Consumer complaint received 2023-05-30
Company: Selene Holdings LLC
State: CA
Product: Mortgage
Sub-product: FHA mortgage
Issue: Trouble during payment process

Complaint:
Im filing this complaint because over the past ninety-days it appears that Selene Financial has been assessing fake charges to my account. I believe they are doing this in an effort to absorb the credit on my account in an attempt to steal additional money from me, and force me to pay more than is due on my monthly mortgage. 

I have been delinquent on my mortgage since XXXX. Back then I was three months behind on my mortgage, but had come up with a plan to bring my mortgage current. I sent in my monthly mortgage payment so that I would not go beyond three months delinquent, and I sent that payment in electronically by my bank. Unfortunately, Selene Financial rejected that payment and told my bank that my account with them had been closed. So, they forced me into the foreclosure process. 

I contacted Selene and complained to them, and they denied that they had actually rejected my payment, even though my bank showed me the proof that they had done it. Selene then agreed to enter into a repayment agreement with me, but only if I signed, and agreed to give them a XXXX XXXX balloon bonus. They wanted me to agree to pay them at the end of my loan, a balloon payment of XXXX XXXX XXXX dollars if I wanted to keep my house. Thereafter, I filled for Bankruptcy. 

Over the past few years, I have been making my payments as agreed and bringing my account current. But several months ago, I applied for mortgage relief assistance from the California Mortgage Relief program. I was approved for the program, and as of XX/XX/XXXX it brought my mortgage account current, and my next payment wasnt due until XX/XX/XXXX with a {$150.00} credit. My payment for XX/XX/XXXX was {$1800.00} - {$150.00} = {$1600.00} ( See attached mortgage statement ). 

Then all of a sudden for some strange reason, my mortgage statement dated XX/XX/XXXX changed my payment due amount, and now my mortgage payment due for XX/XX/XXXX, went from {$1600.00} to {$1600.00}, which is {$31.00} more. Why did my mortgage statement change? Why was I charged a {$31.00} fee on my account with no explanation? 

And then, in the following month on my mortgage statement dated XX/XX/XXXX, my mortgage payment changed again. For XX/XX/XXXX my payment changed from the increased amount of {$1600.00} to {$1700.00}, which is {$100.00} more. That is now a grand total of {$130.00} dollars charged against my credit that I had. 

Then I received a Annual Escrow Account Disclosure Statement from Selene Financial that my mortgage payment was increasing from {$1800.00} to {$1900.00} effective XX/XX/XXXX. So now I was being required to pay {$1900.00}, and they now totally absorbed/stole my {$150.00} dollar credit. Even if my mortgage amount did increase, they dont have a right to illegally absorb my credit, but they are trying to. 


I called Selene Financial and advised them that they were illegally raising my monthly mortgage payment amount. They advised me that their Tax Department was responsible for the increase based on their analysis, and they were the only ones that could reverse the increase. So, I contacted their Tax Department, explained to them their error, they researched their determination, and agreed that the increase was in error, and reversed their increase. 

So, after reversing their error, and the monthly mortgage amount for XXXX was reduced, it was only reduced to {$1700.00}, which is {$130.00} more than the {$1600.00} I was suppose to pay before they made their increase error. Companies like Selene Financial should be heavily fined for making these fraudulent attempts to steal customers money. What happened to my {$150.00} dollar credit? 

I was made aware that while checking my current annual taxes it was discovered that my taxes had increased from {$6400.00} to {$6600.00} which is a difference of {$120.00} annually. 

{$120.00} divided by 12 months is {$10.00} per month. So, my monthly increase should only be {$10.00} per month. So, my previous monthly mortgage amount of {$1800.00}, should only increase to {$1800.00} effective XX/XX/XXXX. And when my {$150.00} is applied to my account, my mortgage amount should only be {$1600.00} for XX/XX/XXXX. 

I called again and spoke Selene Financial regarding their error of overcharging me, and they told me that they made the correction and my mortgage amount has been corrected and it will now be {$1800.00}. But they said it has to start on XX/XX/XXXX and I have to pay the incorrect amount of {$1900.00} for the month of XX/XX/XXXX. Are these people crazy. 

They said the way that their computer works, if its less than 45 days before the change is to take effect, they must move the change to the following month ( i.e. XX/XX/XXXX ). 

So now, they are not only illegally stealing my {$150.00} dollar credit, they are also attempting to steal and additional {$89.00} dollars for a grand total of {$240.00}. {$1900.00} minus {$1600.00} = {$240.00}. 

I get that some computer software may have limitations, but there are very simplistic methods and techniques that have been available for decades to resolve these simplistic limitations. One is called an accounting credit. That is when someone goes into the accounting part of the computer software and applied a dollar amount ( credit ) for the difference between what the computer is charging, versus what the client actually owes. Its really, really simple. Ive done it tons if times at work. So why does this appear to be so complicated for a multi-million-dollar company named Selene Financial? 

And the worst part is, Selene Financial appears to be upgrading their computer system next month between XX/XX/XXXX, and XXXX, so there is no telling what the heck will happen to the numbers on my account then. 

Simply, I asking that a credit be applied to my account to reflect the actual balance that I owe which is {$1600.00} effective XX/XX/XXXX. Otherwise please provide me with a full accounting of my account beginning with XX/XX/XXXX, to the present. 

I am happy that my account is finally current, and all I want to do is pay my mortgage and not have to deal with these Selene folks. But it feels like Im surrounded by a pack of rats/thieves that just keep nibbling at the bit, trying to take more from me than they are entitled to receive. 

Thanking you in advance for your attention to this matter.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation