Consumer complaint received 2020-01-09
Company: Mr. Cooper Group Inc.
State: PA
Product: Mortgage
Sub-product: Conventional home mortgage
Issue: Struggling to pay mortgage

Complaint:
My loan was transferred to Mr Cooper on or about XX/XX/XXXX, when Seterus went under. I called Mr Cooper and was informed my first payment was due XX/XX/XXXX. Even though I was told this on the phone, my statements from Mr Cooper show that a payment was missed in XX/XX/XXXX. I had no idea at the time that a payment was required for XXXX. I went by what I was told on the phone by the Mr Cooper representative. 

The very first statement I received from Mr Cooper is dated XX/XX/XXXX and already shows that I owed {$2300.00}. Payments prior to XX/XX/XXXX was being made to Seterus so how could my balanced owed already be {$2300.00}? 
The transfer letter I received from Mr Cooper was dated XX/XX/XXXX stating that my loan had been transferred to them and any payments after XX/XX/XXXX should be made to Mr Cooper. The XXXX mortgage payment had already been made to Seterus prior to me receiving this transfer notice. This makes it even more astonishing that my balance owed on XX/XX/XXXX was already twice as much as my normal mortgage amount. By the time I made my first payment in XXXX, Mr Cooper was already showing that I owed them {$4700.00}. Basically saying I owed them 4 months worth of mortgage payments plus fees. 

Sometime in XXXX I started asking about the HARP program or a modification and was told I did not qualify since I did not miss any payments. I continued to ask what could be done to lower my monthly payments. I was told the HARP program was over and I did not qualify for a modification. So then I purposely skipped one payment ( XX/XX/XXXX ) so I could qualify. 

In XXXX, I was told that I would be enrolled in a 90 modification trial period. I was not told what my interest rate would be during this time frame. I was informed that the payments had to be made by phone and the normal phone service charge would be waved or I could mail in a check. The website could not be used to submit the payment. The website would only accept a full payment of what was owed to date to become current. I also asked several times on several different occasions what the terms of this modification would be. I was told that until I completed the trial period, I would not be told any of this. I asked if my interest rate would be lowered and I was told probably not, even though it is well above the current market interest rates. So I anticipated that Mr Cooper was only going to increase my loan term back to 30 years which would only benefit them. 

The first 2 months went fine ( XXXX and XXXX ). When I called in on XX/XX/XXXX to make the last payment, I received a recorded message 3 separate times stating that the offices were closed until Monday XX/XX/XXXX. About 30 minutes later, I received an automated call from Mr Cooper telling me I needed to call Mr Cooper immediately. Again I called and received the same message stating that the offices were closed until XX/XX/XXXX. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I called and was transferred to the Escalation Dept. I was basically told there was nothing that could be done. The person informed me their offices were closed by XXXX  CST on XX/XX/XXXX. I was told that I had to have called after that time to receive that recorded message. When I stated that I had called prior to that time, I was told that I had to be mistaken. I was also told that I should have used the website to make the payment. I informed the person that I was told I could NOT use the website for these modification payments. 

After disconnecting with this person, I then tried to call my account representative. He is never available so it seems but this time I got a recording saying he was out of the office and to press 0 for another agent. I did so and reached a lady by the name of XXXX. She said she was not permitted to give out her last name but I was later told by someone else that her last name was XXXX. When I told her about my situation on XX/XX/XXXX and what I was told by the person in the Escalation Dept, she couldn't understand why I was told all of that. She stated that their office was open until XXXX CST on that date and she knew that because she was there that day. She placed me on hold until she spoke to her supervisor. 

When she came back to me, she informed me that her supervisor stated that they had phone problems that day. She also told me that her supervisor got approval from his supervisor to go ahead and take my payment to complete the modification trial. XXXX told me that her supervisor told her the modification would not get canceled and the payment would complete the trial period. She " guaranteed '' me that the modification would not get canceled and that everything would be fine. She stated that she would place good enough notes on my account to make sure nobody would question it. I told her that I was afraid something would happen and the modification would still get canceled at some point. She again " guaranteed '' me that that would not happen since she got the approval from her supervisor who also got approval from his supervisor who I later found out was an Assistant Vice President of Customer Service, XXXX XXXX. The phone calls at Mr Cooper are recorded so I'm sure this phone call could be verified if the recording has not been destroyed by Mr Cooper. XXXX also gave me her phone extension number in case something did happen. Since then, I've tried to contact her on several occasions but no one ever answers her phone extension and there is no voice mail associate with her number. The number she gave me for her extension was XXXX. At a later point when I was told what her last name was, I was also given her direct dial phone number as XXXX. Nobody ever answers this phone and no voice mail is ever reached. After several rings, the phone call transfers to the main Mr Cooper phone system. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, my account rep, XXXX XXXX, called me and went over the happenings of the days prior. I filled him in on what happened and he was reading through the notes that XXXX had left on my account. He said he was glad that I was able to get help from XXXX and he was glad it all worked out. Again, I told him I was afraid something would happen and that the modification would again get canceled. He stated that he " would keep an eye on it for me '' and would make sure nothing happened. 

All through XXXX, I received no paperwork, no emails, no phone calls or any other kind of information concerning the modification. I tried to call my account rep XXXX XXXX only to find that he was out on vacation until XX/XX/XXXX. Again I got transferred to the Escalation Dept and I was told that the modification was indeed canceled and nothing could be done because my last payment was late. This person told me I had the entire month of XXXX to make the last payment and that my payment was submitted late on XX/XX/XXXX. When I told the person I didn't get paid until XX/XX/XXXX and I tried to make the payment on the XXXX but couldn't, I was informed that there were no phone problems on that date and that nothing could be done. It was basically like hearing " oh well tough luck ''. 

I called back several times and kept getting similar answers from different people. Each person said that they would escalate my problem and someone would get back to me. Nobody did. I called again and spoke to someone name XXXX XXXX who said she would investigate and get back to me. She also told me NOT to make any additional payments until the problem was resolved. This was also on a recorded call unless Mr Cooper has destroyed the recording. I also recorded this call with XXXX on my cell phone and have a copy of that call. My recording is available just in case for some reason Mr Cooper doesn't have that recording. 

XXXX called me on XX/XX/XXXX and informed me that she concluded her investigation and there was nothing that could be done. I also recorded this call. I asked if she had spoken to XXXX or her supervisor or the Asst VP who approved the payment. She would not tell me if any of these people were contacted. She informed me that I made no attempts to make any payments via the website. I told her I was informed that I could not make the payment via the website but she told me I was wrong. I was informed prior to the modification trial period that I could NOT make the payments via the website. She didn't believe what I was saying. 

XXXX also stated that there were no phone issues on XX/XX/XXXX even though she kept saying there were no known website issues. I don't believe she ever checked if there were phone problems. So I stated that she was basically saying that XXXX lied to me when she said her supervisor said there were indeed phone problems on the XXXX. She said she was not making any such statement. I informed her that someone had to be lying ; either XXXX or herself. Both stories could not be the truth. Since we were in the middle of our New Years Eve dinner at my home, I informed XXXX that I did not need to hear her lies any longer and I hung up. 

Mr Cooper has misled me in so many ways that this has to be border-line illegal or at least unethical. I've found so many other complaints where other people have gone through similar situations with Mr Cooper involving modifications and the modifications getting canceled. 

Mr Cooper also reported to the credit bureaus that I missed the payments during this entire modification trial period. They are actually reporting that I missed 5 payments during the XXXX  year. Again, I was initially told that my first payment after the transfer was not due until the month of XXXX which I did pay. Then I purposely missed the XXXX payment because I was told the only way I would qualify for a modification was if I was behind on payments. They are reporting that all 3 months of the trial period were missed payments. 

I also contacted someone from the Pennsylvania XXXX XXXX XXXX and spoke to XXXX. After explaining my situation with Mr Cooper, she said she would send an email to a contact she had within Mr Cooper. 

The next day I contacted XXXX from XXXX again and she informed me she did get a response back from Mr Cooper. She was informed that I was never part of any modification trial period. Neither of us had any clue what was going on at this point. Mr Cooper had either lied to this individual who works at PHFA or I have no clue what I was participating in during the months of XXXX. 

The statements I have from Mr Cooper reflect a missed payment in XXXX of XXXX. Again, I was told on the phone that my first payment wasn't due until XX/XX/XXXX which I made. 

I was also informed that during the trial period, no derogatory remarks would be sent to the credit bureaus since I was involved in the trial modification. I found out that they were indeed submitting missed payment reports to the bureaus during this time frame. 

Now I am in a situation where no other financial institute will allow me to refinance because of these missed payments showing up on my credit report. When I try to call Mr Cooper now, I only get to speak to someone different each and every time. I have to run through the whole story and scenario each and every time and the representative gives me the same answer each time after they read down through the notes on my account. I'm always told that the Escalation Dept has already reviewed this and nothing can be done. So much for these institutions trying to help people as much as possible so there would not be a foreclosure. Sure seems like that is all Mr Cooper wants at this time. 

I submitted a complaint on Consumer Affairs XXXX XXXX XXXX and got a reply from someone named XXXX XXXX. I got this reply : Hello XXXX - I appreciate you informing us of your experience. It is my goal to make every attempt to resolve your concerns to the best of my ability. I will follow up privately with a resolution to your concerns. 

XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX I've never heard from him again. The only calls I've been getting from Mr Cooper are their automated calls telling me I need to call them to make a payment. My account rep XXXX XXXX has never called me back after XX/XX/XXXX. No individual from Mr Cooper has called me to try to resolve this issue. All I am entitled to are their computer generated phone calls. 

I sure hope that the CFPB will investigate Mr Cooper to the fullest extent and get to the bottom of all these lies. It seems that several others are having the same issues. Each and every call I made to Mr Cooper, a statement was made that the calls were recorded so unless otherwise destroyed, these phone calls would back up everything I have stated in this complaint and prove that I have not lied about anything. I was able to record the calls that I made to XXXX XXXX and XXXX XXXX after I had found out the modification had been canceled. I have those recordings saved and can easily supply them to any investigator. I wish I had personally recorded the calls on XX/XX/XXXX and XXXX to XXXX and XXXX XXXX. 

I've attached the initial transfer letter showing a date of XX/XX/XXXX even though it states that payments made after XX/XX/XXXX should be sent to Mr Cooper. 
Attached is the first statement I received from Mr Cooper already showing that I owed them {$2300.00}. 
Attached is the XXXX statement showing my first modification payment was treated as a " Partial Payment '' and was " Unapplied ''. This also proves that I was indeed participating in their modification trial unlike what XXXX at the XXXX was told. 

I also have all my bank statements showing payments made to Mr Cooper as well as the 3 trial period modification payments. I can upload those if required. 
I can also upload the recorded phone calls I have where I was told not to make a payment in XXXX until this situation was resolved. I don't consider it resolved as of right now.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation