Consumer complaint received 2023-03-13
Company: Ocwen Financial Corporation
State: AL
Product: Mortgage
Sub-product: Conventional home mortgage
Issue: Struggling to pay mortgage

Complaint:
As of XX/XX/XXXX, Here is the summary of my complaint against PHH Mortgage : I called PHH Mortgage early XXXX ( I think XX/XX/XXXX ) Forbearance requested due to financial hardship and approved for 3 months ( XXXX - XXXX ). I told them that my husband owns his own company and had been sick and in and out of the hospital. This affected a loss in business and we were struggling with paying our bills. 

When I called the first of XXXX to confirm that the forbearance ended on XXXX XXXX, XXXX, the PHH rep said that it actually ends at the end of XXXX. He said that my first payment back would be in XXXX. That payment is a little over {$2100.00} ( a new payment for XXXX due to escrow shortage ). He said that I would need to call to make that payment over the phone and after that I can set up the draft again. I had requested that the 4 missed payments be placed at the end of the life of the loan. PHH rep said it was approved. He asked me if I had received a letter on that and I said no. He said I could call PHH back to give a verbal yes to the agreement or we could discuss on the phone right then. I decided to take care of at that moment on the phone. The PHH rep explained the agreement and I gave verbal consent. I confirmed that our monthly payment had not changed. 

At the beginning of XXXX, I called PHH to make payment for XXXX. Now the PHH rep told that because the forbearance is not due to COVID then it would not be put at the life of the loan. All the recorded phone calls and call notes reflect that I stated reason for forbearance was due to financial hardship. PHH granted the approval for 4 month forbearance and the way the missed payments would be handled. 

I called PHH on XX/XX/XXXX and spoke with a supervisor named XXXX ID : XXXX, to escalate the call to research dept. since my payment is due XX/XX/XXXX. The supervisor read through the past call notes on my account and agreed that PHH needed to honor the placement of putting the 4 mortgage payments during the forbearance to the end of the life of the loan and that everything I had told him he saw in the call notes. 

I called PHH on XX/XX/XXXX to get update on account. Now the PHH rep transferred to an escalation manager who then transferred me to the Resolution Dept. This PHH rep in the resolution dept said that I had been approved for mortgage assistance of {$1000.00} to pay for the next six months starting XXXX and that I would not need to pay anything in XXXX. The rep said that this would get me back on track. However, I would place me further behind on my mortgage. I told the PHH rep that the PHH rep asked me if I wanted someone to look at our acct to see if our monthly payment could be lower and I said sure. I declined the mortgage assistance immediately on the call with the resolution dept rep. I asked if I could make my regular XXXX payment. He said no. I could make a payment but it would be applied to XXXX forbearance payment and I would still need to pay the other payments. The PHH rep asked to schedule an appmt with a relationship manager. He scheduled it for the next day, XX/XX/XXXX, at XXXX XXXX. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I did not receive a call at XXXX XXXX. When I called PHH at XXXX XXXX. They said that the call notes said they attempted call. They had called my husband 's cell in error instead of my cell number. Unfortunately, my husband did not receive a call or even missed a call at that time or anytime that day from PHH. By request, I was transferred to a supervisor. I was connected to XXXX whom I had spoken to before. He reviewed the call notes. He said that my case was still being reviewed in research dept. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, my husband receives a call from PHH and passes the phone to me. We just happened to both be working from home that morning. The PHH mortgage rep was calling to confirm that I wanted to cancel the mortgage assistance plan. I had already been told back on XX/XX/XXXX that it was immediately cancelled when I spoke with the PHH rep in the resolution dept. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I called back to set up an appointment with a relationship manager. I learned from PHH that the relationship manager could not help me but just listen and take notes. So no appointment made since they could not help me. I explained to the PHH rep that my monthly mortgage payment is due this XXXX XX/XX/XXXX. I do not want to have me and my husband 's credit negatively affected by this. The PHH rep said that they do not report to the end of the month. This was not reassuring. The PHH rep also said that our case was still under review in research dept and wait til tommorrow. The PHH rep said that the research dept would mail me a letter on the decision but a decision was already made back in XXXX. This is chaotic and extremely stressful and it is hard to trust what the company says verbally and in writing because they change it at any given time. 

Please review account. All previous paperwork, call notes and recorded calls all match but now PHH wants to change it. I have been bounced around from customer service to escalation dept to resolutions dept. The delay in researching this will affect my credit report in the XXXX payment not made in time. I have also emailed the research dept. 

Every time I call PHH Mortgage, I am not able to speak with the same person and no one can assist. This is not a good example of relationship banking. We have had no other previous issues with this company until now. 

My family and I are grateful we are able to get back on track and pay our mortgage. I just want to pay the XXXX payment. By the way, I received a letter in the mail on XX/XX/XXXX telling me that my mortgage payment would increase a few dollars due to a another shortage in my escrow. ( We had already received a letter notification in XXXX  about an escrow shortage that would give our mortgage increase of about {$40.00} for next 6 months from {$2000.00} payment to a little over {$2100.00}. Nothing is lining up with the conversations on the phone verbally and the written communication from PHH. I would like for PHH to honor what they initially approved. 

I would like to report these issues to higher leadership within PHH but again the communication is horrible in trying to reach someone at PHH for assistance. I have exhausted all measures to successfully resolve this on my own. 

I appreciate your immediate attention. 
Thank you.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation