Consumer complaint received 2021-02-26
Company: TRUIST FINANCIAL CORPORATION
State: MT
Product: Mortgage
Sub-product: Conventional home mortgage
Issue: Trouble during payment process

Complaint:
I previously filed a complaint with the CFPB, # XXXX. SunTrust used an internal case number of XXXX for this issue. On XXXX XXXX, I received a letter from XXXX XXXX at SunTrust Executive Services in response to that complaint stating, in part, We have reviewed your loan and confirmed that there was no lapse of coverage with your homeowners insurance policy. We erroneously updated your loan when we received a cancellation notice for a different XXXX policy, which caused the lender placed insurance ( LPI ) notices to be sent to you. 

Nonetheless, on XXXX XXXX, XXXX, I received yet another letter, dated XXXX XXXX, stating that it was the second notice that I needed to provide further proof of insurance for the same period as in my first complaint : XX/XX/XXXX, to XX/XX/XXXX. This is the same exact problem that SunTrust claimed to have fixed in response to my last complaint. I have received numerous letters from SunTrust where SunTrust falsely claims that my insurance lapsed. I have spoken to SunTrust employees between 5 and 10 times, wasting a significant amount of my own time. Every time, the employees have admitted that SunTrust has no legitimate reason to be sending me these letters, and yet the letters continue. Furthermore, given that the most recent letter claims to be a Second and final notice, I have no doubt that SunTrust will once again unlawfully take money from my escrow to force-place insurance on my account for no legitimate reason. I very much want SunTrust to fix this problem or flag my account so that it can not take money from my escrow unlawfully again. It is clear to me that SunTrust has data integrity problem in its servicing systems that is preventing it from permanently fixing its errors on my account. Every time SunTrust has fixed this problem or assured me that I would not receive further letters or have money taken from my escrow account, SunTrust has failed to actually fix the problem. SunTrust 's practices are both deceptive and unfair. 

The first complaint is included below. 

My mortgage is serviced by SunTrust, now Truist. The loan number is XXXX, and the property address is XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX, MT XXXX. 
SunTrust has deceptively and unfairly placed hazard insurance on the above property, taking {$1700.00} unlawfully from my escrow account ( and possibly more if SunTrust charged any fees in so doing ). As I have repeatedly stated to SunTrust and as SunTrusts own employees or agents have admitted repeatedly SunTrust has had proof from the beginning that the XXXX XXXX XXXX property was continually insured and that SunTrust had made a mistake by putting a letter regarding the cancelation for a completely different property in the file for XXXX XXXX XXXX. I have spoken to SunTrust/Truist representatives three times, and each time they admitted that SunTrust had the proof that the property was insured for the entire time, that SunTrust had made a mistake in sending me letters stating that it did not have proof, and that SunTrust would NOT place hazard insurance on the property at XXXX XXXX XXXX. 
Despite all of this, on XX/XX/XXXX, I received a letter from SunTrust ( dated XX/XX/XXXX ) that it had charged my escrow account {$1700.00} for hazard insurance. 
The property has been continually insured through XXXX XXXX, policy number XXXX XXXX XXXX. There has never been a break in this insurance coverage, and the coverage remains in effect today. Indeed, the escrow statement from SunTrust shows that SunTrust withdrew the amount for payment of the annual hazard insurance premium for the XXXX XXXX XXXX property in XX/XX/XXXX in the amount of {$1700.00}. 
On or about XX/XX/XXXX, I sold a second property. That property also was serviced by SunTrust, now Truist, and that property also was insured by XXXX XXXX XXXX under a different policy. 
I received a letter dated XX/XX/XXXX, from SunTrust indicating that it did not have proof of my insurance coverage for the house at XXXX XXXX XXXX as of XX/XX/XXXX. I immediately called the Insurance Customer Service Center. The person I spoke with admitted that SunTrust had made an error sending me the letter and that SunTrust had erroneously put a letter for another property in the file for the XXXX XXXX XXXX property. 
On XX/XX/XXXX, I received another letter from SunTrust falsely claiming that it did not have proof of insurance coverage. I called again and spoke with XXXX. She again admitted that SunTrust had erroneously put a letter in the file for the XXXX XXXX XXXX property indicating that coverage had ended. She stated that SunTrust had proof that the property was covered continuously and that hazard insurance would not be placed on the property. She also stated that this letter had been generated before the conversation I had with the previous SunTrust/Truist representative. She also stated that I would receive a letter indicating that SunTrust had the required proof and that insurance would not be placed. 
I never received any such letter. 
Instead, I received a letter from SunTrust dated XX/XX/XXXX, again stating that SunTrust did not have proof of coverage. On XX/XX/XXXX, I again called the Insurance Customer Service Center and spoke with XXXX. She stated that the letter was sent as a result of a bulk error and that all information in the file for XXXX XXXX XXXX showed that the property had the proper insurance coverage. 
Nonetheless, on XX/XX/XXXX, I received the letter described above stating that my escrow account had been charged despite the three prior assurances from SunTrust representatives that they had the proper information on file. 
When I logged into SunTrusts insurance portal, I saw the below showing that my insurance was in fact in effect for the entire period in question and that SunTrust knew it. 

I want the money unlawfully taken from my escrow account including interest immediately returned to my escrow account. I want any fees or charges to my accounts related to this error by SunTrust removed or credited from my accounts. and crediting any fees charged due to SunTrusts failures in this matter. 
I also want a written statement from SunTrust admitting its error, clarifying that it has in fact had proof of coverage for the entire period in question, stating that it has no right or need to place hazard insurance on this property for the period in question, and stating whether any adverse credit information has been reported related to this matter. If SunTrust/Truist or any of its representatives or agents have made any adverse reports related to this account, I want them corrected immediately and I want proof in writing that they have been corrected.

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 explanation