Consumer complaint received 2018-11-01
Company: JPMORGAN CHASE & CO.
State: TX
Product: Mortgage
Sub-product: VA mortgage
Issue: Trouble during payment process

Complaint:
We have had our mortgage loan with Chase Bank since XX/XX/XXXX. Our principle, interest, tax, and home insurance are automatically withdrawn from our Chase checking account each month. The tax and home insurance funds are deposited to a Chase escrow account that my wife and I have never had access. I learned this year that our insurance provider and our County Tax Assessor bill Chase Bank who then draws the funds previously paid to the escrow account to pay those bills. 

In XX/XX/XXXX, I received a XXXX XXXX XXXX rating from the VA and we decided to change our home insurance provider. I filed paperwork and provided documentation to XXXX County, which made us exempt from property tax on our home from XX/XX/XXXX going forward. I instructed one insurance provider ( XXXX ) to allow coverage to end on XX/XX/XXXX, and the other provider ( XXXX ) to begin coverage on XX/XX/XXXX. Toward the end of XXXX, I received a check for {$2900.00} from XXXX. On XX/XX/XXXX, I took that check to the Chase Bank branch in XXXX XXXX, TX. I signed in and waited to speak with a mortgage banker in order to deposit the check into the escrow account for XXXX and to make certain the policy change was good for the next day. When I spoke the banker, she informed me that the {$2900.00} was money that I had paid into the escrow account in XXXX, the funds for XXXX would be placed in escrow from future payments, and that I didnt need to do anything with my payments or the check. I also let her know that I would be exempt from future property taxes, and that I would bring her the letter from the County when I received it. She stated that it would be best for me to fax the letter directly to the Chase tax department, and that I could find that information on the website, just make sure I include my loan number with the fax. So, I endorsed the check, gave it to the banker, and deposited {$2000.00} into our Chase checking account. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I received the tax exemption letter from XXXX County. When I logged on to my Chase Bank account, there was a notification that my monthly mortgage payment is going to increase {$150.00} per month. I knew it couldnt be the insurance, XXXX is {$1100.00} per year less, so I figured it may be a mix up with the taxes. I found the fax number on their website to submit supplemental tax documents ( XXXX ), and tried to submit my documents for two days, with a return message of busy line for recipient. After two days, I called that number, it is a live phone number for XXXX XXXX XXXX. 

I got assistance to look at the escrow account online. Chase is claiming a {$2400.00} shortage in our escrow account. After repeated phone calls for the past week I finally got a working fax number. I made them aware of the problem on XX/XX/XXXX, one of the Customer Service Representatives called it while I was on the phone with her, but it is still the same wrong number today. They paid XXXX on XX/XX/XXXX, and XXXX on XX/XX/XXXX, the Chase banker knew that when I was sitting in her office endorsing a check worth {$2900.00}. After paying my County Taxes on XX/XX/XXXX, our escrow account went negative {$2100.00}. XX/XX/XXXX, our automatic payment will deposit {$440.00} into that escrow account. I have tried repeatedly to find out from Chase how their banker let this happen, and what the real numbers are to clear the escrow account so that I can close it to deal directly with XXXX for insurance. Their answer is that I owe them {$2900.00}, and my mortgage payment goes up {$150.00} per month as of XX/XX/XXXX. The last conversation I had was with Ms. XXXX XXXX who claims she is an escrow supervisor and that there is nothing I can do about their negligence. I asked if the conversation had been recorded and if I could get a copy of it. She stated that it had been and that I would have to get a subpoena. She did give me a reference number : XXXX I understand that you have more important matters than looking into some banking shenanigans for a guy who obviously has no idea what is going on with an escrow account that he has been blindly dumping money into for years. We dont have the resources to hire attorneys or accountants to challenge Chase Bank. They refuse to do another analysis of the escrow account with actual information, and give us a real number to close the account. Everyone I have spoken with act as if they are reading from a script that can not be altered, and nobody knows how the amounts got to where they are. " I didn't do it. '' is the standard answer. Please, help. I would like to get this figured out so that we can hopefully prevent it from happening in the future. I will be paying XXXX directly, and have zero tax liability, but no one at Chase will listen and I have no idea of how to get the money into the escrow account. When I took it to the bank, it never went to the escrow account. I appreciate your time and efforts.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation