Consumer complaint received 2019-07-25
Company: Shellpoint Partners, LLC
State: MA
Product: Mortgage
Sub-product: Conventional home mortgage
Issue: Trouble during payment process

Complaint:
My mortgage and my escrow account were transferred from XXXX XXXX , XXXX, Servicer for XXXX XXXX to Shellpoint Mortgage Servicing,  Servicer for XXXX XXXX XXXX  XXXX XXXX on XX/XX/2019. This was two days before the real estate taxes were due to be paid, on XX/XX/2019. Despite the fact that my escrow account had more than twice the amount that was due in taxes, as of XX/XX/2019, my real estate taxes that were due on XX/XX/2019 have still not been paid -- either by XXXX XXXX XXXX before the transfer or by Shellpoint Mortgage Servicing after the transfer. On XX/XX/2019, I sent the delinquent tax bill to Shellpoint Mortgage Servicing, only to have Shellpoint Mortgage Servicing respond by claiming that its " research '' led the mortgage company to erroneously conclude that the taxes had been paid and no taxes were owed on the property. I have since spent many hours on the telephone calling Customer Service Agents ( first on XX/XX/2019 ) and Supervisors at Shellpoint Mortgage Servicing, and was even joined in a teleconference on XX/XX/2019 that XXXX XXXX at Shellpoint Mortgage Servicing arranged with the real estate municipal Tax Collector, who verified that the real estate taxes had not been paid. Ms. XXXX told me that she would call me back on XX/XX/2019, with a report on the progress in paying the tax bill, which she assured me that Shellpoint would do. She never called me back. On XX/XX/2019, the Tax Collector notified me in the attached letter that it is placing an advertisement in the newspaper, notifying the community that my taxes have not been paid, and that a lien is being placed on the property. This will damage my reputation indelibly, leading individuals searching the internet to conclude that I am a tax delinquent -- despite the fact that I have already paid the taxes to my mortage escrow account, and that Shellpoint Mortgage Servicing refuses to pay the taxes through my escrow account. This is completely unacceptable to me and will result in considerable damages to my reputation, for which I depend for my livelihood. I was told by XXXX in Customer Service at Shellpoint Mortgage Servicing that on XX/XX/2019, a Manager had placed a " tax escalation '' on the account, which was due to be resolved by XX/XX/2019. On XX/XX/2019, XXXX in Customer Service told me that another " tax escalation '' had been placed on the account. Later on XX/XX/2019, I spoke with XXXX XXXX XXXX in Customer Service, who told me that Supervisor XXXX XXXX, the top supervisor in Customer Service at Shellpoint Mortgage Servicing, had submitted a " tax escalation '' request. I was told that Mr. XXXX would call me, which he never did. On XX/XX/2019, XXXX XXXX in Customer Service at Shellpoint Mortgage Servicing told me that my tax bill had still not been paid and that someone from customer service had tried to call me on XX/XX/2019. I explained that I had not received any calls on the cell phone number that I had given to multiple customer service representatives, requesting that the long-outdated numbers on file be corrected. They assured me that this would be done, which it was not. I then spoke with Supervisor XXXX XXXX on XX/XX/2019, who corrected for the second time the incorrect telephone numbers that I had corrected on a prior call, and told me that " payment was in process. '' However, Mr. XXXX could not tell me when the payment would be made. He agreed to call me at XXXX  XXXX on XX/XX/2019, when the " back office '' that handles tax payments was still on duty, which he did not do so. I waited 4 hours and then called XXXX from Customer Service at Shellpoint Mortgage Servicing, who informed me that {$5.00} had been charged on my account today requesting that XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX obtain a tax search report transcript. Then, at XXXXXXXX XXXX, Supervisor Mr. XXXX XXXX finally called me back to tell me that he had nothing to tell me, since he had not checked in with the " back office '' before they left at XXXX XXXX When I asked him about the {$5.00} charge that had been charged on my account today requesting that XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX obtain a tax search report transcript, he told me that XXXX should not have provided me with that information, as it was from their internal records. It is evident that I am not being given candid and accurate information about why my real estate tax bill has not been paid. I need help from the CFPB to demand that Shellpoint Mortgage Servicing pay my delinquent tax bill from the funds in my escrow account. This is particularly urgent because Shellpoint Mortgage Servicing has just sent me a letter indicating that it has sold my mortgage servicing yet again -- for the second time in 3 months -- this time to XXXX , XXXX, effective either XX/XX/2019 ( according to a XX/XX/2019 letter from Shellpoint Mortgage Servicing ) or XX/XX/2019 ( according to the attached XX/XX/2019 letter from Shellpoint Mortgage Servicing ). If this bill is not paid before the loan servicing transfers on XX/XX/2019, then I will have to start all over again, and a lien will be place on my property. I should not have to go through all of this grief just to have the mortage servicing company pay the tax bill on my home from the escrow account into which I have paid my taxes.

Company public response: Company believes complaint is the result of an isolated error
Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation