Consumer complaint received 2018-05-05
Company: BMO HARRIS BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
State: IL
Product: Mortgage
Sub-product: Conventional home mortgage
Issue: Trouble during payment process

Complaint:
I filed for bankruptcy in XX/XX/XXXX ... ever since then its been very difficult to contact BMO Harris Bank N.A., and make a payment on my mortgage. I have tried on more than one occasion to either visit or call a local branch XXXX XXXX, IL and XXXX XXXX, IL to be specific, but the minute they see bankruptcy on my mortgage I am told they can not assist me in answering any questions and inter office my payment is all they can do for me. So I began calling in my monthly payments to the Banks bankruptcy department XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX option # 2 and the following has occurred : 1. )  I have to call multiple times to get a live representative on the phone 2. )  Often my hold time is over 30 minutes ... just to make a payment 3. ) Once, the bankruptcy representative asked me several times why my payment was late and then apologized over and over for asking the same repetitive question about late payments and blamed it on himself because he was new to the job 4. ) I also have a Home Equity Loan with the BMO Harris Bank N.A., for which I called their Bankruptcy Dept ( repeatedly ) inquiring about possibly consolidating my first and second mortgage ... the Representative whispered and told me I was better off going to another bank because BMO Harris Bank was not going to help me combine the two. 
5. ). I called on another occasion and spoke to yet another Representative from BMO Harris Banks bankruptcy department and asked her if she knew what I had to do in order to consolidate the 1st and 2nd mortgage? She told me I should call the Branch..I explained to her and told her I had left messages for the mortgage representative at the XXXX XXXX branch several days before but the I had not received a call back. Her response was Pfff, probably because they know youre not going to get approved. I said excuse me ... you do know that you can not discourage someone from applying for a loan ... and she immediately began back peddling. 
6. ) Often I have questions regarding my escrow ( included in my mortgage payment ) and Im told to leave a message ... twice I waited for over 2 weeks to get a call back. By the time I received a call back I had forgotten what I called for. 
7. ). When calling the Bankruptcy department, if I ask them questions about my mortgage including payment information, Im repeatedly told they dont have that information and Im pretty much in my own ... well who can answer my questions then? 
8. ) Today XX/XX/XXXX, I called to make a payment and called more than 9 times and left 2 voicemail messages because no one was picking up in the bankruptcy department or returning messages. So I entered option # 1 for  the Probate Department, hoping someone would take my payment ... someone anyone. I spoke to a nice lady by the name of XXXX. She told there was nothing she could do for me other than direct me to hang up and call again and leave a voicemail for the Bankruptcy department. After waiting for a call back I called back and once again selected option # 1 for the Probate Department hoping to speak to a live representative and XXXX picks up again and stated she had brought my first phone call conversation to her direct manager and was told theres nothing they could do in the Probate Department and could not take a payment from me and that I had to go directly through the Bankruptcy department. I then told her I had it! ... I asked if she could give me the address to where I could mail my payments being that the branch would not assist me and calling in my payments is time consuming where Im constantly having to call over and over and leave messages to no avail. I told her I was going to report BMO Harris Bank to the CFPB and she immediately said hold on let me get a hold of someone in the bankruptcy department to call you right back. Really thats what it had to take to get someone to take my payment?!? Within 6 minutes I got a call from XXXX from the bankruptcy department who took my payment over the phone. Why is this such a grueling process ... every month? 
9. ) I recently changed homeowners insurance companies and called to inquire about the claus I needed the claus information to provide it to my new insurance carrier. After 6 calls, 4 different representatives and 3 days later I called once more and was told just fax it to us well get to the right place ... .this is truly disappointing and exhausting. Doesnt anyone have this information? Or is it because I filed for bankruptcy that Im treated with less respect? 
10. ) I was finally put in touch with a representative concerning combining the 1st and 2nd mortgages about 6 months ago ... .for which he explained to me that BMO Harris does not take loans ( for which a client has filed for bankruptcy ) and combine them. It was against regulation/policy ... and was further adviser I was better off going to another mortgage company to seek financing ... because BMO Harris Bank could not accommodate me and neither could a mortgage representative from one of their branches. 
11. ). There has been 1 single individual who has offered to help me and gave me permission to ask for her whenever I called after explaining some of the service I had encountered with attempting to make my mortgage payments. Her name is XXXX, unfortunately I could not get a live representative today no matter how many times I called and left messages until I told the representative I was going to submit a complaint. 

I would appreciate an explanation for the poor service and lack of employee knowledge and empathy. Thank you.

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