Consumer complaint received 2022-07-05
Company: SELECT PORTFOLIO SERVICING, INC.
State: GA
Product: Mortgage
Sub-product: Conventional home mortgage
Issue: Struggling to pay mortgage

Complaint:
Effective XX/XX/XXXX, my mortgage account was transferred from XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX to Select Portfolio Servicing , Inc. At that time, I was unemployed and had been since XX/XX/XXXX. I resigned from a position to accept another position in a city that was closer to where my parents were living. My plan was to take a 3 month leave to provide care for my elderly parents, while searching for private assistance with their care. In XX/XX/XXXX, the emergence of the COVID pandemic made it impossible to hire private care assistance due to the XXXX guidelines and recommendations. I attempted to return to work on a couple of occasions but ended up being called away from work due to medical complications with my parents ' health. I quickly found myself taking on the role of caregiver, as my parents required around-the-clock care assistance. I was able to maintain my household using funds which I had saved up over the years. As the pandemic became worse, it became even more difficult to find care assistance. My parents required assistance to doctor visits, physical therapy sessions and dialysis appointments. I was able to collect unemployment from XX/XX/XXXX to XX/XX/XXXX in the amount of approximately {$330.00} per week. As time passed, it became necessary for me to move my mother into my home because she was unable to care for herself and my father was not able to care for her in the manner that she needed. She required around the clock care and was unable to ambulate due to XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX secondary to a fall. Time continued to pass and before I even realized, almost 2 years had passed. My dear Mother passed away a few months ago and I am now assisting with my fathers care. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I submitted a Request for Mortgage Assistance ( RMA ) to Select Portfolio Services. SPS had granted me forbearance prior to this because of the ongoing COVID pandemic. Several months later, I was approved by SPS for a trial modification program. The program required that I make XXXX monthly payments at a reduced amount. I was successfully able to make the first two payments. By the time the final payment was due, my finances had drastically declined. I had made attempts to return to work on a couple of occasions, but I was often called away from work due to falls and other medical complications with my parents. I then completed another RMA because I received some financial assistance from family members and even resorted to the extreme of cashing in my retirement savings. On XX/XX/XXXX, I was again approved for a Trial Modification Agreement. I have made the first of the required " on-time '' payments and plan to fulfill this obligation. I had hoped that by now, that SPS would have provided the necessary information to the Georgia HAF and SPS would been presented with the grant funds from the state to assist with the other two payments. 

During this time, I had been constantly researching mortgage assistance programs in efforts to prevent foreclosure on the home. On XX/XX/XXXX, completed an extensively lengthy application process for financial assistance in the form of a grant to be funded by the Georgia Homeowners Assistance Funds ( GHAF ). On XX/XX/XXXX, I received notice from the Georgia Department of Community Affairs that a preliminary review of my application had been performed and I was provided with a list of additional documents to be provided by XX/XX/XXXX. I submitted all the required documentation in a timely fashion. On XX/XX/XXXX, I received notice from the Georgia Department of Community Affairs that the maximum assistance that I could receive would be & XXXX. At that time, my mortgage was delinquent by approximately {$86000.00}, but the {$50000.00} would bring me closer to bringing the loan current. I knew that once I returned to work, I would be able to manage the payments and bring the loan completely current. 

I was instructed that I would have to complete HUD Counseling with an approved agency. Within a week 's time, I met face to face with a HUD counselor. The counselor and I have been working together to communicate with SPS. The mortgage company has been less than cooperative. My counselor has been a huge advocate and I have documentation of phone calls, applications, and emails between my counselor, myself and SPS. More importantly, we have been in conversations with the Ombudsman Department at SPS. One agent in that department had informed us that SPS would be willing to accept the grant funds in the amount of {$50000.00}. We then persisted in trying to obtain written documentation of such as this was requested from the GHAF and Department of Community Affairs. However, despite multiple telephone and written requests, SPS has been extremely noncooperative in providing us with such documentation. 

In the meantime, the Georgia Mortgage Assistance/Georgia Department of Community Affairs informed me on XX/XX/XXXX, that I had been denied for the consideration of assistance because " The Written Agreement about the Lender willing to accept Partial Payment from HAF has not been provided ''. Both myself, and my counselor, again have reached out to SPS Ombudsman Department requesting that this information be provided. After multiple continued requests, on XX/XX/XXXX, my counselor and I spoke with another agent in the Ombudsman Department who informed us that they " are not required to accept the GA HAF monetary assistance '' and that they " will not be able to do so. '' He stated that he would provide us with an email on the same date which documented this information. This did not occur. I called again on XX/XX/XXXX, I again called SPS Ombudsman Department regarding the fact that neither I, nor my counselor, had not received the email. Finally, on XX/XX/XXXX, I received an email documenting that they would not accept the funds " due to XXXX XXXX XXXX having entered into a Trial Modification Agreement. '' I have been searching for employment opportunities since XX/XX/XXXX. Having been out of medical practice for over 2 years, I have had trouble in finding employment. I interviewed for a position in another state and now am awaiting approval for my medical license to practice in that state. I have been told that this process can take anywhere from XXXX to 90 days. I am hoping that once the medical board meets in that state, I will be granted the medical license and can begin working. The employer has been very patient and supportive. 

I was eligible for the grant funds from the GAHAF in the amount of {$50000.00} which would have been paid directly to SPS. These funds would have been extremely advantageous in helping to bring my mortgage closer to a status. I know that once I can return to work, I will be able to bring the entire loan current. My counselor has been super supportive in trying to assist me with this situation. This issue could have been resolved had SPS been more cooperative.

Company public response: Company believes it acted appropriately as authorized by contract or law
Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation