Consumer complaint received 2023-09-06
Company: Freedom Mortgage Company
State: LA
Product: Mortgage
Sub-product: Conventional home mortgage
Issue: Struggling to pay mortgage
Sub-issue: Foreclosure

Complaint:
I am now facing a foreclosure sale on a house that has been owned by our family for over 20 years due to the obstruction and questionable conduct of the mortgage company, Freedom Mortgage. The sale is set for XX/XX/XXXX. I am the rightful heir and owner of the property and this has been documented and established through probate court. The issue is that Freedom Mortgage refuses to speak with me or engage to discuss the situation with the delinquent payments, which were due to an oversight and the closing of an account, not due to inability to pay. When I spoke with the law firm in order to try and resolve the matter and pay back the late payments, I found out that they had doubled the amount owed from {$7000.00} to over {$15000.00} and I could not meet that threshold. Although I have a large portion of that money, no one at the law firm or Freedom will consider or even talk about options. I find this difficult to believe and feel that this is not only morally wrong, it is quite possibly illegal. 

My father in law XXXX XXXX XXXX refinanced into this loan through XXXX XXXX in XXXX. When he passed away in XXXX my husband started making the payments on the mortgage loan and the house was inherited by him. The payments were set to automatically come out of his savings account. The payments were made as agreed every month. I lost my brother in XX/XX/XXXX and then incredibly my husband passed away in XX/XX/XXXX. I was devastated as we have XXXX young daughters and attempted to focus on taking care of my family and trying to get through this difficult time. Although I missed time at work the mortgage continued to be paid as agreed every month through my deceased husband 's savings account and there was no problem. After my husband passed the home was willed to me and I went through the probate process and have the legal documentation that I am the rightful owner of the home. 

In XX/XX/XXXX XXXX XXXX  closed my deceased husband 's savings account and sent me a check for the balance. They did not notify me what was going on, they did not suggest that I add my name on to the account, they just closed it and cashed it out. I was still very distraught and trying to raise my girls and had major home repairs going on and I did not realize that this was the account that the mortgage was being paid from. I began receiving written notices from Freedom a couple months later but I assumed it was just statements or information on the escrow account etc. and did not realize that the payments were not being made. Then Freedom filed a notice of default in XXXX, even though we had paid every payment as agreed for 5 plus years ... ... ... ... ... no courtesy call, no offer to work with me, just pay up or get out. 

Once I became aware of the situation I immediately tried to contact them to discuss the issue but no one at Freedom would speak with me regarding the home of which I am rightful owner. They would tell me that I am not authorized to speak with them regarding the mortgage since I am not the borrower. When I told them that the borrower is deceased and that I am the rightful heir and owner they would just make an excuse and cut me off. I could not make any progress with their customer service department. 

I was referred to a local law firm who is supposedly handling the foreclosure sale. I contacted them to pay the past due balance of {$7000.00}. However, when I spoke with them they told me that the amount owed had doubled, because of late fees, legal fees, junk fees and who knows what else. Now I would need to bring in close to {$15000.00} in order to pay back the missed payments.

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