Consumer complaint received 2022-07-21
Company: WELLS FARGO & COMPANY
State: OH
Product: Mortgage
Sub-product: Conventional home mortgage
Issue: Trouble during payment process

Complaint:
I purchased a home in NC in XX/XX/XXXX. My mortgage was then purchased by Wells Fargo. I received my annual escrow report in XXXX and found that I had an escrow shortage of {$5600.00}. I looked through the report and found that Wells Fargo had made 2 payments in the amount of {$4700.00} to insurance companies that I had never heard of and did not have policies with. They made a payment from my escrow account to XXXX XXXX XXXX in XX/XX/XXXX in the amount of {$4700.00}. That amount was then credited back to my escrow account by XXXX because I do not, and I have never had, a policy with them. The next month ( XX/XX/XXXX ) Wells Fargo made a payment from my escrow account to XXXX, another insurance company, in the amount of {$4700.00}. I do not, and have never had, a policy with this company. This amount has never been returned to my escrow account and it is causing a large shortage in the account and has caused my monthly mortgage payment to increase by over {$530.00} a month. Wells Fargo did make a correct payment to my actual insurance company in XX/XX/XXXX from my escrow account. 

Since discovering the mistake made by Wells Fargo I have made many calls to customer service and to their insurance department. For the first several calls Wells Fargo insisted it was impossible for this to happen. I had to investigate myself and made contact with XXXX XXXX and XXXX insurance. Both confirmed I do not have policies with them and they do not know why Wells Fargo sent them payments from my escrow. XXXX confirmed they immediately returned the payment when it was received. XXXX advised that they immediately returned the payment but Wells Fargo says they never received it. 

I have spent hours on the phone over the last 4 months with insurance agents ( one in Hawaii with XXXX ), Wells Fargo customer service and Wells Fargo 's insurance department. Because Wells Fargo could not believe there was any mistake, I had to do all of the initial investigation myself and prove to them a mistake had been made. I believed that Wells Fargo would then correct the mistake but to date they have not. Since the mistake was confirmed I have spent weeks trying to get my escrow account refunded. I continued to have email contact with XXXX and they advised that they had, at least 2 more times, sent Wells Fargo a check to refund my account. When I contacted Wells Fargo about the payments they insist they never got them. Wells Fargo has told me on multiple occasions that they are 'escalating ' their level of attention to the matter but so far they have not produced any results. I even put Well Fargo in direct contact with XXXX to properly direct the refund payment. This has not produced a result. My last contact with Wells Fargo was last week and I was once again told they were going to escalate their efforts. At that point I demanded that Wells Fargo refund the money that they took from my escrow account. I told them that I have had to do all of the foot work to resolve their mistake. I told them that they were responsible for this and they should immediately refund my escrow account and they could figure out how to get refunded by XXXX. 

To date Wells Fargo has been unable to explain why they made payments to two different insurance companies that I do not, and have never, had policies with. Neither insurance company has any idea why Wells Fargo sent them the payments. 

This has caused a great deal of stress both emotionally and financially on my family. I need some help and a friend advised that I make complaint with the CFPB.

Company public response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
Company response to consumer: Closed with non-monetary relief