Date Received: 2018-07-31
Issue: Struggling to pay mortgage
Subissue:
Consumer Complaint: I applied for Hardship around the begining of XX/XX/XXXX, with many times being told to send in this information and that paper I was denied with CLEAR evidence of my hardship from letters from my Doctor 's etc and lost 50 % of my income. They still added up late fees during my hardship application that they said were not going to get assessed. They would rather have my home go into forecloser than help. I am a XXXX and obviously will have work after having, XXXX. that is pretty much common sense this day with all of the XXXX shortgage in the USA.
Company Response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
State: CO
Zip: 808XX
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2018-07-31
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2018-07-31
Issue: Trouble during payment process
Subissue:
Consumer Complaint: Chief Complaint : Misappropriation of payments to the account, and not honoring foreclosure alternative agreement. My mortgage was initially serviced through XXXX before it was transferred to Freedom Mortgage in XXXX of XXXX. My original mortgage payment amount was {$1500.00}. Since the transfer, I have been dealing with issues on how my account is being handled. My account was current with XXXX up until XXXX of XXXX ; all mortgage payments were paid accordingly and on time. In XXXX, Florida was impacted by Hurricane Irma, which prompted many homeowners to contact their mortgage companies for a 3-month forbearance. I was one of them. On XX/XX/XXXX, I approached XXXX and spoke with a representative and asked that my account is placed in forbearance. It was approved. I was then told that all payments would be due in XXXX, and should I have any problems making the payment that they will assist me with Loss Mitigation. On XX/XX/XXXX, I contacted XXXX and asked to start the Loss Mitigation process for the past due balance of {$4500.00}. However, I made a payment of {$1500.00} over the phone for XXXX. I then received a letter from XXXX dated XX/XX/XXXX, stating that I was approved for a foreclosure prevention alternative. The offer listed on the note said that I was to make three trial period payments of {$1300.00} for XXXX, XXXX, and XXXX of XXXX to qualify for a permanent modification. I signed the document and sent it back to XXXX on XX/XX/XXXX within the 14-days of the notice. For XXXX and XXXX, I made the payment within the period stipulated to XXXX, however, my account was then transferred to Freedom in XXXX of XXXX. ( Around that timeframe I received a letter stating that my monthly mortgage will now be {$1300.00} effective XX/XX/XXXX. ) On XX/XX/XXXX, I called Freedom Mortgage and spoke to a gentleman who stated that Freedom would be honoring my payment modification and the Loss Mitigation application. After feeling a sense of relief, I made a payment with the representative of the modified amount {$1300.00}. As the months gone by, that was what I have been paying Freedom, until XX/XX/XXXX, I received a letter stating the I had until XX/XX/XXXX, to pay {$5700.00} for the overdue balance or my account will be placed in foreclosure. In my panic, I withdrew from my 401K and paid that amount on XX/XX/XXXX. That should have made my account current as of XXXX, and on XX/XX/XXXX, I made a payment of {$1300.00} for the month of XXXX. I proceeded to make my timely payment for the month of XXXX. However, my account was not updated to reflect what I have paid. In fact, I believe a good portion of my payments was placed in escrow giving me a high balance. As of XX/XX/XXXX, I have made a total of {$12000.00} payments to Freedom Mortgage from XXXX to XX/XX/XXXX. Prior to them, I made a total of {$4100.00} payments to XXXX from XX/XX/XXXX to XX/XX/XXXX. This is a combined total of {$16000.00} of mortgage payments made to my account. All of this is tracked and confirmed by bank statements since I pay directly from my bank account ( see Table 1 below ). Mind you, even if Freedom failed to honor the trial payments of {$1300.00} and was charging me the full mortgage amount of {$1500.00} for the months of XX/XX/XXXX through XX/XX/XXXX XXXX {$10000.00} ), and {$1300.00} from XXXX to XXXX XXXX {$5200.00} ), I still overpaid on my mortgage ( Table 2 )! The combined total of {$15000.00} due minus the total of {$16000.00} paid leaves me with an overpayment of {$600.00}! I contacted Freedom on numerous occasions and sent them a letter to investigate my account and still nothing has been done to correct this issue. I called and spoke to another representative on XX/XX/XXXX, and she stated that I still owe for the month of XXXX and XXXX, and soon XXXX. How is that possible? If I make the payments as they are claiming, I will have overpaid my mortgage by over a few grand! I really need Freedom to get my account to where it should be, and apply the payments correctly. I dont understand how they managed to XXXX this up. And every time I call, it is hard to explain this situation to the representative because they do not see what I see. This problem is affecting my good standing, and I need it rectified as soon as possible. Table 1 Total Mortgage Payments XX/XX/XXXX Total Mortgage Payments Posted Date Description Amount XX/XX/XXXX BP FREEDOM MORTG ACH W/D : BP FREEDOM MORTG {$1300.00} XX/XX/XXXX BP FREEDOM MORTG ACH W/D : BP FREEDOM MORTG {$1300.00} XX/XX/XXXX BP FREEDOM MORTG ACH W/D : BP FREEDOM MORTG {$5700.00} XX/XX/XXXX BP FREEDOM MORTG ACH W/D : BP FREEDOM MORTG {$1300.00} XX/XX/XXXX BP FREEDOM MORTG ACH W/D : BP FREEDOM MORTG {$1300.00} XX/XX/XXXX FREEDOM ACH W/D : FREEDOM {$1300.00} XX/XX/XXXX BP XXXX ACH W/D : BP XXXX {$1300.00} XX/XX/XXXX BP XXXX ACH W/D : BP XXXX {$1300.00} XX/XX/XXXX XXXX LOAN ADM ACH W/D : XXXX LOAN ADM {$1500.00} {$16000.00} Table 2 Total Monthly Mortgage Amounts Due XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX
Company Response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
State: FL
Zip: 33544
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2018-07-31
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2018-07-31
Issue: Trouble during payment process
Subissue:
Consumer Complaint: Both my loan Closing Disclosure Statement as well as my Initial Escrow Disclosure Statement list that included in my escrow is a " front foot fee. '' Specifically on page 1 of my Closing Disclosure Statement it shows that my estimated escrow is {$640.00} a month and it shows that it includes property taxes, homeowners insurance, and Other : Front Foot Fee. The breakdown of the {$640.00} a month includes XXXX XXXX/month in homeowners insurance ; $ XXXX/month in property taxes ; and $ XXXX/month for the front foot fee ( totaling the {$640.00} a month I pay into escrow ). My loan was initially through XXXX XXXX, but was immediately sold to Freedom Mortgage. My front foot fee is {$700.00} annually. At the end of XXXX, 2018, I received a bill in the mail for {$220.00}, which is the first portion of my annual front foot fee. I called Freedom Mortgage on XX/XX/2018 at XXXX XXXX and spoke to XXXX, ID # XXXX. I explained that the Closing Disclosure statement shows that the front foot fee is included in the escrow. After telling me that nobody there even knew what a front foot fee was, he said he would open a ticket and look into it, but I should fax the information to the tax department at XXXX with a copy of the bill. I did so the same day. I never received a response. At the beginning of XX/XX/2018 I received a bill dated XX/XX/2018 for {$480.00}, which is the second portion of my annual front foot fee. I called Freedom Mortgage on XX/XX/2018 at XXXX XXXX and spoke with XXXX, ID # XXXX. XXXX, much like XXXX, kept insisting that Freedom Mortgage does not pay this bill, that I do, but once I showed him the Closing Disclosure Statement he agreed with me that yes, it should be included in my escrow amount, he told me he was opening a ticket and I should email the bills and a description to XXXX. He said the ticket should be closed by XX/XX/2018. I emailed the information the same day, and received email confirmation that they were reviewing my information. After not hearing from Freedom Mortgage by XX/XX/2018, 10 days after I was told the ticket should be closed, I called Freedom Mortgage again on XX/XX/2018 at XXXX XXXX and spoke with XXXX, ID # XXXX. He said they should have sent me a letter denying payment as unable to process due to the bills being utility bills. I asked him to provide me a breakdown of what my monthly escrow payments went toward, which he attempted to do so, but the amounts did not add up to {$640.00}. I pointed out to him page 1 and 4 of my Closing Disclosure Statement, where it shows that the front foot fee is included in my escrow statement. He reviewed that document as well as the Initial Escrow Disclosure Statement ( where it shows a property front foot benefit of {$700.00} annually ) and agreed with me that the documents do show that the front foot fee is included in my escrow and should be paid by Freedom Mortgage. He said they would have to pay bill or refund the money. I told XXXX that if they refund the money that I would request that they include extra money for the interest that has accrued at 1.5 % per month on the unpaid balances on those unpaid bills that I gave Freedom Mortgage sufficient time to pay for. XXXX told me that either him or his supervisor XXXX would call me back that day, or the very next day. I never received a phone call. On XX/XX/2018 I received a letter in the mail from Freedom Mortgage dated XX/XX/2018 saying that they reviewed my " property tax '' inquiry and that " the correspondence we received is a utility bill issued by XXXX XXXX County. Please be advised that utility bills are not included in your mortgage and is the responsibility of the homeowner. '' This letter alone makes clear that they did not conduct a thorough review because I never once inquired about property taxes, and neither front foot bill is from XXXX XXXX County -- one is from XXXX XXXX , XXXX, and the other is from XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX. While the first bill is vague as to what the charge was for, it did say that " your mortgage lender may have escrowed funds for the payment of these charges. '' The second bill clearly states in the description that it is the " Annual Front Foot Assessment for XX/XX/2018 - 18 Years Remaining. '' On XX/XX/2018 I called Freedom Mortgage at XXXX XXXX and spoke with XXXX, ID number XXXX. I explained everything thoroughly to her. She said they are resolving the issue by issuing a refund to me in the amount of {$2600.00} as there was extra money in our escrow account. I told her that a refund of money we paid in does not resolve the issue as this is going to be an annual issue for the duration of the front foot fee, and that if my loan specifically says they will pay the front foot fee that they need to pay it. Furthermore, I gave Freedom Mortgage sufficient time to pay the bills, which they refused, and the unpaid balances accrue a 1.5 % per month, 18 % per annum interest fee if unpaid, which has been accruing. In other words, refunding the money that Freedom Mortgage has been taking from me monthly, that is rightfully mine, does not cover the interest that Freedom Mortgage should pay since they should have paid the bill from the beginning. XXXX told me that Freedom Mortgage never pays Front Foot Fees, and I told her that they bought my loan from another company, but they have been collecting the front foot fee in my escrow, so they need to pay it. She said she would open another research ticket, but given the lack of responsiveness in the prior interactions I am not hopeful.
Company Response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
State: MD
Zip: 21012
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2018-07-31
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2018-07-31
Issue: Applying for a mortgage or refinancing an existing mortgage
Subissue:
Consumer Complaint: In XX/XX/2018 I applied for a REFINANCE with my current mortgage company Freedom Mortgage. However during the negotiation of terms and loan structure for the refinance, we, my wife and I did not agree with them and TERMINATED the process. In XX/XX/XXXX, at the end of XX/XX/XXXX we received a STATEMENT OF CREDIT DENIAL letter from Freedom Mtg. We did not complete the agreement for the Refinance, yet we were denied credit that we didn't apply for or agree to be considered for. How is it that we didn't not finish this loan process and was denied before for we knew who we were asking or applying to for this refinance loan. We were ask to submit all documents and we reviewed all documents and answered questions regarding documents and submitted explanations and answers for documents in question. IT WAS ONLY A NEGOTIATION AND A LOAN STRUCTURE IN ORDER TO GET APPROVED. WE STOP THE PROCESS AND FREEDOM MORTGAGE SUBMITTED OUR DOCUMENTS ANYWAY. WITHOUT OUR PERMISSION.
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: 2018-07-31
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2018-07-30
Issue: Incorrect information on your report
Subissue: Account status incorrect
Consumer Complaint: I have attempted on four separate occasions to correct this problem via the credit bureaus. It appears that Freedom Mortgage is not will to correct the issue. Per their own correspondence to me, they stated they would report the account as " Settled in Full for less than Owed. '' They are however reporting this as a foreclosure and it cost me finances on XX/XX/2018.
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: 2018-07-30
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2018-07-30
Issue: Struggling to pay mortgage
Subissue:
Consumer Complaint: Since XX/XX/2017 we have been trying to get our payment lowered by having the loan modified through the loss mitigation process. It took almost 9 months for a approval. They kept asking for paperwork I had already sent. While they wait for that paperwork other paperwork was out of date then they would request that again. I had to send them a hardship letter 5 times and pay stubs all most 10 times.I have fax confirmations. Our attourney sent the paperwork and authorization and they said they didn't have it at all. So I complained to the state and assigned someone then o got a approval. Then the trial period started and rather then lowering the payment everything increased.They said the reason is because of the back pay. So I filed a hardship with the state now it was current and we just needed it processed. Now we have to start over and now they are playing the paperwork game again and now we have a 30 day late payment. And they still have not explained the fees they charged and can't .Its just money they took from me.
Company Response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
State: MI
Zip: 483XX
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2018-07-30
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2018-07-30
Issue: Trouble during payment process
Subissue:
Consumer Complaint: On XX/XX/18, it was noted that our account had an escrow surplus. I initially reached out to the company on XX/XX/2018 to inquire what kind of steps we needed to get this check. They stated it should have been in the mail and that we needed to wait. I reached out again on XX/XX/18 because we had not received the payment, so they offered to send out another check, but it would take at least 10 business days for this to occur. According to the account, they sent another check on XX/XX/18. We received the check on XX/XX/18. I deposited it on XX/XX/18. 2 days later on XX/XX/18, it was noted that the check was returned by my banking institution. I reached out to freedom mortgage and spoke with a supervisor and was told that they could not resolve this issue at that time and that it would take time to get to the root cause of why the check was not able to be processed. I called my bank to inquire what the reason for the return was, they stated there was a stop payment placed on the check. I called back to Freedom mortgage to relay this information and asked to speak to the supervisor again, and he was conveniently unavailable, but they made a note of this discovery, along with the check number on my file.
Company Response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
State: VA
Zip: 23112
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2018-08-08
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2018-07-29
Issue: Struggling to pay mortgage
Subissue:
Consumer Complaint: Applied for a loan mod which my loan is a conv and investor is XXXX XXXX thru XXXX XXXX and was denied. The answer was generic stating the mod payment would go up {$100.00} a month and the felt I could not afford it although I recieved a {$200.00} a month merit increase. I feel the are wrongfully trying to foreclose to get my XXXX equity.
Company Response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
State: TX
Zip: 76028
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2018-07-29
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2018-07-29
Issue: Incorrect information on your report
Subissue: Account status incorrect
Consumer Complaint: I HAVE A 30 DAY LATE ON MY CREDIT REPORT. I PAID ON XX/XX/2018 FOR THE AMOUNT OF XXXX IT WAS taken from my acoount. I called freedom mortgage. I spoke with a REPRESENTATIVE and they told me to email my supportive documents and a brief message and they should remove 30 day from my credit report. Freedom mortgage is starting that they never got my payment. I was told it never cleared from my bank. I have my online banking showing it was taken out. I did have two return checks but not for this amount. Then i was told i made a payment on XX/XX/2018 in the amount of XXXX. I never made a payment on XX/XX/2018 and never make a payment in the amount of XXXX.
Company Response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
State: CA
Zip: 91733
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2018-07-29
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2018-07-27
Issue: Trouble during payment process
Subissue:
Consumer Complaint: On XX/XX/XXXX, I called Freedom Mortgage customer service to inquire about the PMI for my converntional mortgage. I explained that I'm closing in on 80 % LTV and that I'm confident that if I had my house appraised it would appraise higher than the initial value and push the LTV below the 80 % mark. They looked into the account and then instructed me to send an email to customer service to start the process. After submitting the email I received a letter in the mail stating the steps to complete the appraisal of my house and the conditions that had to be met. In this letter it clearly states that the appraisal must demonstrate a Loan-To-Current-Value ration of 80 % for loans aged greater than 5 years. The appraisal resulted in the following : Sales Comparison Approach : XXXX Cost Approach : XXXX The conservative value of XXXX was used as the official value of the appraisal which placed the LTV at 77.01 %. I received a letter on XX/XX/XXXX stating that after a review of the account, the request to remove PMI was unable to be approved. The reason being that a LTV of 75 % was required. I have made four calls to customer service to gain clarity on what the requirements are and also to understand what the age of my loan is. Neither question could be answered satisfactorily. From my point of view the request was denied with a stated reason that contradicts the attached letter stating the requirements. When I asked to speak with someone that has knowledge of how the PMI requirements work I was told that they do not take calls and there is no way to contact them. In addition I have completed 70 payments on my mortgage promptly and in excess. The best answer I have received to date is that my mortgage is not greater than 5 years ( first payment XX/XX/XXXX ). Proof has been shown that value of the house has increased and I have excellent credit. I have tried to explain to Freedom Mortgage that my mortgage being 70 months old is actually greater than their requirement of 60 months but they disagree. As a consumer I should not be billed for unnecessary private mortgage insurance. Thank you, XXXX
Company Response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
State: PA
Zip: 15237
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2018-07-27
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A