Consumer complaint received 2017-05-19
Company: LoanCare, LLC
State: FL
Product: Mortgage
Sub-product: VA mortgage
Issue: Trouble during payment process

Complaint:
On or before  XXXX   XXXX ,   XXXX  , I observed online in th e Escrow section of my mortgage account a change in th e escrow payment due in  XXXX  of this year for my taxes. This amount was lower than the amount being withheld for the tax payment. The original amount of about {$3300.00} had been reduced to about {$270.00}. Yet, the same amount was being withheld each month. I contacted my servicer  ( Loancare ), the a utomated prompt also recited the lower amount due in  XXXX  of about {$270.00}, and was instructed to co ntact my county  property tax office to obtain written a proof of the current tax amount to effect the necessary changes to the amount paid monthly. I went to my local tax office and obtained the proof of homestead exemption and estimated taxes for the year. The paperwork was uploade d to my Loancare a ccount and gave a call to customer service to confirm the receipt of the documentation. Originally, I was told the review of my account would take 5 days. I called a week later for an update and was told I should have been told that this review was slated for closing on the  XXXX  of  XXXX . On  XXXX   XXXX  I went into  my county code office to obtain a permit for w ork to be done on my property and was told I had an outstanding tax bill, that bill as I discovered would be past due after that day.     I con tacted Loancare to  enquire as to why the bill was unpaid and was informed, that I was responsible for its payment because the loan was transferred to then in  XXXX  of last year. I went and paid the tax bill and followed up  with Loancare abou t the tax escrow account. Once I called the automated prompt now reflected an amount due of about {$3300.00}. I asked the representative as to why there was a new increase in the projected escrow tax payment and was told that amount has always been the amount reflected on my account. To this day after another  XXXX  phone calls, asking to speak to a supervisor and being told it would be investigated. No one at  Loancare c an account for the change in amount from {$3300.00} to {$270.00} or from {$270.00} back to {$3300.00}. According to their statements, the account has never changed and I will have to wait until  XXXX  for any changes to the escrow account. I have further been told there has never been any changes in my escrow tax amount, even with me explaining the original representative I spoke with and the subsequent representative verified the amount of about {$270.00} due in  XXXX . I have been told before that my complaint and inquiries will garner a return phone call,  XXXX  that I have yet to receive more than a month later. I contacted customer service today and no one still can account for the change in my account and being told I will now receive a call later today.     I am very troubled with the recording keeping at  Loancare  and being a  XXXX  veteran I 'm very scared that their mishandling of my account  may  cause further financial hardships in the future. The extra payments I am currently paying even when refunded will not account for the interest currently accruing on my mortgage. This is a loss I now will have to take because of their poor servicing of my account. I understand their statement that estimated taxes can not be taken into account until actually billed. However, the change was already reflected in my account and subsequently changed after I request ed Loancare to  also adjust the amount they were still billing me each month to coincide with the new amount. They, in my opinion, validated my claim of tax reduction by effecting that change before I was even aware of my finalized homestead exemption application. They reduced my taxes and when called in about the amount being billed not correlating with their own file, I was asked to provide proof and then the amount was changed while now asserting it was never changed.

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