Consumer complaint received 2020-11-13
Company: EVERBANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
State: MI
Product: Mortgage
Sub-product: Conventional home mortgage
Issue: Trouble during payment process

Complaint:
I need a written audit of my mortgage and processed at Tiaabank.com. Numbers and dates are not adding up, and I've requested an audit on three different occasions. 

My payments are due on the XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX. The system is constantly showing that my next payment isn't due until the month after next. I have concerns that the bank miscoded a double payment, that I verbally confirmed with them about making a principle only payment as a regular payment. 

I have placed multiple calls and even started recording the calls. The incompetence and/or blatant unwillingness to cooperate have gotten to the point where I need to start filing complaints with government agencies that regulate their business. This unwillingness to cooperate leads me to believe they've made other mistakes or committed fraud and are unwilling to share the transaction records. 

I have repeatedly asked for a written audit trail delivered by USPS mail, and I get nothing but a simple statement of what's currently owed and the next payment due date. We can send it via encrypted email that expires. No, thank you. I've been down that path with you. A telltale indicator of a financial institution committing fraud is their refusal to send documents by USPS mail. Their evasive practices and unwillingness to reveal their calculations are of serious concern. 

XXXX 2020, I switched bank accounts used for auto-pay of my mortgage. I sent in the new forms. Confirmed they were received, and we're good to go. I suspect some delayed process kicked in, and I received another form letter from TIAA Bank in the mail that my auto-payment had been canceled. This was received near the end of the month near my payment due date, and I would need to make payments by mail or IVR in the future. Worried that something went wrong, I made an additional {$1800.00} payment by IVR. Well, they took out the auto payment from the new account anyway despite the letter. This resulted in a double payment. When I called, an agent looked into this and said it was a letter was about my old autopayment was canceled. However, the system generated letter specifically stated I needed to make manual payments. Their business process letters are not sophisticated enough to address a client switching banks and created confusion. 

The agent promised me this would be made a full {$1800.00} principal-only payment. I agreed to have the extra payment processed as a 100 % principal-only payment. I kept noticing that my payment due date was always incrementing by well over 30 days. This would indicate that TIAA Bank accepted the {$1800.00} as an advance payment and collected interest in advance to which they are not entitled. When I called again to inquire, the agent didn't see records of an {$1800.00} principal-only payment. ( Which would be consistent with them advancing the due dates ). 

When I ask for a full audit with a supervisor. It takes multiple weeks for the paper to arrive and then at that point, it's a simple balance and payment due statement. We had 100 % clear communication as to what I was asking for. I don't know if I have to file a suit and subpoena the information. I'm hoping that this complaint generates a professional response. As a consumer, I should have a right to get detailed information about what they consider the interest and what they consider principle as I repay my loan in a timely fashion. The actions of TIAA Bank have effectively refused to provide me this information. 

I can accept bad business practices and confusing letters. I can accept agent mistakes. I can accept poor agents. I've escalated to supervisors at their call centers and still am not getting results. 

I can not accept a 100 % refusal to provide clear and transparent documentation of their record keeping. 

Thanks, XXXX

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation