Consumer complaint received 2019-09-14
Company: SUNTRUST BANKS, INC.
State: GA
Product: Mortgage
Sub-product: Conventional home mortgage
Issue: Trouble during payment process

Complaint:
To Whom It May Concern : I currently hold a mortgage with SunTrust Mortgage. I am two payments behind right now, but not due to financial constraints, but due to my mortgage payment being increased without a new contract or an agreement signed by me. My regular monthly payment is $ XXXX/month and has been for the last several years. I owe XXXX on my home. 
FIRST ISSUE : I attempted to refinance my home back in XXXX, but the fees were over $ 10k to refinance and lower my payments and my credit score was low since SunTrust chooses not to report mortgages and regular payments into the credit bureaus. When I inquired as to why they stated they only do upon request. This lowers my score since this is the largest debt I hold and pay regularly. Plus, when I try to go with new vendors, they immediately think I do not own a home because of this. Anyway, I noticed my bill went up to XXXX per month from {$830.00} in XXXX and upon inquiring I was informed that an appraisal had been completed on my home and since we didn't close, I was charged for it. First, I was informed that everything was free, and SunTrust declined my refinance due to my credit score, so how am I liable? Plus, they can just increase my mortgage balance and payment whenever they want? Is this a dictatorship? What am I supposed to do? If I do not pay and challenge it, then I lose my home! 
SECOND ISSUE : Now in XXXX, I noticed, when paying my bill online, that my payment had increased to {$1100.00}, an increase of {$230.00} per month. I called SunTrust Mortgage on XX/XX/XXXX, to address this issue. After being transferred 4 times, hung up on twice, I tried one last time and connected with a representative that recognized my frustration, worked the problem between SunTrusts escrow, mortgage, and insurance departments and provided the information as to what happened. So here goes ... Basically, from XXXX and XXXX they showed a lapse of coverage when they check with my insurance company, XXXX XXXX. Yes, this did happen. We experienced a challenge with the U.S. Postal Service delivering our payment and finally had to move to an autopay. Based on these two instances of a few DAYS without coverage in XXXX and 4 days in XXXX we are habitual violators and SunTrust Mortgage has mandated that SunTrust Mortgage add SunTrust Insurance to my mortgage, and charge me for it. This change took place on XX/XX/XXXX. They claimed they re-evaluated my escrow ( which at the time only included our taxes ) and added the payment for their insurance to my monthly escrow and stated I had a shortage of escrow stemming back to XX/XX/XXXX ( this was based on their annual calculations for their insurance ) and slapped a shortage payment of $ XXXX/month to my monthly payments for a GRAND TOTAL of {$260.00} per month ADDED TO MY MONTHLY SUNTRUST MORTGAGE PAYMENT. Please keep in mind, this whole time I also pay XXXX XXXX for my homeowner 's policy. The SunTrust representative stated that all I need to do was to send in the " Proof of Insurance Declaration '' that I had relayed I was holding my hand which confirmed coverage from XX/XX/XXXX to XX/XX/XXXX. I was asked to fax it to SunTrust Mortgage 's Insurance Department at XXXX, which I did and received a successful transmission. She told me to then wait for 60-days and I should see the payment altered and insurance removed. She also reversed the late fees on my account. I explained that I didn't want to pay the new mortgage amount, because once I did it would basically be my agreement to the new charges. She understood and assured me that she was logging detailed notes and credited the current fee and the future fee. Then, I paid my SunTrust Mortgage on the phone with her. 
On XX/XX/XXXX, I called SunTrust Mortgage again about the issue because my monthly payment still had not been altered back, nor had my account been credited for the additional monthly payments I had been making since XXXX. Prior to calling I contacted XXXX XXXX again and confirmed that we had consistent coverage and our agent contacted SunTrust Mortgage to confirm as well. He reached a representative that provided her ID and told us to call back and let SunTrust Mortgage know our agent spoke with SunTrusts insurance department and confirmed coverage and we needed to request for our mortgage to be reanalyzed to have the additional monthly fee removed. 
So, I did. I spoke with a gentleman who stated, " I have to state, that this is an attempt to collect a debt, and any information used during this call will be used to collect the debt. '' I reminded him that I call SunTrust Mortgage, not the other way around and that I was calling to collect a debt and remedy a lingering issue. Once I relayed the message, he said he needed to get a representative with SunTrusts insurance department on the phone. He conferenced her in, and she said we had an evaluation due to a lapse in coverage for insurance and they applied SunTrust Insurance to our account. She said it could not be removed. I proceeded to ask for a supervisor, who told me that the additional Homeowners insurance which costs me an additional $ XXXX/month which I mentioned earlier in this complaint, COULD NOT BE REMOVED. I asked him for his supervisor, and he said I would need to mail a letter to XXXX and request in writing to speak with his supervisor??? Which, unfortunately, I am doing as well. I reminded him that SunTrust could not make me pay for their insurance and claim I have a lapse in coverage SEVEN MONTHS after a 14-day lapse, that I was already charged a prorate of {$100.00} for? I asked why had this evaluation or insurance not been implemented in XXXX when the problem occurred? He said, " Ma'am the evaluation occurred in XX/XX/XXXX. '' I told him that my account shows XXXX on the Escrow explanation statement. I reminded him that I didn't sign an indemnification, or contract to agree to change my mortgage, my insurance company confirmed coverage. He stated to me five times the following, " SunTrust Mortgage is making you pay for SunTrust Homeowners Insurance ( this is not a 3rd party, it's their very own homeowners insurance division ... meaning they make the profit off the policies ), because I defaulted for 14 days in XXXX and an evaluation has been done in XXXX where we are escrowing the annual payment for SunTrust Insurance, totaling {$1600.00}, since it started in XXXX, I have an escrow shortage back to XXXX and an additional {$120.00} will be charged to ensure we can pay our insurance premium. There can not be an evaluation, because once this is added it can not be removed. '' I asked, " So you are telling me that since I lapsed in coverage in XX/XX/XXXX for 14-days and have already paid the prorated fee for SunTrust to cover my home for those days in the amount of {$100.00}, that I was reevaluated 7 months later according to the document on my account, and am being forced to pay for SunTrust Insurance policy even though I am showing a proof of coverage and my insurance agent from XXXX XXXX is also confirming it resulting in an increase of {$230.00} per month on my monthly mortgage payment? '' He said, " Yes ma'am. ''

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