Consumer complaint received 2023-07-22
Company: CARDINAL FINANCIAL COMPANY, LIMITED PARTNERSHIP
State: NJ
Product: Mortgage
Sub-product: FHA mortgage
Issue: Struggling to pay mortgage

Complaint:
I lost my job in XX/XX/XXXX and spoke to my mortgage company Cardinal Financial about options on how to get out of being in debt with my mortgage. I got behind on my mortgage starting XX/XX/XXXX due to missing work because my children were sick and then lost my job in XX/XX/XXXX. I am now 8 months behind on my mortgage because this has been the worst process I have ever gone through. I started this process in XX/XX/XXXX when I was referred to the loss mitigation program. I have filled out the packet and submitted all documents that were requested from me in a timely manner when they were asked for. I kept track in a notebook of all notes pertaining to this experience I have gone through. I have all associates names and company initials and dates. I have reached out on a weekly/biweekly basis regarding updates and every single person I have spoken to has given me different information which is very concerning. Fast forward to XX/XX/XXXX when I spoke to two people from loss mitigation that told me I have been approved for something called a " Special unemployment forbearance plan ''. Both people that day took a verbal agreement from me over the phone agreeing to the terms and also explaining that this would be a 5 month plan for me to pay {$10.00} a month and that my back owed amount would go to the end of my mortgage term. I then received a paper in the mail explaining the plan I was approved for and was told to have the first installment of {$10.00} in by XX/XX/XXXX and to call to agree or disagree to the terms. Those papers were dated XX/XX/XXXX and I received them at the end of XXXX. I then received a phone call from a woman on XX/XX/XXXX again so now this is three people I have spoken to in the month of XXXX. She had asked me about the paperwork I have received and wanted to know if I agreed to the terms of the again stated " five month forbearance plan ''. I simply stated on what they call a recorded line that I agree to the terms and wanted to move forward. I asked her if their was anything that I needed to sign and send back showing that I agreed and she stated, " NO '' I am taking your verbal agreement over the phone. I said okay and she then proceeded to tell me that I had until the end of XXXX to send in the first payment and if I wanted to combine all XXXX months and send in {$50.00} dollars on one money order I can. After that conversation here I am thinking everything is okay until I receive a phone call on XX/XX/XXXX from another woman from the mortgage company who is calling because she wants to collect a debt from all my back amount that is owed. I was completely thrown back by this phone call because as I explain above I was under the assumption I was on the forbearance plan. Well come to find out she informs me that I have been removed from the forbearance plan as of XX/XX/XXXX due to not sending in the first installment and not calling to confirm the plan. I then proceed to again explain my whole story to her telling her to look at the notes and how I three times verbally confirmed the plan over the phone as instructed and that i had until the end of XXXX to send in the payment. Phone then gets disconnected in the middle of her updating my financial information which mind you is still the same because I have not found a job yet and I receive no call back. I then call back loss mitigation to speak to another woman go through the whole story again she then informs me the same information and tells me she will email her supervisor and have this escalated because she see 's all the notes I explained to her and doesn't understand why or how this is happening to me. She told me to reach back out in 48-72 hours about this. She informed me to sign and date the 3rd page of the packet and got confirmation from her " supervisor '' I could e-mail that to their XXXX email. I then did that and also attached a written email with it explaining my situation. I then the next day instead call back instead of waiting spoke to another woman who informed me about being removed i explain the story to her again now this is on XX/XX/XXXX she puts me on hold for about XXXX or so minutes to speak to her supervisor or who ever she needed to speak to comes back on the line and states, " I explained your whole situation to them and told them how you have been jerked around for a long time and they are willing to pick up where they have left off and put you back on the forbearance plan as this was not your fault ''. Only issue with this is XXXX different people in XXXX told me this was a 5 month plan but comes to find out they say its only a 3 month plan which is a big difference for someone with no job. She tells me she is taking my verbal agreement over the phone and there is nothing else I need to do other then send in the first installment of {$10.00} for XXXX and keep doing that for the next XXXX months. So here again I think I am safe and okay. NOPE!!! I call back the next day mind you less then XXXX hours later from talking to the last woman so now this is XX/XX/XXXX and speak to another woman to find out THERE IS NO FORBEARANCE PLAN I have been removed and they have me through review for a modification which is a way for them to figure out how to get me current/start paying my full monthly payments again. I spent an hour and a half on the phone with this woman with such a headache and hurt on how this could be happening to me. I told her I can't do that right now I am not working. She told me I could refill out the packet all over again and have to start from scratch and just respond to the documents when they are sent in the mail. I am extremely concerned as this is risking my children 's lively hood and their home. You can't speak to any supervisor or specialist it's completely impossible. Everytime I call I am given total different information from a phone call prior and this is very stressful and concerning for me. I don't know what to do or where to turn for help but I need help and I need definite answers. I tell all the associates they claim the conversations are on recorded line so pull the conversations listen to what is being told to me constantly different information I don't know where to turn or where to begin to fix this. Please can somebody help get me answers before I XXXX forbid lose my home. I was also told that on the forbearance all my back pay goes to the end of my mortgage term so I would start fresh when I am out of forbearance well apparently that is incorrect as well.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation