Consumer complaint received 2020-01-27
Company: AMERIS BANCORP
State: GA
Product: Mortgage
Sub-product: Conventional home mortgage
Issue: Applying for a mortgage or refinancing an existing mortgage

Complaint:
Hello, My mother died XX/XX/XXXX and I am the executor of her Will and have inherited an estate of over {$5.00} XXXX. 

I spent much of XXXX and XXXX trying to communicate with XXXX at Ameris XXXX, who did not return my very many calls. I also went to the Branch to discover there was a {$50.00}. XXXX note on XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX but was NOT informed it was in default. 

I spent XXXX trying to contact anyone from Special Assets but they refused to communicate with me. 
I contacted the Probate Court who said they have no reason to ignore me as the Estate was out of Probate and I had the necessary documentation. 
In XXXX, three months after my mother died and I began trying to work this out, their lawyer suddenly told my lawyer to have me contact XXXX XXXX, immediately. 
I spoke with XXXX who spent ten minutes railing on my recently dead mothers broken promises to sell property, my mother was in XXXX  XXXX XXXX, I have plenty of hospitalization documentation to furnish, as they were removing   XXXX pounds of XXXX  from her XXXX, she was dying XXXX continued to insist that my mother did not fulfill her end of the bargain, as a result XXXX refused to work with me in any capacity outside of my paying the loan in full, within one month ( XX/XX/XXXX ). She was resolutely inflexible and directly punishing me for former frustrations with a sick woman. 

XXXX XXXX of Ameris emailed me " Our Loan Officer has directed this to Attorney XXXX XXXX, I spent days trying to find said attorney he does not exist, XXXX instruction were erroneous. I messaged both she and XXXX XXXX to state this and neither of them responded. 

I offered Ameris {$20.00}. XXXX on a {$50.00}. XXXX loan by the XX/XX/XXXX deadline and another {$5.00} by XXXX but they did not take the offering. 
Instead, when I went to close out the bank account, Ameris had, without my persimmon and without informing me, helped themselves to {$3600.00} of my money. 
Simultaneously, they had their lawyer send a Notice of Sale. 
Despite XXXX  XXXX agreeing to refinance me. I obviously have the income and assets to pay this mortgage by XXXX. 
They also demand I pay 15 % of their lawyers fees, in addition to having to pay my lawyer because the bank refuses to speak with me, thereby wasting thousand that could go towards the mortgage repayment, on lawyers instead. 

Ameris and their lawyer also continue to send all mail and certified letters to the incorrect address, despite my living at XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX. 

My mother purchased this historical XXXX cottage for me when I was a student  twenty years ago, it was our first renovation project, for which she would eventually win awards. Without the knowledge that foreclosure was imminent I spent well over {$5000.00} doing upgrades to the home and deck this past autumn. Money I certainly would not have put into a house I was loosing. 

I have in the past attempted through Ameris Customer Service to leave messages for the complaints and special assets departments and my attempts went ignored -no one EVER got back to me and so the Georgia State Banking Authority has intervened, insisting you and I get in touch today.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation