Consumer complaint received 2018-12-20
Company: FIFTH THIRD FINANCIAL CORPORATION
State: MI
Product: Mortgage
Sub-product: Conventional home mortgage
Issue: Trouble during payment process

Complaint:
Complaint is about my mortgage escrow account. XX/XX/18 We received a letter in the mail on XX/XX/2018 from our homeowners insurance company stating our premium payment is past due and our insurance will be cancelled if the minimum amount of {$670.00} was not paid by XX/XX/2018. XX/XX/18 I reached out to my insurance company to see if this was an error because our mortgage is up to date and we have never be behind on payments. They informed me they did not receive the payment and that I should call my bank. I called my local bank representative at 5/3 Bank. She said there were some issues on their side, something about changing a program. She explained this was not our fault and said she will take care of it. I questioned her more and she said they would overnight a check if needed to make sure our policy does not lapse. She asked me to email her the cancellation notice, which I did right away. I also emailed her the address of where to send an overnight check per the instructions of my insurance agent. XX/XX/18 I received an email from my local banker saying she sent this request up for URGENT payment and wanted to let me know she will be checking on it daily. XX/XX/18 I called my insurance agent to see if they received the payment. They had not received any payments. I called my local banker to find out why the check had not been sent out. I was given an explanation that they have 1000s of customers that are going through the same thing and that they were paying out by due date, mine not being due until XX/XX/18. I dont understand why this process is taking so long, so I questioned her if in fact they still had the money in my escrow. She was quick to assure me the money is there and it was just the process that was taking time. XX/XX/19 I called my insurance agent to see if they received the check. They did not. I called local banker and left message. Called bank on national phone number and spoke to a XXXX who said the check was cut on XX/XX/18 and it was next day aired. I asked what address the check was sent to, he didnt have an answer but he would put me through to someone who did. I was on hold for over 30 minutes then I hung up. I received an email from my local banker, she confirmed the check was written on XX/XX/18 and then overnighted on XX/XX/XXXX. I responded to see if the check was mailed to the correct address. She replied she has sent them the accurate address per my agents request and said she will obtain proof of delivery. I call my insurance agent late in the afternoon to see if they received the overnighted check. They said no and that they had already received their deliveries for the day. XX/XX/XXXX I emailed the following message to my local banker. At this time our insurance company has not received a check yet. I want you to know that I will not let my insurance lapse. This afternoon if a check is not received I will go to my insurance company and write them a check. I feel this is my only option. I will expect some sort of compensation back from the bank. I am baffled that this is taking so long to get taken care of and have been very disappointed with 5/3 response to the issue. I realize this is not your fault and you are doing what you can on your end. However, if you could relay this message to the powers that be I would appreciate it. Thank you for your time. XX/XX/XXXX At this time I was ready to write a check just to keep our home covered. Local banker emailed back reiterating the check went out and that I should be receiving a phone call from the Escrow Department. I received an email from the Escrow Department stating that the check was overnighted on XX/XX/18 and received on XX/XX/18. She apologized and said she would be calling me shortly. She called and the first thing I asked her is what address she overnighted the check to. She explained it was overnighted to the insurance company and not my agent. When I questioned why she didnt follow instructions she had no real answer for me. She said she called my insurance company to see if they had received the check and they did however it will take 48 hours to process it. She asked them to extend the date so that my insurance wouldnt lapse and they agreed. I ask her to call my agent to explain what is going on. XX/XX/18 In the morning I went to my insurance agent to confirm they received the call from the Escrow lady and they confirmed they did in fact receive her call. They stated that we should be covered now and will keep an eye on things to make sure all is good. I later received a call from my agent saying the insurance company processed the check and we are good. The problem was resolved however I just can not believe it took this long, especially when I alerted them early enough to fix the problem. We have always been in good standing on our loan. This whole ordeal was very frustrating and should have never happened. Please know that my local bank representative was very helpful and did everything she could within her power. I felt the issue lies within 5/3 Bank Mortgage department and I would have expected a lot more from a National company like them.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation