Date Received: 2023-04-14
Issue: Trouble during payment process
Subissue:
Consumer Complaint: Freedom Mortgage failed to pay City of XXXX taxes semi payments in XXXX and XXXX resulting in the County putting the property in tax sale. They knew about the situation for 9 months and did nothing. I had plenty of funds in my escrow account and pay my mortgage on time every month. I have spent hours upon hours on the phone with them trying to get this resolved. They paid the attorney fees to get the release on the tax sale. They then paid the County taxes. I was told I was not responsible for attorney fees, penalties or other fees associated with their mistake. I then received a letter that my mortgage was going up {$600.00} per month because of an escrow analysis. The analysis included the penalties and fees Freedom was responsible for because of their negligence. I was then told incorrect information regarding the fees by multiple customer service reps. Every time I call I have to sit on the phone for hours to explain the situation and hope I get a rep that sort of understands. I then am told it will be researched and someone will get back to me in 14 days, which never happens.
Company Response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
State: MD
Zip: 206XX
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2023-04-14
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2023-04-11
Issue: Trouble during payment process
Subissue:
Consumer Complaint: I paid off my mortgage with Freedom Mortgage Corporation ( XXXX XXXX XXXX ) on XX/XX/2023. The company confirmed that they received the payment on XX/XX/2023 and that the payoff amount included interest through XX/XX/2023. They also confirmed that they were charging interest on the mortgage at the rate of {$17.00} per day. Since I paid off the mortgage on XX/XX/2023, I am owed a refund of four days interest for a total of {$71.00}. I called their customer service department on XX/XX/XXXX to request a refund of the excess interest paid. The person I spoke to told me they did not issue refunds of interest after the mortgage payoff amount had been received. I then spoke to my real estate agent who handled the transaction. She confirmed that I was owed a refund of four days interest and that all mortgage companies refund excess interest charges after the payoff amount has been received. I then called their customer service department again and spoke to a different person who confirmed the above details of the transaction and said he would put a note in my file requesting a refund. However, I just received a letter dated XX/XX/2023 from their XXXX XXXX XXXX ( XXXX # XXXX ) stating that my account has been closed, with no mention of my request for a refund of the excess interest charged. I am requesting that Freedom Mortgage Company return the excess interest they charged in the amount of {$71.00}, as is standard practice with all other mortgage companies.
Company Response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
State: CO
Zip: 80504
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2023-04-11
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2023-04-10
Issue: Trouble during payment process
Subissue:
Consumer Complaint: Freedom mortgage is not applying my full mortgage payments to my account. I have made payments of {$970.00} since XX/XX/2022 to my previous lender and to Freedom mortgage once they bought my loan in XXXX. I have not missed a payment in 8-9 months. Louisiana. HAF have just approved and SENT PAYMENT to FM of {$8100.00} for mortgage reinstatement and also approved me for {$5700.00} of future mortgage payments. Prior to getting approved I have made the full {$960.00} payment for the month of XXXX already. HAF also covered the month of XXXX. I received a statement saying i owe {$1900.00}, but i have partial payment unapplied {$1000.00}. All of my back pay has been paid, two payments for XXXX was also paid and for some reason since FM has bought my loan they have put my $ XXXX payment into a suspense account but only applying {$510.00} of my payment to this suspense account. I have attempted to figure out where my money is going, but nobody will help me. my mortgage payment is UP TO DATE. HAF has sent the needed payment to catch me up, approve me for future payments until XXXX AND FM has received two mortgage payments of {$960.00} for the month of XXXX! FM is fraud and will do anything in their power to make it as if the debtor is always behind when they arent. i am currently now in bankruptcy, but will be making my mortgage payment on my own and XXXX through my trustee. Lawyer has sent over documents multiple times to FM stating they can speak with me, but nobody can seem to find the information that my lawyer has sent over several times.
Company Response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
State: LA
Zip: 705XX
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2023-04-10
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2023-04-10
Issue: Trouble during payment process
Subissue:
Consumer Complaint: My mortgage company, FREEDOM MORTGAGE, is refusing to drop PMI insurance costs from my monthly mortgage payment, even though my equity is almost 30 % of my outstanding loan. According to their appraisal. Please help me, because I pay {$250.00} per month for PMI. it is a considerable cost to me. Thank you for your help. The remaining loan as of XX/XX/2023 is {$320000.00} and my property was appraised for {$420000.00}
Company Response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
State: MD
Zip: 20878
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2023-04-10
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2023-04-10
Issue: Trouble during payment process
Subissue:
Consumer Complaint: Freedom Mortgage, XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, TX XXXX - Loan # XXXX XX/XX/XXXX, Freedom made premature payment on property insurance after I informed them not to pay because, I had the policy carrier to reduce the annual cost. They overpaid by {$780.00} which the insurance company refunded to me in-turn XX/XX/XXXX ; I paid the {$780.00} back into loan escrow which should cause overage in escrow. Then XX/XX/XXXX Freedom did an Escrow & Interest rate analysis in-turn stated there is escrow shortage as their cause to increase the escrow & interest rate on my mortgage. They established their total monthly amount due which is setup for auto draft from my bank account yet since XXXX, XXXX, XXXX they created " shortage fees '' and informed me that they took it from escrow, yet monthly statement reflects they did not correct their error - and each month have me overpaying while they blame me for their ERROR $ and take more of my money! Atop this, five months later here in XX/XX/XXXX, they did ANOTHER escrow & interest analysis, and they state {$100.00} escrow surplus ( should be greater for I deposited {$780.00} ) and mailed {$100.00} AND WITH NOTICE THAT THEY INCREASED INTEREST RATE AGAIN ( they raised interest rate back in XX/XX/XXXX ). I DEPOSIT THAT {$100.00} BACK INTO THE ESCROW FOR THEY KEEP CREATING ESCROW SHORTAGE - NOW THEY SAY ESCROW OVERAGE AND THE VIOLATION BY LAW CAN ONLY INCREASE THE INTEREST RATE ONCE A YEAR! THEY ARE SCREWING ME OVER WITH FALSE ESCROW SHORTAGE, TAKING MORE MONEY FOR THERE WAS NO SHORTAGE AS THEY ISSUED AN SURPLUSS - THEY BY LAW MUST REDUCE THE INTERESTE RATE! I SEND THEM MESSAGE AND THEY TAKE NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR ERRORS- THEY MAKE RUSE EXCUSES! I DEMAND REDUCTION IN INTEREST RATE FOR THEY JUST RAISE IT XX/XX/XXXX!!!!
Company Response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
State: FL
Zip: 32224
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2023-05-11
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2023-04-07
Issue: Applying for a mortgage or refinancing an existing mortgage
Subissue:
Consumer Complaint: My mortgage company is Freedom mortgage. Last month I contacted them with regards to an equity loan with the hope of paying off high interest debts. I was contacted by XXXX XXXX who is the loan advisor and I explain what I wanted to do adding also that I was a retired veteran and XXXX. XXXX XXXX later told me that I would be charged {$1000.00} as a rate lock fee but it would be refunded if my loan request was denied. I thought it sounded legit at the time but later XXXX XXXX told my interest rate would increase considerably however, I could always lower the rate later if I chose an IRRRL ( Interest Rate Reduction Refinance Loan ). I did not think about it at the time, but she left out the part that for veterans with service connected disabilities can have that fee waived. Whether she left that out deliberately or not, I decided to cancel my request for the loan for now and I subsequently sent her an email telling her to discontinue the loan process. XXXX XXXX wrote back stating that she was sorry I was not happy with the offer and that all the fees had been waived. I thank her and I thought that was the end of it. However, a few days later I noticed that my credit card still had the charge and it the {$1000.00} they had charged me was not refunded. I immediately contacted XXXX XXXX about the situation and after a few days she finally responded. This time she stated that rate fee was not refundable unless my loan was denied which sounded absurd because I contacted her even before the processing of the loan. I believe Freedom Mortgage is engaging in unfair practices and deceptive practices by refusing my legal rights. Nothing was ever said that they would not refund my fee if it was for anything other than my request being denied. I also feel they took advantage by excluding me of my certain benefits in being a veteran and XXXX. I contacted legal advice who referred me to your website.
Company Response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
State: CA
Zip: 92057
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2023-04-07
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2023-04-06
Issue: Problem with a credit reporting company's investigation into an existing problem
Subissue: Their investigation did not fix an error on your report
Consumer Complaint: I spoke with and applied for a forbearance with Freedom Mortgage on XX/XX/XXXX. due to COVID related difficulties still dealing with and having troubling gathering my mortgage payments, but have not been late on any payments as of yet. Now comes XXXX and they report a late payment on my credit report after me disputing it two times with documentation of the forbearance and they refuse to make any corrections. I have had nothing but issues every time I try to contact this company and they consistently lie about their services and things there say they will process. I'm at a loss at what to do at this point, so hopefully the CFPB will be able to intervene and get something solved in this matter. Once I realized I needed assistance I applied for assistance through the Indiana XXXX and they approved my request and informed freedom mortgage they were going to assist me on XX/XX/XXXX. I was able to make all payments on time even though in a forbearance without being 30 days late until that date remind you, the they started getting payment from the Indiana XXXX.
Company Response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
State: IN
Zip: XXXXX
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2023-04-06
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2023-04-06
Issue: Trouble during payment process
Subissue:
Consumer Complaint: Hello, I am writing to report an issue with my mortgage lender, Freedom Mortgage ( FM ). They wrongfully withdrew {$15000.00} from our escrow account in XX/XX/XXXX to pay a XXXX tax bill for a home that we have no association with. We found out in XX/XX/XXXX when FM sent an escrow account disclosure statement notifying us that our escrow account is short {$9400.00}, and beginning XX/XX/XXXX, they are going to increase our monthly payment by {$2100.00} to recover the shortage. After investigating our escrow account activity, I found that FM correctly paid our {$12000.00} tax bill in XX/XX/XXXX and then incorrectly paid an additional {$15000.00} tax bill that is not ours. I immediately called FM to resolve the issue and talked to a representative who said FM had XXXX parcel numbers listed on our account. I confirmed XXXX of the parcel numbers is ours, and the other is not. The representative said they would make a note on our account to delete the incorrect parcel number and transfer me to the tax department. The representative also recommended I call XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX ( XXXX ) to confirm it is correct on their end. The representative from the XXXX department said they would investigate the incorrect parcel number, and FM should provide an update within XXXX business days. Afterward, I called XXXX and confirmed they only have XXXX parcel number associated with our address. Equally frustrating is FMs lack of communication. After 10 business days without an update, I called back and had to re-explain the issue to different representatives. They said there was a note on my account that there would be an update by XX/XX/XXXX. Without an update by XX/XX/XXXX, I called again and talked to a different representative, who said she would contact me directly by XX/XX/XXXX. Still without an update by XX/XX/XXXX, I called yet again and talked to different representatives who said there was a note that FM would refund our escrow account within 90 days - after they received the money back from XXXX XXXX. I asked if I would be notified when the refund hit our escrow account, and they said they did not know. Additionally, I asked them to drop the additional {$2100.00} from our monthly payment while we wait for the refund and was told no multiple times before a representative was able to escalate my request. She said they would call me by the end of the day to let me know if it was granted. I did not receive a phone call, but on XX/XX/XXXX, the amount due XX/XX/XXXX was back to normal. I believe FM should have to take responsibility for their mistake, and it is unacceptable that I had to follow up several times to avoid additional, wrongful payments. In order to resolve this issue, I believe that FM should have to : 1. Immediately refund our account {$15000.00} and notify us upon receipt. 2. Rerun an escrow analysis and resend an escrow account disclosure statement. 3. Provide a written explanation of the findings of their investigation, specifically what caused the mistake and proof that it has been resolved and will not reoccur in XXXX. Thank you for your help.
Company Response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
State: TX
Zip: 75204
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2023-04-06
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2023-04-04
Issue: Trouble during payment process
Subissue:
Consumer Complaint: On XX/XX/XXXX Freedom Mortgage company failed to pay my property taxes from my escrow account. After receiving a delinquent notice from my tax authority via certified mail on XX/XX/XXXX, I called Freedom and they still didn't pay. I spoke with a total of XXXX different tellers who's names I have retained and was told they had sent check number XXXX. I was repeatedly given bogus tracking numbers making it impossible to research. So to avoid a tax lien, I had to pay myself. Tax Authority receipt number XXXX paid XX/XX/XXXX by myself. Now they won't issue a refund according to them for over 60 days. I'm XXXX living on Social Security and I can't afford this. They are the most ingenuous company I have ever worked with and I feel they need to be prompted by someone other than myself to refund my money. Thank you.
Company Response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
State: LA
Zip: 70634
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2023-05-05
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2023-04-04
Issue: Problem with a credit reporting company's investigation into an existing problem
Subissue: Their investigation did not fix an error on your report
Consumer Complaint: We were erroneously reported as 30 days late to the credit bureaus. We did not make a late payment ( nor have we ever made a late payment in our history of owning a home ) and disputed this with Freedom Mortgage. Timeline of Events XXXX Mortgage Payment : Posted on XX/XX/XXXX XXXX Mortgage Payment : Posted on XX/XX/XXXX Thu, XX/XX/XXXX : Received letter dated XX/XX/XXXX from Freedom Mortgage indicating we were 2 months late ( the letter states {$3800.00} ) on our mortgage payment. But we paid both. ( See bank statement ) Thu, XX/XX/XXXX : Called Freedom Mortgage about the letter as both months were paid. They indicated we had a balance of {$180.00} due to a shortage from XXXX payment ( escrow increase of {$94.00} ) and then XXXX payment. Immediately paid the shortage and XXXX waived the XXXX late fee as we have never paid late. They said there would be no reporting of late payments as it was not late. XX/XX/XXXX Received our first credit bureau notification of a late payment by Freedom Mortgage. This is erroneous as we did make on-time payments. Freedom Mortgage did not notify us in writing of a late payment prior to the letter we received dated XX/XX/XXXX. Even then, they incorrectly reported stated we were 2 months late even though bank records reflect payments made. We have asked to Freedom Mortgage to remove the late payment on our credit reports but have not.
Company Response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
State: FL
Zip: 33596
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2023-04-04
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A