Consumer complaint received 2017-05-09
Company: Ocwen Financial Corporation
State: CT
Product: Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports
Sub-product: Other personal consumer report
Issue: Problem with a company's investigation into an existing issue
Sub-issue: Difficulty submitting a dispute or getting information about a dispute over the phone

Complaint:
hank you for your assistance. It is very much appreciated.     I will try my best to make this succinct, but it has been a long and frustrating journey.   I feel that it is necessary to give enough background so that the present situation is better understood.     The property, where we live and wish to purchase is at  XXXX   XXXX   XXXX   XXXX   XXXX , CT  XXXX  The house can be seen at  XXXX  by searching in  XXXX , CT.      Two yea rs ago, my husband and I sold the home where we had lived for 24 years here in  XXXX . The house was large and contained most of our family history. It was a long and difficult process. It was physically and emotionally exhausting. I am  XXXX   XXXX   XXXX , my husband is  XXXX . Just prior to moving,  XXXX  had  XXXX   XXXX .     We decided that, rather than buy another house when we were not yet sure where we would eventually move, we would be renters for a few years and have a chance to relax, not be burdened with homeowners responsibilities, and take our time to choose our next final move, buying a house or condo at that time.     We found a suitable house in  XXXX . We rented it a month and a half in advance, so we would be assured of our location and slowly moved in. The day after we had finally moved everything we owned into the house, the landlord sent us an email telling us not to worry if the bank put a sign in the front yard. The house was in the process of foreclosure. We were dumbstruck. Neither of the realtors knew about this. We felt that the lease had been signed under false pretenses. Had we known the true situation, we would never have signed the lease.     From then on, we learned that the landlord had for many years been in bankruptcy and had a long list of dealings in court and other foreclosures. We spent time and money with lawyers, and in ou r Town H  all , where they knew the landlord very well and felt sorry that we had to deal with him. We soon learned that the property had many code violations and was in far more disrepair than we knew. We spent much of our own money ( around {$8000.00}  )  just making sure we could live in safety in the house. The landlord was uncooperative and sometimes threatening, but we paid our rent to him throughout. My husband 's health declined during this period.     Finally, in  XXXX , the landlord lost the house to foreclosure. Within days  XXXX  put a notice on our front door to offer cash for moving prior to eviction. We were in touch with  XXXX  in  XXXX ,  XXXX . We told them that we wanted to make an offer on the house. They were supposed to contact us with the proper information but they did not.     Finally they called again, offering a small amount of cash if we moved out within 30 days.   Again we told them we wanted to make an offer, but they told us that the house was already in an online auction on a site called  XXXX . We could bid if we wanted to. We are not good on tech matters. We had never even heard of an online auction.     Close to this time, on  XXXX   XXXX , a marshal came to the house and served us with eviction papers. We were mortified. He very kindly explained the process and advised that we contact our attorney, which we did. Given our personal circumstances, buying the house seemed the right move. We know that the house will require subs tantial improvements an d the costs involved. We are willing to take this on, if the house can be purchased at a price that makes this feasible.     The house has repeatedly been placed in an  online auction on Hubzu. The terms for this purchase is CASH ONLY. We consulted our financial advisor an d the mortga ge director at t he bank. We are not wealthy people and live mostly on a fixed income, but it looked like we could manage this given the auction prices listed. Twice we have been the highest bidders in online auctions. Both times we were informed that the " reserve : price had not been met, though the reserve price is not disclosed, and we were not able to negotiate with the selle r, Ocwen.  For some unknown reason, this reserve price is meant to remain a secret. Every employee at  XXXX  with whom I spoke said they are never given the reserve price.     Each time, when the house comes back on auction, the price is continually reduced.   It started, as I recall, at {$380000.00}, then {$360000.00}, then {$350000.00}, now {$330000.00}. We have placed bids of {$370000.00}, {$380000.00}, {$390000.00} and {$390000.00}. Most of the time, it appears that there are no other bidders.      XXXX  also attaches another fee at the rate of 4.5 % of the offered price. In  XXXX  article, I read that this is a fee for using  XXXX , but  XXXX  is part of  Ocwen. T he article suggested that this was an inflated fee, paying themselves more money and that  XXXX  charges 1.5 % on no n     XXXX   or Ocwen pro perties. For us, we must consider it as part of the price. Were this fee negotiable or lower, we could make a higher offer on the house.     In the midst of all of this, we read some rather unsettling depictions of alleged malpractices at  XXXX ,  XXXX  suggesting that they have phantom or straw bidders to raise the prices. It looked that way to us on some of the auctions on this house. Still, they own the house, and for many reasons, among them my husband 's health issues, we have felt that staying here for at least a few more years is the right decision if we can only  XXXX  ALK to the Asset Manager or someone in charge.      Countless hours have been spent in telephone conversation with  XXXX  and  XXXX . I managed to reach someone at  Ocwen but the person said that Ocwen does n't own the house, It i s owned by  XXXX . It is all mysterious.     At least  XXXX  very nice  XXXX  employees have tried to give us direct contact with th e Asset Manager who  sets the reserve or sale price. Finally, we were advised to directly contact the listing agent, someon e Ocwen h as worked with for several years.  XXXX   XXXX   XXXX  was surprised that I was calling her myself and that my husband and I are both the occupants of the house as well as those making bids.     Being as transparent and clear as possible, I explained our situation and its history. She suggested that I supply more information that she would pass on in a direct offer to t he Asset Manager . Following her direction, I spent many hours assembling information and costs for work we have already done on the house, on photographing the rotting pool deck next to the bare circle where an above ground pool had once set, and showing large quantities of debris and building materials the owner had left in the woods and on state land around the property. I also outlined the possible $  XXXX  {$60000.00} of work needed to improve the house. I sent this to her along with our offer of {$390000.00}.     The response back fro m Ocwen wa s a counter of {$460000.00}. We have no idea if the  Asset Manager  looked at the documents we sent to  XXXX . We did not counter back at the time, stunned by the price, especially in light of the low price on the online auction and the clear need of costly repairs.     I have, by the way, copies of the costs and photos and documents that were sent to  XXXX   XXXX   XXXX .     Sometimes it has felt as if they were just playing with us, not being serious about making a deal or bringing finality to the process. The auction pricing seems like a bait and switch operation, luring people into thinking the opening bid means something when it does not.   Bidding again and again, when they have no intention of negotiating with you even if you have the highest bid but not telling you what the reserve price is. They simply put the house back on auction and at even lower opening bids.     While we are in the house, the property can not be inspected or shown. So we, the occupants are a problem for them. On the other hand, we are maintaining the house and have averted several problems and damage had we not been here -- things like ice blocks and leaks.But we could also be the solution by buying the house, giving them a cash deal, and avoiding the need or cost of eviction.     We had the unfortunate situation of an unknown foreclosure and felt like victims when dealing with the landlord. Now we feel again like victims in these dealing with  XXXX Ocwen and  XXXX .     We would like to be able to buy the house at a reasonable and fair price, given all the work that is required. We believe that a move at this time would be hazardous to m  y husband 's health. We feel that the manner in which Ocwen performs has been a source of enormous   XXXX    to both of us.
It seems that Ocwen and its other companies show little or no respect or re  gard for those with whom they do business. There is no rhyme or reason that we can see. We hope that there will be some way you can see that will protect us and all the others who have dealt with these companies.     We thank you sincerely for your attention to this probably too lengthy email. Please let us know if there are questions or if we can clarify any issues.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation