socal78
Well-known member
The following account does not take place in or around Irvine. It was posted on a site unrelated to real estate that I came across and seeing it made me think to post it here. It's just an average family living in the midwest (as you can see by the real estate prices!) and you get an idea of what they are experiencing in the attempt to keep the home they are in. What would you make of the bank's actions or do if you were in this situation?
"As if I didn't have enough stress in my life. Now the stress levels are increasing thanks to our mortgage company. We have been trying for the last two years to get them to work with us and lower our payment. Two years ago my husband was laid off and had to find another job. He did find another job, but it paid $8 less an hour than his old job. With that huge pay cut it made it impossible for us to pay our full mortgage payment. So we called our mortgage company to see if there was anything we could do. At the time (2 years ago) they said that unfortunately there weren't any programs for FHA mortgages. My in laws, my Dad and my sister and brother-in-law all helped us out and helped us make our mortgage payments each month. But by the middle of last year we had pretty much tapped them out. Every few months we had been contacting our mortgage company to see if any programs had come about for FHA mortgages. Finally at the end of 2009 they told us that there was a program that could help us. So in December of 2009 we went on to a trial period with reduced payments.
Our trial period was set to end in April 2010 so they told us to send in updated financial info around the middle/end of March. End of March 2010 we sent in our updated financial info and waited. The end of April rolled around and we still hadn't heard anything so we called them. They told us that it could take up to 60 to 90 days for a decision to be made. So we waited. At the end of May we got a call from a guy at our mortgage company. We weren't home and he left a message. In his message Daniel said that he was working on our file and that he needed to verify some info. He gave us his number and his extension and asked us to call him back. We called him back, but we got his voicemail so we left him a message.
He called back again and left another message, again telling us to call him back at his number and extension. We tried again to call him back but got his voice mail. We left another message. The next night we tried calling him back again, and the automated system told us that the extension was not valid. So we transferred to another customer rep to find out what was going on. Raul told us that our request for modification had been denied because they hadn't been able to get in touch with us. We told him that we had been trying to call Daniel back and had left him message, but could never get in touch with him. Raul tried calling Daniel and of course got his voice mail. Raul sent Daniel and email and told him that we had been trying to get back in touch with him and hadn't been able to and asked Daniel to reopen our request for modification.
This began our over month long battle with the mortgage company.
6/9/10 Raul told us if we didn't hear from Daniel within so many days to call back. Of course Daniel didn't call so we called the mortgage company back again.
6/12/10 This rep's name is Martha. Martha tells us that a package was sent out to us and that we had been preapproved for a modification and that we should receive the packet soon. So now we're thinking, okay they got everything straightened out and we're on our way to a permanent modification. Then the package arrives. The package is for us to fill out and start the whole process over, including going through another trial period which we all ready did. So we call the mortgage company.
6/17/10 We talked to another rep, Debbie and they send off a message to Daniel and ask him to either call us or email us and ask him to reopen our original request. Again if we don't hear from him in so many days we should call back and ask to talk to a supervisor..... You guessed it, no Daniel, we had to call the mortgage company again.
6/22/10 This time we talk to a supervisor she sends off a message to Daniel and tells us.... yep if we don't hear back from Daniel in so many days to call back.
6/25/10 We speak with Lakevia. She talks to the escalation department and they tell us to fax in our updated financial info and that an escalation request will be put in to request the reopening of our original modification request.
7/7/10 This time we speak with Stacy. She tells us that an escalation request was not put in, but she puts in one for us. When talking with all these different reps they all kept telling us that when we couldn't get ahold of Daniel that we could have talk to any rep to give them the info that he wanted. We find out from Stacy that, that isn't true, because Daniel didn't have notes in the system telling them what info he wanted. The only note he had in the system was that if we called and talked with any of the other reps they were to transfer us to him. And of course most likely we would have gotten his voicemail. Stacy tells us that we should hear something from them within 5 business days and if we don't to call them back.
7/15/10 We didn't hear anything from the mortgage company so we call them back. First I speak with Brent and he just starts giving me the run around. I ask to speak with a supervisor. John the supervisor gets on the phone. He tells me he is going to contact Daniels supervisor and that he's going to expidite our escalation request. John says that by Monday there should be something in the system.
7/16/10 Daniel finally calls us. All he wanted to do was go over the financial info that we had faxed to them and make sure nothing had changed. (you have got to be kidding me all of this hassle for that!) Daniel said that we should be hearing from him either Tuesday or Wednesday of this week. Of course tomorrow I won't be home for most of the day because I have to take my sister to doctor's appointments and Wednesday I'll be gone in the afternoon, because I have a cardiologist appointment.
7/17/10 We get a letter in the mail from our mortgage company telling us that they have start foreclosure proceedings and that our file has been turned over to a lawyer in our state. WTF!!!! We have been going round and round with then for the last month, they can see that we are trying to work something out!
I really hope Daniel calls with good news this week. If not that means that we will lose our home. Mind you we don't have some huge extravagant home. Just a little starter home that we've done a ton of work to. I don't understand our mortgage company. Do they really want our house. In just the last two years we've had 3 houses sell on our block. One is a big farm house from the early 1900's on a double lot for $46,000. Another is a brick ranch on a triple lot for $35,000 and another brick home for $50,000. Don't they realize that in the long run they will get much more money from us than if they take the house and try to sell it. We want to keep our home, we want to pay them what we can.
I'm just beside myself, I don't know what to do!!!"
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"As if I didn't have enough stress in my life. Now the stress levels are increasing thanks to our mortgage company. We have been trying for the last two years to get them to work with us and lower our payment. Two years ago my husband was laid off and had to find another job. He did find another job, but it paid $8 less an hour than his old job. With that huge pay cut it made it impossible for us to pay our full mortgage payment. So we called our mortgage company to see if there was anything we could do. At the time (2 years ago) they said that unfortunately there weren't any programs for FHA mortgages. My in laws, my Dad and my sister and brother-in-law all helped us out and helped us make our mortgage payments each month. But by the middle of last year we had pretty much tapped them out. Every few months we had been contacting our mortgage company to see if any programs had come about for FHA mortgages. Finally at the end of 2009 they told us that there was a program that could help us. So in December of 2009 we went on to a trial period with reduced payments.
Our trial period was set to end in April 2010 so they told us to send in updated financial info around the middle/end of March. End of March 2010 we sent in our updated financial info and waited. The end of April rolled around and we still hadn't heard anything so we called them. They told us that it could take up to 60 to 90 days for a decision to be made. So we waited. At the end of May we got a call from a guy at our mortgage company. We weren't home and he left a message. In his message Daniel said that he was working on our file and that he needed to verify some info. He gave us his number and his extension and asked us to call him back. We called him back, but we got his voicemail so we left him a message.
He called back again and left another message, again telling us to call him back at his number and extension. We tried again to call him back but got his voice mail. We left another message. The next night we tried calling him back again, and the automated system told us that the extension was not valid. So we transferred to another customer rep to find out what was going on. Raul told us that our request for modification had been denied because they hadn't been able to get in touch with us. We told him that we had been trying to call Daniel back and had left him message, but could never get in touch with him. Raul tried calling Daniel and of course got his voice mail. Raul sent Daniel and email and told him that we had been trying to get back in touch with him and hadn't been able to and asked Daniel to reopen our request for modification.
This began our over month long battle with the mortgage company.
6/9/10 Raul told us if we didn't hear from Daniel within so many days to call back. Of course Daniel didn't call so we called the mortgage company back again.
6/12/10 This rep's name is Martha. Martha tells us that a package was sent out to us and that we had been preapproved for a modification and that we should receive the packet soon. So now we're thinking, okay they got everything straightened out and we're on our way to a permanent modification. Then the package arrives. The package is for us to fill out and start the whole process over, including going through another trial period which we all ready did. So we call the mortgage company.
6/17/10 We talked to another rep, Debbie and they send off a message to Daniel and ask him to either call us or email us and ask him to reopen our original request. Again if we don't hear from him in so many days we should call back and ask to talk to a supervisor..... You guessed it, no Daniel, we had to call the mortgage company again.
6/22/10 This time we talk to a supervisor she sends off a message to Daniel and tells us.... yep if we don't hear back from Daniel in so many days to call back.
6/25/10 We speak with Lakevia. She talks to the escalation department and they tell us to fax in our updated financial info and that an escalation request will be put in to request the reopening of our original modification request.
7/7/10 This time we speak with Stacy. She tells us that an escalation request was not put in, but she puts in one for us. When talking with all these different reps they all kept telling us that when we couldn't get ahold of Daniel that we could have talk to any rep to give them the info that he wanted. We find out from Stacy that, that isn't true, because Daniel didn't have notes in the system telling them what info he wanted. The only note he had in the system was that if we called and talked with any of the other reps they were to transfer us to him. And of course most likely we would have gotten his voicemail. Stacy tells us that we should hear something from them within 5 business days and if we don't to call them back.
7/15/10 We didn't hear anything from the mortgage company so we call them back. First I speak with Brent and he just starts giving me the run around. I ask to speak with a supervisor. John the supervisor gets on the phone. He tells me he is going to contact Daniels supervisor and that he's going to expidite our escalation request. John says that by Monday there should be something in the system.
7/16/10 Daniel finally calls us. All he wanted to do was go over the financial info that we had faxed to them and make sure nothing had changed. (you have got to be kidding me all of this hassle for that!) Daniel said that we should be hearing from him either Tuesday or Wednesday of this week. Of course tomorrow I won't be home for most of the day because I have to take my sister to doctor's appointments and Wednesday I'll be gone in the afternoon, because I have a cardiologist appointment.
7/17/10 We get a letter in the mail from our mortgage company telling us that they have start foreclosure proceedings and that our file has been turned over to a lawyer in our state. WTF!!!! We have been going round and round with then for the last month, they can see that we are trying to work something out!
I really hope Daniel calls with good news this week. If not that means that we will lose our home. Mind you we don't have some huge extravagant home. Just a little starter home that we've done a ton of work to. I don't understand our mortgage company. Do they really want our house. In just the last two years we've had 3 houses sell on our block. One is a big farm house from the early 1900's on a double lot for $46,000. Another is a brick ranch on a triple lot for $35,000 and another brick home for $50,000. Don't they realize that in the long run they will get much more money from us than if they take the house and try to sell it. We want to keep our home, we want to pay them what we can.
I'm just beside myself, I don't know what to do!!!"
(Link to original post)