Consumer complaint received 2019-01-23
Company: WELLS FARGO & COMPANY
State: FL
Product: Mortgage
Sub-product: Conventional home mortgage
Issue: Struggling to pay mortgage

Complaint:
I lost my job, got robbed ( twice ), endured a natural disaster and Wells Fargo took me to court for XXXX. 
My successful recovery from these major life changing events, events that have crushed hopes, spirits and even caused people to do things that would be deemed unthinkable, has been continuously squashed by the one organization that was desperately trying to rebuild their image, or so I thought. 

After the unexpected separation from a fourteen-year career in XX/XX/XXXX, new procedures required to re-enter the job market hindered the success of my prompt re-entry into the work force, causing the need to deplete available funds to remain afloat, a valiant effort that I managed for two years that included paying for my mortgage with Wells Fargo. 

While navigating the stages of grief, and working out payment plans with other creditors, Wells Fargo, whom I kept in the loop regarding my status, offered to review me for a loan modification but wouldnt accept payments during this process stating that it would not be fair to me for them to accept payments if I lost the house to foreclosure. 

After submitting the required documentation, I received notice that I was denied for a loan modification, because of my ability to afford the payments, but approved for a short sale. My submission didnt qualify for any other options, i.e. forbearance, repayment plan, refinance, etc. 
I did, however, receive a letter from Wells Fargo offering unemployment assistance, but I was told that I didnt qualify for it. 

Owning this property, ( my first home ), and obtaining a tenant/lease at the end of XXXX after having to replace the appliances and an HVAC system inadvertently removed by the previous tenants, ( robbery number one ), turned out to be a blessing in disguise as it unfortunately became my primary source of income. 

Wells Fargo didnt see it that way and told that me that I was receiving funds for the property in the form of a lease and since those funds were designated for the payment of this mortgage then that is what it should be used for. Basically, as far as they were concerned, my hardship didnt exist because my debt with them should be paid accordingly. 

I did not accept the short sale offer but because I was still unemployed, I was told that if my financial situation changed, they would review me again for assistance. 
I obtained full time employment in XX/XX/XXXX and proudly reached out to them expecting a life line and was once again denied for a loan modification and approved for a short sale. 

After this denial, I was thoroughly confused about which end of the financial spectrum I should be on to obtain assistance. 

After that, Hurricane Irma visited, I was displaced, lost power, and missed work which, on a new job meant no pay. Wells Fargo advised me of the Government Sanctioned Recovery Time and said that they would reach out to me at the end of XXXX to see if I still needed assistance because as they stated in every piece of correspondence, We Are Here to Help. 

I wasnt sure what happened, but the comforting sense that they were finally going to work with me at the end of the year, completely disappeared because I was summoned to court on XX/XX/XXXX, where their attorney advised me to get an attorney. 

This traumatic event during the holiday season was highlighted by the receipt of dozens of ads from attorneys advising me that my information was public record and that they could help. I chose an attorney and although they sent another loan modification package at the beginning of XXXX, after submitting it, my assigned Home Preservation Specialist was never available and when I did finally reach her, would not speak with me, even after being given permission to work with me directly by my first attorney, ( which turned out to be the only thing that he did for me ), nor did she ever speak with me even after their attorney confirmed with her that this permission had been granted. 

Due to a severe lack of representation/communication, my attorney, at my request, ( robbery number two ), submitted a request to be removed from my case. Until his request could be granted, Wells Fargo said that they still could not speak to me because he was still listed as my legal representative. 

In order to stave off a foreclosure sale date and because of the non-communication, to see if they were still going to help, I once again obtained legal representation. 

I went with a larger firm that specialized in foreclosures and loan modifications in three states, who assured me that they had obtained modifications on investment/rental properties held by Wells Fargo previously and that due to their ten-year history of working with them that if they couldnt get a modification worked out then it couldnt be done. 

Well now my current ten year history with Wells Fargo legal team has advised me that I am fighting a losing battle because Wells Fargo advised them that after reviewing the loan modification documents, I was still denied due to no change in my financial status and because this property is an investment property, they are not going to assist me and they are well funded enough not to give up, so I should. 
I now challenge them to have Wells Fargo explain why they granted assistance for their previous clients with investment properties and not me. 

I am also still not sure why they insist that my financial status hadnt changed because during the two years that I have been requesting assistance, I was unemployed, employed and now, my finances have been reduced again because my tenants chose not to renew their lease, partly because of the two years of continuous foreclosure correspondence that they received.

Due to what appears to be Wells Fargos obvious goal of separating me from my home, I am wary of accepting a new lease. 
Now, my only options for the home that I have had for eighteen years are to obtain a high interest rate loan to pay the lump sum arrears along with their attorney fees, or to sell my home, and at this point, the arrears have been driven up such that a loan with the credit score that Wells Fargo has continued to compromise will be unattainable and, and the sell option will be the only one available.. 

Paying attorneys when I could have been paying on my mortgage has also caused me a lot of distress because the reason that they provided for not allowing me to make payments was because they didnt want me to lose money if the foreclosure went through ; this just provided another form of loss instead of allowing me to pay the more than $ 10K, that includes their attorneys fees towards my past due balance. 

This is the second XXXX Holiday that I have spent completely traumatized because Wells Fargo had once again filed a summary judgement against me. Something that my legal team didnt think that they would do because of the holidays. Their case against me will be heard in XXXX. 

This and the hypocrisy of their advertised offers to help first time home buyers but not the ones that currently have homes, especially when the denial is because the owner can afford it, but they wont accept the payments.is unspeakable. 

All of this was a new experience for me as I have never lost a job, never had financial issues, but, I have always heard that Wells Fargo will take your home, that they are the toughest loan servicer to work with, that they are uncaring and unethical, and I am proof that they are not interested in helping their customers. 

I find it tragic that they are continually allowed to operate in this disrespectful, un-empathetic, detrimental manner, especially when they received assistance from their customers with their financial difficulties. 

All I wanted was help getting back on track because of a legitimate hardship, and I ended up with another hardship brought on by Wells Fargo I sincerely hope that employees affected by the Government Sanctioned Shutdown do not have mortgages with Wells Fargo, it would be a travesty for them to go through what I have been through.

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