Consumer complaint received 2017-09-16
Company: SUNTRUST BANKS, INC.
State: CA
Product: Mortgage
Sub-product: Conventional home mortgage
Issue: Trouble during payment process

Complaint:
Loan Modification Scam, XX/XX/XXXX. 

We wanted to modify our Mortgage with Suntrust, our interest rate was crazy and we needed help. 

We paid XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, Lawyer, XXXX XXXX to modify our loan. 
They received {$3500.00} in payment from us. On XX/XX/XXXX, {$1700.00}, and on XX/XX/XXXX, {$1700.00}. Will provide copies upon asking, the checks have all our information on them. 

https : //www.justice.gov/usao-cdca/XXXX We were told by our representative XXXX, it would take 3 months and if we werent satisfied we could get our money back. We contacted them after 3 months telling her we werent comfortable not paying our mortgage and we wanted out, and she assured us it was just heavy volume and everything would be fine. They kept telling us not to bother the bank that they were working on it. XXXX XXXX is due to serve 284 years in prison. 

We then contacted Suntrust in XX/XX/XXXX and were told that they had not been contacted by the Company that was respresenting us. 

We started procedures to get a loan modification with Suntrust. We went thru two years of trial payments. The paperwork shows it should have been 3 trial payments. The XXXX Funds Suntrust had been provided were suppose to assist those who had been scammed in the modification scandal. 

We made monthly payments that we were told, would be broken down into principle, interest and escrow fees if we paid our trial payments. Once the modification was complete they would apply the money we paid during those trial payments to this allocation. After 2 years they told us that the trial modification period was complete. I spoke with XXXX in loss mitigation who would not help. We were able to fax info to XXXX XXXX at XXXX XXXX. Who was supposed to be a Specialist and was consulting with his Supervisor. I was mediating between our lawyer and Suntrust who kept telling us we needed to have a specific form signed by the lawyer who kept telling us it was the banks responsibility. 

As per their instruction, I contacted them twice a week for months to keep track of the loan. I have names and dates. I would be on hold for 40 minutes to an hour at a time, I was told something different by every person I spoke with. 

In XX/XX/XXXX I was told by one of the agents that the modification was complete. We rejoiced. 
However, it wasnt complete. The next month we received a bank statement saying we owed back payments of {$700.00} per month for every month we had paid for 2 years and added it to our loan. 

They had completely dropped the whole process. After many phone calls and XXXX XXXX trying to help me, I was told there was nothing she could do. 

They told us we had to start all over. So to keep the house, we started all over with their trial payments. With XXXX XXXX XXXX 's as our representative. She took us thru the next phase of We went on for another year of this with different payment adjustment. In XX/XX/XXXX they offered us another 3 month trial payment, with information it says that they would determine once we qualify. Which lasted another year. ( See attached form with her name on it. ) Where is the money we paid Suntrust in XX/XX/XXXX, XX/XX/XXXX, XX/XX/XXXX, XX/XX/XXXX? What was the initial XXXX Program suppose to do for our loan beginning in XX/XX/XXXX when we contacted them? See attached Mtg Int. Statements. I was unable to locate XX/XX/XXXX, on our tax statement in shows we paid the interest. In XX/XX/XXXX, Suntrust said they did n't have a copy of XX/XX/XXXX for me. 

Finally in XX/XX/XXXX We were allowed to modify our loan. Suntrust accrued {$33000.00} to our loan along with other fees totaling {$34000.00}. After making 3 years of payments at approximately {$2000.00} a month, where did that money go. We owed so much more after paying for 4 years than was even possible. 

In XX/XX/XXXX, we received a settlement from XXXX XXXX thru Suntrust for {$16000.00} between my husband and I. 
We are required to pay {$3800.00} in taxes on this supposed settlement that ended up being counted as income. 

They did n't compensate us for what they have done to our Mortgage Balance. If needed I can send copies of the XXXX Paperwork, they didnt qualify us under Refund portion of excessive capitalized interest, I dont know what is available to us, as I see that the XXXX payment program is ending after this month, I believe that we should at least have what the original XXXX program should have offered from the beginning and all the added monthly balances and interest that we paid, along with any payments missed should not be our responsibility and should be deducted from our Mortgage Balance. 

This past month I asked Suntrust for my transaction history for this time period and they said they dont have it. 

I have my bank statements and copies of the checks are available thru my credit union. 

I would so appreciate if someone could look at our Mortgage History thru Suntrust and before the XXXX Funds are retired the end of XX/XX/XXXX, we could have these back fees and interest fees removed from our loan.

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