Consumer complaint received 2023-09-19
Company: CITIZENS FINANCIAL GROUP, INC.
State: CT
Product: Credit reporting or other personal consumer reports
Sub-product: Credit reporting
Issue: Incorrect information on your report
Sub-issue: Account information incorrect

Complaint:
Good afternoon, XX/XX/XXXX - requested forbearance from servicer ( Citizens N.A. ) under CARES Act. 
Spoke with XXXX. Repeatedly requested written confirmation. Citizens informed us they were only doing " verbal agreements '' at this time. 

XXXX XXXX XXXX  - As a matter of practice, requested Annual Credit Report. Credit report indicated that we were in forbearance in XXXX XXXX however, discovered errors, late payment reports and automated charges and payments from overdraft bank account used in connection with Mortgage beginning XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX 
XX/XX/XXXX - Called Citizens to inform them of inquire and request information. Were informed by Citizens N.A. that this a banking issue ( Citizens Bank ) and they would not assist us further. 

XX/XX/XXXX- Simultaneously received foreclosure summons and experienced a death in the family. After hours, days, weeks and working with federal housing counselors at XXXX XXXX, discovered the foreclosure summons was automatically triggered due to an internal employee error. Submitted case number inquiry to escalate case to the " Chair '' with recommendation to call back in 2 days to check and that we would be contacted by chair. Recommended that we further explain the situation to the Chair. 

( We were not contacted by the " Chairperson '' until XX/XX/XXXX. ) XX/XX/XXXX - Forced to hire an attorney to help us succeed with any communication with Citizens N.A. Only after bringing in an attorney did we begin receiving paper statements again. The foreclosure summons was withdrawn and forbearance was reinstated. 

After resolving the crisis around not losing our house, I began investigating the automated overdraft charges and payments and attempted to gain clarification and submitted disputes to the credit bureaus. 

Credit bureaus informed me that I needed a statement, in writing from Citizens N.A. that we had been in forbearance in XX/XX/XXXX in order to correct and remove the late payment reports on credit report. 

Attempted to contact Citizens by phone several times both with and without a housing counselor advocate. Because wait times were so high, the housing advocate often had to end the call ( they have a 30 minute limit given the current demand ). Unsuccessful in attempts to contact Citizens. 

XX/XX/XXXX - Made an appointment to visit a Citizens Bank branch in-person to gain clarification and resolve discrepancies. The branch manager, XXXX XXXX, tried to help but had to escalate the situation to the " Chairperson '' in order to access accounts and resolve issues. Given the proof of paperwork, records and articulation of the case, XXXX XXXX filed the case under " unfair and deceptive business practices '' and I was assured that the chairperson would resolve the discrepancies given the unfairness, refusal on the part of Citizens to send written agreements, lack of clarity, lack of communication with me regarding the accounts and overall neglect of basic standards of practice. I never received one alert or communication from Citizens regarding an overdraft, or a late payment and instead received emails stating that I had paid my mortgage and another email indicating that they owed me a {$2000.00} check - when I followed up on this, I was told that they ( Citizens ) did not and would not send me a check given the status of my account. 

My credit report to this date, XXXX XXXX XXXX has not been corrected. I have received no written records or verification indicating our participation in forbearance under the CARES Act. On the statements I began receiving after enlisting the support of the attorney, they indicated that the account was delinquent beginning XXXX XXXX  along with the incorrect information written " forbearance nongovernment '' even though our loans are with XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX 

I have done everything within reasonable standards all the way to herculean, superhuman efforts to work in good faith with Citizens Bank and Citizens N.A. to resolve these errors without success and with innumerable obstacles. I am not sure what else to do and even question the legality of Citizen 's practices. Our, very understated and conservative attorney went to far as to express how poorly we had been treated by Citizens and his never having faces such levels of incompetence in his entire career. Having working in the public sector my entire adult life as a XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX  in the United States, I agree with his sentiment in its entirety. 

Short of spending more funds, that we don't have, on attorney fees to resolve this blatant disregard for accepted business practices, I'm not sure where else to turn. Will you please help me? 

Respectfully yours,

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation