Consumer complaint received 2021-11-01
Company: Freedom Mortgage Company
State: SC
Product: Mortgage
Sub-product: VA mortgage
Issue: Trouble during payment process

Complaint:
In XXXX of 2021 I engaged with Freedom Mortgage Corporation after being solicitated for a low rate VA refinance on an existing lone I had with another bank. Right from the onset and during their application process there was nothing but endless telephone miscommunication with reiteration on my part with different individuals at Freedom Mortgage located in many locations throughout the country i.e. California, Florida, New Jersey, Tennessee, Pennsylvania etc. In frustration I would constantly ask whoever I was talking to if they were working off a central database since I was being asked the same questions repeatedly. I never got a straight answer, Well, weeks later I received a summarized Closing Disclosure outlining the loan terms etc. which looked to reflect the interest rate quoted. They indicated on my approval, their lawyer would schedule an appointment to come to my home to review and sign the loan documents. This meeting almost never happened since one of Freedoms departments never got in touch with the lawyer and my wife and I had to go on standby. Totally unacceptable, the right hand didn't know what the left hand was doing. 
The lawyer finally arrived masked for the pandemic and he went through the signing at lightning speed barely audible through the whole signature cycle. Let me note at this point that in our last 51 years of marriage and four new home mortgages have we ever experienced this type of frustrating ordeal with a bank... Clearly it was open to potential errors, thus my complaint. 

Below my response to letter sent to us by Freedom Mortgage Insurance Department on XX/XX/2021 From : XXXX XXXX : XXXX, XX/XX/2021 XXXX XXXX To : XXXX ' Subject : Policy # XXXX XXXXX XX XX XXA Loan # XXXXXXXXXX Attn : Customer Care Dept . 
Reference Letter dated XX/XX/2021 To : XXXX XXXX XXXX ADDRESS ADDRESS To whom it may concern, On XX/XX/2021 I received a letter from Freedom Mortgages Insurance Dept. concerning a double billing on a Property Insurance policy. The following morning I called your XXXX number and waited hour to speak with your representative. She explained to me that a one-time payment from my escrow account was made on XXXXwhich may short my escrow account, but she couldnt say to whom the payment went or why and referred me to Customer Care for additional information which took another 15 minute wait. During this wait period, I pulled up the Mortgage Closing Disclosure to review and noted under Projected Payment on page 1under Estimated Taxes, Insurance & Assessments, Homeowners insurance was stated YES which is INCORRECT, it should be NO since I set up monthly auto-draw payments with XXXX for both my Home Insurance and Auto Insurance, my 1st payment was paid XX/XX/2021. Never have I ever paid Homeowners Insurance through my Mortgage Escrow Account, only Property Taxes period. Kindly make the proper corrections and adjustments to the Estimated Escrow and Estimated Total Monthly Payment. 
Look forward to hearing from you in five to seven days. Thank you Their response to my request was in essence " We can not honor your request '' to right/correct the " Estimated Escrow '', " Estimated Total Monthly Payment '' and exclude " Homeowners Insurance from the escrow ''. We have never had a bank blow us off like this and to have a VA sanctioned loan institution do it, unacceptable. We have always held our Homeowner and Auto insurance on budgeted monthly payment plan and not paid out of a mortgage escrow account, this error rendered a non-customer service inconvenience to my wife and I.

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