Consumer complaint received 2020-06-29
Company: WELLS FARGO & COMPANY
State: NY
Product: Mortgage
Sub-product: Conventional home mortgage
Issue: Trouble during payment process

Complaint:
THIS IS NOT A DUPLICATE TO A PREVIOUS COMPLAINT : I write this letter as a complaint regarding concerns and issues with my home mortgage carrier, Wells Fargo Home Mortgage ( WF ). I have corresponded with WF many times in the past months and years, and issues have still not been resolved. I am attaching a document with legal names deleted below for security purposes. 

Error in Calculation of Principal Amount Due. 
The Customer Account Activity Statement I received from WF dated XX/XX/XXXX showed activity from XX/XX/XXXX XX/XX/XXXX. The first page shows that as of XX/XX/XXXX, there was an Unpaid Principal Balance of {$130000.00}. See Customer Account Activity Statement, Exhibit A, with Unpaid Principal Balance circled in red. However, the Monthly Statement dated XX/XX/XXXX also shows the Unpaid Principal Balance to be {$130000.00}. See Monthly Statement dated XX/XX/XXXX, Exhibit B, with Unpaid Principal Balance circled in red. Thus, notwithstanding that I have made five years of monthly mortgage payments since XX/XX/XXXX ( approximately 60 payments ), it appears that WF has not adjusted the principal amount on the mortgage. Obviously, this is a financial detriment to me. 

Failure to Provide Notice of Changes to Mortgage Account I stopped receiving my monthly statements via mail in XX/XX/XXXX. I first attempted to correct the issues in XXXX, but nothing was done by WF. From that point to date, the method of delivery of mortgage statements was apparently unilaterally changed to end US Mail delivery of paper statements without any notice to me. This occurred despite the fact that I have been the sole payor of the mortgage since it was originated in XX/XX/XXXX and the check payments were all signed by me or paid electronically through my bank from my personal checking account. In addition, I am listed as the primary mortgagor. My former spouse is secondary. 
I have always made the mortgage payments based on paper statements I received from WF via US Mail. Suddenly, in XX/XX/XXXX US Mail delivery of paper statements ended which WF now explains to me ( in XXXX XXXX ), was based on my former spouses request to receive statements via electronic communication in XXXX. While WF informed me that any party to a mortgage can request a particular means for delivery of mortgage statements, WF does not explain to me why it ended US Mail delivery to me nor why I was not informed of the request by former spouse until XX/XX/XXXX. XXXX resumed US Mail delivery of mortgage statements to me starting XX/XX/XXXX. 
Unbeknownst to me up until XXXX, I was actually paying {$500.00} - {$700.00} more per month on my mortgage than was actually required from XX/XX/XXXX to XX/XX/XXXX. I was paying $ XXXXmonth instead of the amounts required listed on the monthly statements. This is because I had not received my monthly statements. I requested that WF send a Customer Account Activity Statement to confirm all excess amounts were deposited properly. I was told by WF that I would be able to see the actual amounts I deposited each month and exactly where the additional funds were dispersed. This is not what I received. WF sent a listing of what the normal payments should have been, and then a separate listing of deposits of additional funds. To understand the information, I had to manually check all the files to confirm correct, which was a burden of time and effort on my part. See EXHIBIT A-The Customer Account Activity Statement, dated XX/XX/XXXX XX/XX/XXXX. 
In XX/XX/XXXX, I arranged to view my files electronically on the WF web site and at the same time requested both US Mail delivery and electronic communication of account statements. Notwithstanding, as of today, I have not received my mortgage statements from WF via electronic communication.

Copies of Past Statements from Wells Fargo Once WF began sending me my statements correctly via mail in XX/XX/XXXX, I wanted to see copies of all past statements from XXXX XXXX which I had not previously received. I was sent 3 groups of papers specifically numbered by WF. Set 1 was numbered pages 1-30, Set 2 was numbered 1-38, and Set 3 was numbered 1-36. See EXHIBIT C-1. 
The documents provided by WF were incomprehensible due to the order of the statements reflecting the past history of my mortgage account. The disarray caused substantial difficulty to review, and a significant and unnecessary use of my time in an effort to understand the information provided by WF. Attached as EXHIBIT C-2 is a chart showing the order in which WF provided the statements compared with the correct date order of the statements. 

Imposition of Late Fees The problems caused by WF were raised more recently on XX/XX/XXXX when I was contacted by WF collections about issues concerning payments on the mortgage account. Because I was leaving for a medical appointment at the time, I asked them to please call me back the next day on my cell phone #, as I am not always home, and to please leave a message. During meetings, my phone is on silent. I was told that would be fine, and messages would be left. My request for return call was in regards to my still not receiving monthly statements and issues with my name listed on their statements. 
Because WF did not leave a message on my cell phone telephone number as requested, I had no information on the status of my account until I finally received a legible account statement on XX/XX/XXXX, after persistently contacting the WF executive office regarding this ongoing issue. I was told they don't leave messages regarding collections, but my calls were not in regards to collections. 
As a result of not being provided mortgage statements as described above, and no message was left me if I was unavailable upon calling, I was charged late fees on my mortgage account effective XX/XX/XXXX ( {$25.00} ), XX/XX/XXXX ( {$25.00} ), and XX/XX/XXXX ( {$15.00} ). These late payment were a result of unilateral changes to my mortgage account and notwithstanding the history of the timing of my mortgage payments most of which were early and in several incidents months early. Thus, during the period XX/XX/XXXX through XX/XX/XXXX, 126 payments were made to WF within a month prior to the payment due date ; 27 payments were made earlier that a month prior to the payment due date ; 10 payments were made earlier that two months prior to the payment due date ; and three payments were made earlier than three months prior to the payment due date. Any late payment occurred because I was not provided with monthly statements as set forth above. Again, please see EXHIBIT A -Customer Account Activity Statement XX/XX/XXXX XX/XX/XXXX for reference. 
Therefore, in light of the foregoing, WF should reimburse to me {$66.00} representing the late fees imposed on XX/XX/XXXX, XX/XX/XXXX and XX/XX/XXXX. 

Changes to Contact Numbers Without Notification In addition, in XX/XX/XXXX, WF unilaterally changed one of the contact telephone numbers on the mortgage account to remove my mobile telephone number from the account and substitute my former spouses telephone number. Again, this change was made without any notification to me notwithstanding the fact that I have been the sole payor of the mortgage since it was originated in XX/XX/XXXX, the check payments were all signed by me or paid electronically through my bank from my personal checking account, and WF identified me as the primary mortgagor on record. WF gives no explanation for why this change was made without notice to me. Aside from the primary home number, WF has now put my cell phone contact number back on the mortgage account ( which had been listed since XXXX ). Although my former spouse can makes requests to WF on his behalf, WF can not change my requests without notification to me. 

Accurate Legal Name on the Mortgage Account. 
This issue arises because WF for many years has claimed that the IRS and/or Social Security Administration has raised concerns with WF about my name on the mortgage account. I have many times over the years communicated with the IRS/Social Security Administration about the name issue and each time the government agencies have told me that WF has made an error. Notwithstanding, WF continues to claim, most recently on XX/XX/XXXX, that it will change the tax status of my mortgage account because of the name issue, which will cause a financial detriment to me. 
Although my signature when I signed on with WF was XXXX, my legal identification affiliated with my SS # is ______ ( as on my passport ) and ______ ( birth certificate ). See EXHIBIT D and EXHIBIT E. Although WF admits to me that I am one and the same person as ______, they will still will not resolve the issue with the IRS/SSA. This has been ongoing since XXXX ( I was still married at that time ). 
In addition, for the record, paperwork I received from WF on XX/XX/XXXX and XX/XX/XXXX regarding my attempt to refinance, show my name as the name appearing on my passport. See EXHIBIT E and EXHIBIT F, attached. 
Thus, whatever issue WF says there is, my name vis a vis the IRS/Social Security Administration, and IRS/SSA have told me there is no issue. WF has within its power and control the resources to correct the issue. WF should stop threatening to change the tax status of my mortgage account. 

Removal of my former spouse from the Mortgage Account. 
WF claims that my former spouse can be removed from the mortgage account only via a refinance or an assumption of the mortgage by me. While WF provided me contact information to pursue those options, it does not explain why my choices are limited to those choices nor the financial costs of those options. I reside in my home alone, have an order of protection against my former spouse and been separated since XXXX, and officially divorced since XXXX, XXXX. I respectfully submit that in light of the poor handling of my mortgage account as indicated above, WF should accomplish the removal of my former spouse from the mortgage at no charge to me.

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