Consumer complaint received 2022-03-09
Company: Caliber Home Loans, Inc.
State: OR
Product: Mortgage
Sub-product: Conventional home mortgage
Issue: Trouble during payment process

Complaint:
In early XX/XX/XXXX, I received an Escrow Statement dated XX/XX/XXXX indicating there is a shortage in my escrow account in the amount of {$2000.00}. It went on to state my new monthly mortgage payment will be {$1100.00}. beginning XX/XX/XXXX. 

I have only had this loan since XX/XX/XXXX, so it puzzles me how there could be a shortage of this magnitude after only 12 months. Obviously someone failed to do their job correctly at the start of this loan. 

As I want to keep my mortgage payments at the same monthly amount Ive been paying in XXXX, I decided to make two payments in XX/XX/XXXX, into my escrow account, to zero out the escrow shortage. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I called and spoke with a Caliber rep at their XXXX phone number who explained to me that I can go on their website, choose to make an escrow payment, that I can make more than one payment and each time a payment is made, my monthly mortgage payment should be recalculated to reflect this. So that same day, I made a payment of {$1200.00} toward the escrow deficit. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I once again made a payment in the amount of {$810.00} dollars into my escrow account to zero out the entire escrow shortage. When I checked my account on Calibers website, it did not reflect my payment of XX/XX/XXXX had even been credited to my escrow account. I then called Caliber customer service and spoke with a rep who indicated that what he was seeing in his system did show that my payment had been applied to the escrow shortage and he wasnt sure why it was not showing the same on my end. He could also already see the payment I made that same day ( XX/XX/XXXX ) was showing pending. He plugged the figures into the system and stated my new payment, as of XX/XX/XXXX, should be {$960.00}. He was going to send this to the Escrow Dept to recalculate my payment so the correct amount would be deducted for my auto pay for XX/XX/XXXX. ( 22 mins ) On XX/XX/XXXX, {$1100.00} was deducted from my credit union through my auto pay to Caliber.

So as of XX/XX/XXXX, neither of the escrow payments I made in XXXX ( XXXX & XX/XX/XXXX ) had been factored in to recalculate my new mortgage payment. 
The way I see it, I never authorized {$1100.00} ( XXXX additional principal payment for a total of {$1100.00} ) to be deducted from my credit union as I had already eliminated the complete escrow shortage. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I called Calibers service center as I wanted to speak with a supervisor to get this mess straightened out. I explained everything that had transpired and that as Im looking at my online Caliber account, it STILL does not show my payments on XX/XX/XXXX & XX/XX/XXXX as being credited to my escrow account. Supervisor XXXX ( no ID or last name provided to me ) stated that his system shows my payments were credited to escrow and the COMPANY IS AWARE THAT THIS INFO DOES NOT SHOW CORRECTLY FOR CUSTOMERS. This is unacceptable in my opinion as I want to know exactly where the payments I make are credited to. ( 31 mins ) XXXX explained that he is going to escalate this to a supervisor in Escrow Dept to get this resolved. As I stated to XXXX, I have other auto payments about to come due and I needed the overage that was taken out of my bank account reversed so the money would be sent back to my credit union. I also explained that I needed him to call me the next day to let me know what transpired as calling them yet again takes away my business production as I sit on the phone and make my way through their phone tree. He agreed to call me the next day, XX/XX/XXXX. 

XX/XX/XXXX came and went with no return call from XXXX and no money credited back to my bank account. 

XX/XX/XXXX, I called Calibers customer service, the rep had to search back through the notes to figure out which supervisor ( XXXX ) I had spoken to as I was not provided any ID or XXXX 's last name, and then to learn that he wasnt even available on either XX/XX/XXXX or XX/XX/XXXX ( so how was he even going to call me back on XX/XX/XXXX? ) ; she would send XXXX an email to call me on Saturday, XX/XX/XXXX. I pushed to speak with any supervisor that day as I want to know whats going on with my account. I was told there was no supervisor available for me to talk to. She will send an email out to another supervisor but that it could take 24-72 hours for me to receive a return call. In my opinion, this is totally unacceptable to not have a supervisor ( s ) on staff and available any time their customer service center office is open and answering calls. 
( 28 mins ) XX/XX/XXXX, I received a letter dated XX/XX/XXXX indicating my new mortgage payment, as of XX/XX/XXXX is {$980.00}. This amount must be the {$960.00} ( the amount that I was told on XX/XX/XXXX my new payment would be + {$25.00} for my additional principal payment ). 

Today is XX/XX/XXXX and I still have not received a return call from any supervisor, nor has the unauthorized overage deducted from my credit union account on XX/XX/XXXX been returned to me. 

******Where did the additional money from my XX/XX/XXXX ( {$160.00} ) get credited? 
{$1100.00} Deducted from my credit union account on XX/XX/XXXX {$980.00} ( {$960.00} new payment amount + {$25.00} addl principal payment ) __________ {$160.00} unauthorized overage taken from my credit union account ; which to date has not been reversed and returned to my credit union nor have I received notification of it being credited to recalculate a new monthly mortgage loan payment amount. 

After being on the phone close to a total of 1 1/2 hours, it seemingly appears the Escrow Dept and Supervisors are incapable of completing important tasks correctly and timely, so at this time, I feel I am left with no option but to file a complaint with the CFPB.

Company public response: Company believes the complaint is the result of a misunderstanding
Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation