Consumer complaint received 2019-03-12
Company: NAVY FEDERAL CREDIT UNION
State: DC
Product: Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports
Sub-product: Credit reporting
Issue: Problem with a credit reporting company's investigation into an existing problem
Sub-issue: Their investigation did not fix an error on your report

Complaint:
I purchased my home in XXXX of XXXX. A big deal, as I am the first person in my family, and the first in three generations to ever own a home. Since the very beginning, I have always paid my mort/gage on time until around XXXX of XXXX. Around XX/XX/XXXX I was authenticating a wire transfer to pay my mortgage, and as I was doing so, the Navy Federal Member service rep mentioned to me that I should take advantage of their bill pay system. I was intrigued because, as the representative assured me, it was a seamless process, free and once I set it up I wouldnt have to worry about it because they would mail my mortgage company a check by the specified date once a month. I asked the rep what all I needed to begin the process. While she was on the phone with me, she assisted me in setting up my bill pay account to start in XXXX of XXXX, this way I knew I had all of the info required for successful payment. I even called XXXX XXXX on the other line to confirm I had all the correct info to for the check payments. 

Come XXXX, feeling a little anxious I kept my eyes on my account to be sure my mortgage payment was withdrawn. Once the date it was supposed to be there passed, I called Navy Federal to figure out why it hadnt been processed. The rep informed me that the check had been mailed and they were not sure what was going on. They instructed me to call XXXX XXXX to see if they received anything. I called XXXX XXXX, and they informed me that they never received the check. At this point, I am annoyed. I put XXXX XXXX and Navy Federal on three-way for the two to figure out what was going on. I even requested Navy Federal to Fax XXXX XXXX the confirmation that the check had been mailed. 
Unbeknownst to me, We learned that the XXXX XXXX representative whom I requested info from during the setup phase had given us, Myself and Navy Federal, the wrong address. The rep gave us the wiring mailing address, and I am not sure why they would do that as she knew I had previously been wiring my mortgage payments and wanted to start mailing checks. I asked the XXXX XXXX rep if I would be at fault for their mistake and their response provided me with no real confidence in resolving the issue. I was frustrated because, now, I am considered late on my mortgage payment. However, once we were able to get the correct info, I also learned that, from the Navy Fed Rep, even if the check would have arrived XXXX XXXX wouldnt have been able to process it because the way the check was printed it put the name of the recipient in the wrong place. I am not sure what this means, but it just added fuel the fire. At this time, the XXXX XXXX and Navy Fed reps were able to clear things up. I ended up paying my mortgage via wire, which was waived by Navy Federal, for this month because I was already late so I had to pay it asap. Round 2,  now that we had the correct information I tried bill pay again for XXXX mortgage payment. After having a rough experience, the first time I kept an even closer eye on the payment. It was late XXXX when I realized XXXX XXXX hadn't processed the payment. I called Navy Fed to investigate the issue, and they informed me that the check had been mailed. I then called XXXX XXXX to check and see if they ever received the payment. Sadly, they reported to me that they did not. I called Navy Fed back to see what was going on and they werent sure. They also mentioned that might be due to the holiday schedule and that carriers may be backed up. At this point, I felt defenseless. I even got a letter from XXXX XXXX warning me of them potentially defaulting on my loan. As I mentioned, I am the first in three generations ever to own a home, so you can imagine what it would do to me for me to lose my house. I wasnt sure what to do and what rights I had because everyone from XXXX XXXX to Navy Federal all made me feel as if this was all my fault. I even reached out to a buddy of mine, XXXX XXXX, who use to work for CFPB for advice. At this point, I just wanted it to all be over. I called Navy Federal to cancel the check, and that I would pay via wire, again, they waived the wire fee. Eventually, I was able to get all caught up. XXXX XXXX later informed me via phone that if your payments were late the payments you submitted did not apply to that month but to the month it was late so I didnt realize that all the amounts I was sending via wire applied to the previous month. The first week of XXXX I paid everything I owed including the late fees. Once everything was in the clear, I felt a huge sigh of relief, and from then on, I paid my mortgage via wire and told Navy Fed to remove my info from their bill pay. 

Two months later, I reached out to my lender to get pre-approved for another home loan. I did not realize that I now have three months of late mortgage payments on my credit. I didnt understand how that experience assassinated my credit history. I called XXXX XXXX to confirm that I had three months of late fees. Luckily, They mentioned that I only have two ( XXXX and XXXX ) I need to reconcile with the credit bureau the third one.  However, I informed my lender of the situation, and by the grace of XXXX, he informed me of my rights and how the CFPB can assist me in fixing this issue. He suggested I first call Navy Federal and see what they had to say. I called them and informed them of the situation, and their response is what drove me to write this complaint. They told me that their bill pay system is run by XXXX XXXX which is a third-party vendor and that I should call them. I felt as if I had been shuffled and I rather not chase folks around to resolve this issue. Now I am stuck, throughout the whole process I felt abused and taken advantage of. I even considered bringing in legal counsel, but I cant afford that and feel as if I have no real rights. 


Status Update XX/XX/XXXX : Before submitting this complaint, I reached out to XXXX XXXX to, hopefully, reconcile this issue. After discussing the situation with their representative, they played back the call I had with the original rep who gave me the wrong information and agreed with me that the information was incorrect. However, the credit reportings are correct because the payment I made was for the previous month and not the current month. I was never informed that I was behind schedule and if I were, I would have paid all that was owed.

Company public response: Company believes it acted appropriately as authorized by contract or law
Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation