Consumer complaint received 2023-07-31
Company: AMERIS BANCORP
State: SC
Product: Mortgage
Sub-product: Conventional home mortgage
Issue: Trouble during payment process

Complaint:
XXXX. XX/XX/XXXX Signed XXXX Mortgage XXXX XXXX XXXX Payment {$830.00} Mortgage Insurance {$57.00} Escrow Amount {$150.00} ( Total mortgage payment of {$1000.00} ) All Mortgage payments made on time. 

XXXX. XX/XX/XXXX XXXX XXXX Received I received a new XXXX XXXX that says an overage in my escrow account of {$800.00} and check is attached. I called Ameris because the wrong amount of property taxes were taken out {$560.00} based on the previous homeowners special rate. I was advised that is the bill they received from XXXX XXXX and the current XXXX statement is correct. My mortgage payment was reduced to {$990.00} ( {$830.00} P & I and {$150.00} Escrow ) I start making the advised mortgage payments and they were all on time. 

XXXX. XX/XX/XXXX Escrow Analysis Received I am being advised there is a shortage in my escrow of {$3700.00} and that they have spread the shortage amount over a 12 month period and are increasing my mortgage payment to {$1400.00} ( {$830.00} P & I Plus {$320.00} Escrow and {$310.00} for shortage surplus spread ). I immediately call Ameris Escrow department to let them know I can not under any circumstances make a payment that high, and asked them to explain how I became so short in my escrow. On XX/XX/XXXX I am advised to send an email to the escrow department asking to have the shortage amount payback time extended from 12 months to 24 months and to make sure to include my loan number and Attn : XXXX Department. This first attempt is done on XX/XX/XXXX ( I have copies of the emails ) I waited two weeks and never heard back. I called Ameris on XX/XX/XXXX to check on the status and was advised to resend the request on. ( I have a copy of email ) On XX/XX/XXXX I receive a Notice of Default on my mortgage from the Collections Department since I have been unable to make the {$1400.00} payments at this time and no payment has been made since XXXX of XXXX. I have not heard anything back from the Ameris Escrow departments in regards to extending my payback period. On XX/XX/XXXX after receiving no response to my previous XXXX email attempts I call back into the escrow department where I am told emails are not sufficient and that I need to send an email with a letter attached asking for the extension in the payback time period. 
Mind you no one from Ameris bothered to reach out to me and explain this to me with my other XXXX prior attempts. I type up a statement and email it to the escrow department on XX/XX/XXXX. ( Attached along with my statement ) On XX/XX/XXXX I call the escrow department to make sure they have received my email and statement and I am told that they can not accept my statement because I used an electric signature. Again no one called me to let me know this was a problem or advised me not to do so. I am also told to write a hardship letter in detail explaining why I need to have this extension on the payback of the shortage and then sign it in person and email back to them. I do as they ask and email them the letter and the request on XX/XX/XXXX. ( Email and letter Attached. ) I am told once this is received they will review it and get back to me. On XX/XX/XXXX I receive a Notice of Breach and Right to Cure Default. As soon as I received this letter I called into Ameris Bank and was advised that I needed to send in a loss mitigation package. Even though I advised them this was due to an error on the escrow departments calculations. On XX/XX/XXXX, my hardship letter I was advised to send to XXXX was sent to the loss mitigations department and a Request for Financial Assistance was opened. I wait XXXX weeks for a response of my hardship letter and call back in where I am directed to the Loss Mitigation department and advised that I need to complete a loss mitigation package and they will use that to determine if they have anything they can do to assist me with my escrow. This seemed odd to me but I did what was requested. 
On XX/XX/XXXX I complete and send in the Loss Mitigation Alternative Program XXXX package ( Attached ) XX/XX/XXXX I send in XXXX Third Party Authorization and Agreement Release ( Attached ). On XX/XX/XXXX I get a letter advising me of additional documents that Ameris needs. These are sent in right away. ( Attached ). On XX/XX/XXXX I also get an update on their XXXX account activity that my Loss XXXX XXXX has been approved. I called and spoke with a representative and was advised it can take XXXX days to get a resolution. ( attached ) On XX/XX/XXXX I receive another Default Letter from the collections department even though I am not working with Loss Mitigations ( Attached ) I call and loss mitigation advises me they do not know why I received that letter that my account is still under review and as soon as the review is completed someone will notify me. 

XXXX. Between the months of XXXX and XXXX I called Ameris Mortgage XXXX times, which can be backed up by my phone records. Each time I am told my account is still under review, and they will escalate the situation and have a supervisor get back to me within XXXX hours. This has never happened. 

XXXX XX/XX/XXXX XXXX. XX/XX/XXXX XXXX. XX/XX/XXXX iv. XX/XX/XXXX v. XX/XX/XXXX vi. XX/XX/XXXX vii. XX/XX/XXXX viii. XX/XX/XXXX ix. XX/XX/XXXX x. XX/XX/XXXX xi. XX/XX/XXXX XXXX. XX/XX/XXXX I receive a letter from XXXX letting me know there are options and assistance they can offer me if I complete a Loss Mitigations package ( XXXX that was already done and in review ) ( Attached ) I call and speak with a representative and they state that I am still in review and due to covid they are running behind that is why it has been 6 months and no solutions or assistance has been offered to me. I get transferred to the XXXX department where we are able to discover that not only was my property taxes paid low in XXXX but my Homeowners was paid twice and XXXX policy was for {$2000.00} when my correct policy is actually {$780.00} annually. I was able to get reimbursed by XXXX for the {$2000.00} and mailed that into XXXX to apply to my escrow account. This brought my escrow shortage down to {$1600.00} and I paid an additional {$1000.00} leaving a shortage of {$610.00}. ( Attached ) At this time a new escrow statement was done and mailed to me ( Attached ) XXXX. XX/XX/XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX was changed to {$1000.00} ( XXXX P & I and {$220.00} Escrow ). I was informed that I could make my payments of XXXX going forward and that is what I have done. I was also informed that the past due balance was going to be moved to the end of the loan and that was the solution from Loss mitigation per the conversation I had with them on XX/XX/XXXX. 

XXXX. XX/XX/XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX Everything reflected on this escrow statement was the same as the one received in XXXX. I continued to make my normal payments. 

XXXX. XX/XX/XXXX Letter from Loss Mitigation going advising me to complete the package and go over my options. I called Ameris, and was advised that I was already in loss mitigations and that my account was still under review this is now 11 Months since I sent in my original loss mitigation package and have heard nothing back. 

XXXX. XX/XX/XXXX - I get notified by my credit reporting company that my mortgage account has been updated to reflect I am 180 days past due. I immediately call Ameris and get sent to collections to collect a payment where I advise them I make a payment every month and I dont know what payment they are wanting to collect. They then send me over to loss mitigations. Where I am placed on hold and then told that they do not know why my credit was updated to reflect that since I am still in loss mitigations and my account is still under review ( 13 Months AFTER my account went into loss mitigation. ) The rep informed me to would escalate the call to a supervisor and I would hear something in XXXX hours. I have been told this on multiple occasions and I have not once received any communication from Ameris Bank XXXX XXXX. 

XXXX. I have made several phone calls in the month of XXXX. 

i. XX/XX/XXXX XXXX. XX/XX/XXXX XXXX. XX/XX/XXXX iv. XX/XX/XXXX v. XX/XX/XXXX vi. XX/XX/XXXX all have left me with no resolution other than my account is still in loss mitigation and that while it states XXXX days for review it appears mine has taken an unusually long amount and no Solutions have been offered to me. Per my last call on XX/XX/XXXX which last over an hour and a half, it ended with an escalation and a supervisor getting back to me. As of today I have heard nothing. My credit score has been affected drastically ( dropped almost XXXX pts ) and I am making monthly payments of XXXX which they state they are holding in suspense and until it reached {$1400.00} and then they apply the payment. It is my strong opinion I have done all that is asked of me to rectify this situation with zero help from Ameris Mortgage and now not only is my credit ruined but I am worried about the possibility of losing my home. Any advice or assistance would be greatly appreciated. 

Regards, XXXX XXXX XXXX

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation