue: Incorrect information on your report
Subissue: Account status incorrect
Consumer Complaint: Consumer credit reports indicated a negative mortgage payment history when there was none. The consumer made 100 % of payments on-time as agreed. Freedom Mortgage Companies reports of {$300000.00} credit balance are inaccurate without necessary calculations for accepting a forthcoming loan modification application.
Company Response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
State: CA
Zip: 92114
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2020-01-01
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2019-12-29
Issue: Struggling to pay mortgage
Subissue:
Consumer Complaint: Im currently behind by a few mortgage payments due to being scammed by my former tenants. It was not my intent to rent-to-own my home but to sell it. However, my former realtor did not exercise my rights or represent me with integrity and acted unethically. As a result he placed a couple whom I empathized with due to their incapabilities of purchasing a property due to their financial difficulties in my property. He misled them into believing theyd paid in advanced so they werent paying me accordingly, then began paying me late, and then stopped paying their rent entirely. At the time of their occupancy of my property I was residing at the apartment complex where I work and had become responsible for both my rent and my former tenants. I requested a substantial loan amounting in {$16000.00} to avoid my credit being ruined due to their irresponsible actions as I also intended on evicting the couple from my property. Unfortunately, for my family and I my former realtor refused to assist me with the filing of forms necessary to evict the couple from my home so I persisted with hiring an attorney whom supposedly specialized in real estate/landlord-tenant matters only for her to take my money and not help me fill the form correctly. The end result was me taking a major financial loss due to what my former tenants attorney depicted as an erroneous filing of a form although my former tenants had in fact scammed me out of several thousands of dollars and was granted the ability to continue to occupy my property at my expense while my family and I had no where to live. Ultimately, when the tenants vacated my premises in which was after the scheduled time frame they were set to leave they completely destroyed and damaged my property past the point of it being habitable. They broke a window and lied and said they didnt, they soiled the newly installed carpets from pets they had concealed at the time, and they left a window unit in the master to which was leaking profusely and caused mold damage which infested the master in its entirety. Also, I believe they were fiddling with the pipes as my former tenant stated he and his father in law would be handling many of the repairs that needed attention at the property due to his said handy ways which led to bolts/nuts on the piping apparently being loosened as I discovered after having to remove the wall in the laundry area exposing significant water damage and mold. Essentially, I not only loss a lot of money from the breaching of the rental agreement, but I now have multiple hits on my credit report, and I have loss my wife and children whom can not occupy the property with me due to its conditions, and I have now been subjected to an even bigger problem of having to repay the loan I took out to evict the tenants therefore I can not necessarily to improve the quality of my life or my family.
Company Response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
State: VA
Zip: XXXXX
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2019-12-29
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2019-12-27
Issue: Applying for a mortgage or refinancing an existing mortgage
Subissue:
Consumer Complaint: I started a refinance with Freedom Mortgage on XX/XX/XXXX. The first person I talked to was XXXX XXXX and he is my loan officer. The last he called me or spoke to me was XXXX XX/XX/XXXX, promising that i could skip XXXX and XXXX payments for my mortgage. Since then, he has not returned my various many calls regarding the refinance. When there has been major and important issues with the refinance, like the title issues and a trust, no one from freedom mortgage has called me. I payed {$300.00} to my lawyer to fix trust issue, that he stated happens in refinance all the time by the mortgage and title company. I have sent emails to XXXX XXXX on XX/XX/XXXX and XXXX, and he never replied. I left voice messages on XX/XX/XXXX, XXXX, XXXX, XXXX, XXXX, XXXX and the XXXX. He has not called me back, but i got an email from XXXX on XX/XX/XXXX, telling me to sign Freedom mortgage papers stating I needed to fix an issue that I had fixed 2 weeks prior, without any acknowledgment of any of my concerns. I called the Freedom Mortgage customer service on XX/XX/XXXX to see if i could reach XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX Supervisor, i left a voicemail and had No response. I called the Freedom mortgage customer service line on XX/XX/XXXX, to request a new loan officer and file a complaint, and i have not heard back. On XX/XX/XXXX i have been called by the Title company " Inspire Closing '' that Freedom not approving my loan because of my divorce decree. This is something that should have been addressed back in XXXX And everything I have learned about the issues of my loan with Freedom has come from " Inspire Closing '', not Freedom Mortgage. This delay is causing many issues with my credit applications. I have expressed this with Freedom. They have me in contract for refinance and it is infringing on my ability to do anything with my credit. They target veteran with XXXX and then abuse their power. I have racked up {$240.00} late fees with Freedom since they promised i could skip payments. I had paid {$300.00} to lawyer. I need a refund on that unnecessary expense that Freedom forced me into. and XXXX XXXX promised i could skip XXXX and XXXX payments thats {$2900.00}. Total of {$3500.00} in money owed to me as a contract consumer. I need someone from Freedom to finish the refinance with professionalism and that will contact me.
Company Response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
State: AZ
Zip: 85388
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2019-12-27
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2019-12-26
Issue: Applying for a mortgage or refinancing an existing mortgage
Subissue:
Consumer Complaint: During my recent refinance of my mortgage loan I believe my mortgage servicer made several errors in the processing of my loan and violated RESPA and TILA. I began the process of refinancing on XX/XX/2019 with XXXX XXXX NMLS XXXX Loan Advisor with Freedom Mortgage. Freedom Mortgage was my existing loan servicer and as such I felt they had my best interests in mind. This was proposed to me as a streamlined VA loan refinance to reduce my interest rate. I read through the documents and signed my closing disclosure and continued. I set my closing for XX/XX/2019 with XXXX XXXX XXXX. I was presented a 2nd Closing Disclosure at Closing which I believed was due to the fact of making my mortgage payment in XXXX. I proceeded through the closing as the was only slightly less favorable to me. I then received a 3rd closing disclosure on XX/XX/2019 from XXXX XXXX XXXX. This closing disclosure was more unfavorable to me and I began reaching out to Freedom Mortgage to try to find answers. Although repeatedly requesting a detailed, full and clear, written explanation of what occurred both XXXX XXXX and his supervisor XXXX XXXX NMLS XXXX did not oblige. In my emails to Mr XXXX and XXXX, I also indicated that the mortgage payment I made in XXXX should not be refunded, but rather applied directly to my account. As of this point, neither has occurred. I began reviewing the new loan documents after they became available and was troubled to find that my principal had increased significantly. My original mortgage remaining principal of {$290000.00} was paid on XX/XX/2019, and a new loan was created with a beginning balance of {$290000.00}. I was told by both Mr XXXX and XXXX that my principal would not change, that this was a streamlined VA rate reduction refinance and that the only thing that would be changing would be my interest rate. I have now lost almost {$2000.00} in principal and the related interest for the last two months, along with my XXXX payment of {$1800.00} that should have gone completely against principal, along with the associated interest. Furthermore now, I received a letter on XX/XX/2019 from my homeowners insurance company intending to cancel my policy due to lack of payment. I was not advised ahead of time that a new escrow account was going to be opened, but since it was I am not sure as to why Freedom Mortgage has not paid my homeowners insurance.
Company Response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
State: CO
Zip: 80128
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2019-12-26
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2019-12-25
Issue: Trouble during payment process
Subissue:
Consumer Complaint: In XX/XX/XXXX I submitted principal payments on my mortgage due to the sale of my prior residence which reduced the balance to less than 78 % LTV ; based on the original value of the home. The home had been purchased in XX/XX/XXXX. Based on the rules established in the Homeowners Protection Act, I believe that should have automatically relieved me of my PMI obligation. ( As of XX/XX/XXXX, my LTV is around 50 %. ) I believed this would be released automatically, based on the regulation. However as weeks went on and my regular payment amount was not adjusted, I gave them a call. They said to email ; which I promptly did. The response to the email came via mail ; when they informed me that they would not be removing the PMI without a new evaluation being completed ; which I would have to pay for. I spoke to them again about this on the phone in the month of XXXX and I was advised that it is standard to have to pay PMI for 2 years regardless of the LTV but I do not understand why. That doesn't seem right. Am I missing something in the regulation? As far as I can tell it should have been removed way back in XXXX. I am currently working on refinancing the debt, in part to take care of the issue, however, in the meantime, this is causing me financial harm as I have currently now paid the PMI for 3 months when I don't believe it was needed. Depending on how long the refinance takes to process through, it will be close to, if not over {$200.00} out of my pocket for a loan where there is no increased risk to the Bank. I've never missed a payment and it's at 50 % LTV.
Company Response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
State: SC
Zip: 29455
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2019-12-25
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A