Consumer complaint received 2020-05-10
Company: Specialized Loan Servicing Holdings LLC
State: TX
Product: Mortgage
Sub-product: Conventional home mortgage
Issue: Trouble during payment process

Complaint:
I purchased a home in XX/XX/XXXX that was on a parcel being split/apportioned. The paying of taxes was clearly outlined in the XXXX documentation ( I pay 60 % of the XXXX property taxes, the rear property pays 40 % ) that covers my property and the newly apportioned home behind me -- given my previous dealings with Specialized Loan Servicing ( SLS ), I understood this would not go smoothly and took every effort to get ahead of any issues that may arise, they are documented below. I have recordings of every single call if there are disputes regarding the content of my communication with SLS. 

XX/XX/XXXX - I call SLS, explain that my taxes appear to be complicated given the nature of the split property and I ask what is required to ensure this process goes smoothly. I am told to wait for bills to be received and am assured there will be no problem. I ask for a phone call when documents are received to ensure they are processed correctly XX/XX/XXXX - I call SLS to follow up as I have not heard from anyone and suspect my questions haven't been processed correctly. I am assured that, again, the taxes will be paid without issue and not to worry. The agent provides me the correct terminology to explain my concern, that the property is being newly apportioned and that I can upload my XXXX documents to XXXX and they will be processed by " XXXX. '' After the call, I attempt to upload my tax documents, the website is broken, it simply does not load an enter button. I am a staff-level XXXX XXXX at XXXX, I do everything in my power to force my files to upload and the website is still simply broken. 

XX/XX/XXXX - I am no concerned that I haven't heard anything regarding the payment of my taxes, the XXXX XXXX XXXX ( XXXX ) still shows the full outstanding balance owed. I call SLS and am told my documents were ( shockingly ) never received. I am told to use the mobile app. According to friends at XXXX, the ios app has been removed from the XXXX XXXX by XXXX and is not available. The agent tells me I am confused but that I can instead fax my documents. I fax my documents from my office, the confirmation is received at XXXX Central Time, all three pages of my documentation outlining my tax situation have been received by the SLS tax department. I am told by the agent not to worry, any issues caused by non-payment will be covered by SLS. The cover page of my fax requests a callback when the documents are processed ; I never receive a call. 

XX/XX/XXXX - I have not heard anything, the XXXX website shows no taxes have been paid, I call SLS tax department and am assured my taxes will be paid, not to worry. I figure SLS is being an excellent steward of my escrow funds and will pay at the latest time possible. My taxes owed are 60 % of {$10000.00} which is equal to {$6000.00}. 
XX/XX/XXXX - My property taxes have not been paid. My taxes are now delinquent, I am assessed a late fee of 7 %, and I now owe {$6400.00} to XXXX, a delinquent penalty of {$420.00}. 

XX/XX/XXXX - I receive a XXXX next day envelope from SLS, inside is an account statement and check for {$9400.00} without any other explanation. I check online to see that my escrow balance has been reduced by {$9400.00}. I'm now positive that SLS has made a grave mistake and does not know how to proceed. 

XX/XX/XXXX - I call SLS and receive an explanation that due to non-matching property IDs, SLS is unable to pay the property taxes on my behalf. I'm understanding but am concerned about why, after five phone calls dating back to XXXX, SLS was unable to inform me of this fact until after the property tax due date has passed. SLS ' resolution of closing my escrow account, after the taxes have become delinquent is obviously unsatisfactory. The agent clearly understands this as explained and affirms that SLS will cover delinquent fees, however it is now my personal responsibility to pay my property taxes. The agent tells me in no uncertain terms that I am to pay the taxes and furnish to SLS the receipt of tax payment, at which point I will be reimbursed for the delinquency fees. I deposit the escrow account check which settles into my bank account on XX/XX/XXXX. 

XX/XX/XXXX - I pay my property taxes directly to XXXX online, a total of the owed {$6400.00} plus a {$1.00} service fee. I save the payment receipt. 
XX/XX/XXXX - I call SLS to ask how to be reimbursed for the delinquent fees, I am told to upload the tax documents. I receive a new pin for uploadmytaxdoc.com as the agent suspect my pin may have been invalid previously. I try to upload the payment receipt to uploadmytaxdoc.com which is still broken. I fax the document to the SLS tax department fax number. 

XX/XX/XXXX - I have not heard from SLS, obviously they must be dealing with a long backlog of delinquent tax penalty reimbursements so I call to check the status of mine. I am told buy the agent that I must upload my documents again and that XXXX will work on XXXX, this turns out to be the case. I am also told that something was mixed up by the research team, and the agent will re-submit the claim which will be approved and paid out by XX/XX/XXXX. I am satisfied and feel that I will finally be made whole. 

XX/XX/XXXX - In my quarantine boredom, I decide to check on the status of my guaranteeed-by-XXXX XXXX XXXX delinquent penalty reimbursement. I am told by the agent that while she understands my explanation and agrees that the notes in my file confirm that I should be reimbursed, the research back office has indicated there is no amount to reimburse me for. She speaks to her supervisor who asks her to resubmit the claim as there must have been an error. She explains that due to a backlog of cases, it may even take up to 10 days. I understand this, I have waited six months for satisfaction, what is 10 more days? 

XX/XX/XXXX - 10 days have passed, I have not heard back from SLS and turn to the CFPB to resolve this issue before I have no choice but to pursue legal action.

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