Consumer complaint received 2023-07-18
Company: WELLS FARGO & COMPANY
State: WA
Product: Mortgage
Sub-product: Home equity loan or line of credit (HELOC)
Issue: Trouble during payment process

Complaint:
I am contacting your office to report an ongoing Mortgage Scam presently being perpetrated by Wells Fargo Bank , N.A . ( XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX CA XXXX ) Corporation. In essence Wells Fargo ( WF ), has repeatedly taken my normal and accurately documented monthly payment, then diverted required payment away from my principal, paying only interest ( directly ignoring my specific written instructions to the contrary ). To further scam funds from me, WF then added additional unsubstantiated late fees to my normal monthly payment. Please note that I regularly pay this mortgage ( HELOC Account # XXXX ), in person at a local WF branch ( XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX, XXXX  WA XXXX ), before the require deadline each month. My accurate documented payments have always been verified in-person at this local WF  branch. This local branch is also aware that this fraudulent scam by the Corporate Office in XXXX XXXX has no relationship to their branch. 

The most recent scam attempt that I was able to catch occurred with my XX/XX/XXXX payment that I paid ahead of time ( XX/XX/XXXX ). I specifically documented that this payment be processed as a normal payment with correct amounts going consistently to the documented principal and interest portions. Again I personally witnessed my local branch teller doing exactly as required. Regretfully and Fraudulently, WF Corporation actively choose to not to follow this required payment process. Since the XX/XX/XXXX date to the present, WF Corporate has refused to take my normal monthly payment to pay the proper principal, instead paying only the interest and adding additional late fees as well. As mentioned, WF Corporation has no documentation that I gave them any instructions to process my payment otherwise. Furthermore they did so in violation of my Loan contract with them, as I am sure they have done with many others. 
Please keep in mind that this is the THIRD time that WF has attempted this Fraudulent Scam on me and I am sure that they are currently doing it to other residential loan holders as well. The two documented previous times they tried this scam on me was in XX/XX/XXXX and XX/XX/XXXX. When I caught their scam in these past cases, WF Corporate promised not to do this again, but then went behind my back and did it again. Each time, they sent no correspondence stating that there were about to do as such. Obviously this is no co-incidence, has repeatedly happened, and shows a clear pattern in their continued fraudulent attempts. As mentioned. not only does this violate my legal contract with them, but WF Corporate also reported me owing these late fees to the various credit bureaus, significantly damaging my credit score! 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I phoned ( XXXX ), WF, asked to file a complaint with an executive loan officer but was only able to speak with a person named XXXX XXXX. He gave me a case # XXXX and told me that I would expect resolution with 10 working days. It has been well over a month and I have never heard back. Besides bringing this repeated WF fraudulent scam to your attention, I request that this contract violation cease, my payments be correctly accounted for with no additional bogus fees, that my credit reporting be corrected and should there be any class action lawsuit that you are aware of involving this WF behavior, please forward that information to me as well. This nightmare has to end once and for all.

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