Consumer complaint received 2022-08-25
Company: Specialized Loan Servicing Holdings LLC
State: WA
Product: Mortgage
Sub-product: Conventional home mortgage
Issue: Trouble during payment process

Complaint:
This is in regards to a difficult situation with my mortgage servicing company Specialized Loan Servicing , LLC. I worked in the travel industry when the pandemic hit and my financial situation was drastically impacted- I was in a forbearance plan starting in XX/XX/XXXX and it had been extended until XX/XX/XXXX. 
Throughout this time I have had numerous conversations with SLS representatives who had advised that a deferral plan after the end of the forbearance was an option and one suggested a loan modification as my income had been cut and to start the process about a month from the end of the forbearance. 
XX/XX/XXXX, I called in to inquire about options again and ask about how they report loan modifications to the credit bureaus- I was informed a loan modification would report late on credit report and even after that it would have a drastic negative impact on my credit score. At that point I decided I wanted to go for the deferral option. The woman I spoke with verified I would not need to make up any back payments in order to do a deferral. 
I speak with SLS again beginning of XXXX. I tell them I want to start the process for the deferral and that I will start making payments again XXXX. We do some verbal questions and she said I was all set for now. I asked what I need to do now and she said nothing, just wait until someone calls me with an answer. 
I then receive items in the mail, one stating a relationship manager has been assigned to me and the other document said, Specialized Loan Servicing ( SLS ) received the documentation you had sent as part of your request for mortgage assistance. After our review, we have deemed your loss mitigation application to be incomplete. Please provide a copy of the following missing or additionally required documents below. 
I disregarded that letter as I believed it was an automated send out since I had never sent them documents, the documents listed to satisfy the requirement didnt apply to me ( quit claim deed, divorce decree, death certificate etc. ), and the woman I spoke with that did the verbal for the deferral never told me I needed to send in anything. 
Another week goes by and I havent received a call from SLS, so I call them. The next woman, ( Still never spoke with my assigned relationship manager ), said that it had looked like I had requested an extension on my forbearance and I informed her that was incorrect and so she reads further. She said I still needed to apply for the deferral- I explained I already had. She then says I needed to send written application / documents but she can do a verbal application and that way I wouldnt have to send in any documentation and proceeded to tell me she doesnt even know if my lender offers a deferral option. 
At that point, I was even more scared not knowing if I would have to pay the balance owed of over {$31000.00} in less than a month or lose my home. I did some research and came across WA State HAF ( Homeowner Assistance Fund ) and was able to make an appointment with a certified HUD counselor. 
XX/XX/XXXX, the housing counselor and I called SLS. The phone tree/verification prompts before we reached a live representative even stated, We have received all documentation needed and are currently reviewing your application. Once we reached a live person, I gave XXXX ( HUD Certified Senior Housing Counselor ) authorization to speak on my behalf while I was on the call. 
We spoke with XXXX and confirmed the basic information and the start/finish of the forbearance plan. XXXX confirmed the plan ends on XX/XX/XXXX but goes through the month of XXXX and 1st payment is due XX/XX/XXXX. I said that didnt sound right and that I had intent on paying XXXX. 
XXXX said that I still needed to send in the documents for the application, and XXXX said I shouldnt have to as XXXX will allow deferrals up to 18 months for the covid forbearance plans. XXXX was concerned that they were trying to review my whole loan and evaluate as if I was requesting a loan modification. We go around and around, continue to get the run around. Not understanding what is required or the next step, we are finally told that I had done a verbal for a deferral at the beginning of XXXX but it was a failed at decision on XX/XX/XXXX so that is why I needed paperwork. But when I spoke with the woman on the XXXX she said no documents were needed because we did another verbal. XXXX said she can cancel the whole request & start it back over and to send in a letter saying I want a deferral. But then changed her mind and said it wont start it over with a different result because of a Custom Total calculation failed. When asked what that was, she had no idea. 
As we were still getting the run around 35 minutes into the call XXXX requested that XXXX check with the supervisor to make sure documents were really needed. XXXX came back on the line and confirmed that they were needed ( RMA, pay stubs, bank statements, hardship letter, tax returns ) and added that they also would need to collect 6 months worth of payments in order to consider a deferral. XXXX stated that is incorrect because XXXX is deferring 18 months and that the supervisor was wrong and needed to know the guidelines. XXXX claimed that there wasnt anything she could do because the supervisor was now ( conveniently ) unavailable and the system is the one that told her I would need to pay 6 payments before I could do a deferral. XXXX said that the system was incorrect and needed to be fixed. 
If I didnt have the counselor on the call I would have been in hysterics being pushed around and not knowing what was happening, what was expected or what my options were. The representatives at SLS are uneducated on the services and yet attempt to answer a question passively just to move on and get off the phone. They never seem to actually care and majority of them had a bad attitude and some were down right rude. 
This company seems to have very unethical, dishonest, and unprofessional business practices and appears to take advantage of those they claim to care about as clients. They have bullying tendencies and a habit of giving people the run around on documentation and communication to extend the problem, which I can only assume benefit them on the bottom line, the XXXX 
At this point I am at a loss. I think I am supposed to give them documents but I dont even know because she then said I had to pay 6 months before I could get the deferral. Which from a HUD certified housing counselor that is not true. I am also concerned they are going to report This company has an F rating with the XXXX XXXX XXXX and a significant number of complaints regarding their unethical and at times scam-ish business practices. How are they still operating, especially in an industry where their actions and lack of actions can impact someones life immensely?

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