Consumer complaint received 2017-05-27
Company: BANK OF AMERICA, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
State: OH
Product: Mortgage
Sub-product: VA mortgage
Issue: Struggling to pay mortgage

Complaint:
I feel I was misled by Bank of America in regards to applying for a home loan modification, I did not receive results in a timely manner, my application was wrongfully denied and resulted in a short sale, and my credit was severely damaged due to the fact that payments were not allowed to be made during the home loan remodifiication process. I missed four mortgage payments due to an error in my VA  XXXX  payments and I called Bank of America as soon as the issue was resolved. I was behind approximately {$7000.00} and I told the representative on the phone I was immediately able to set up automatic payments each on the first of each month for my mortgage. I was requesting assistance with the {$7000.00} and wanted it to be put back into the loan and modified so I could resume my payments. I was told to fill out an application for a home loan modification so the situation could be resolved. I filled out the application, which included an extremely large amount of personal documentation, and I constantly received notices in the mail to resend documents for various minuscule reasons and I was asked to send some documents multiple times. The process took from   XXXX   XXXX   until   XXXX   XXXX  . During this time, I was not allowed to make any payments on my account whatsoever. Even though I asked several times if I could make a payment to prevent the balance from rising to an unreasonable amount, I was told it was all or nothing. I even made a payment anyways. The money was not accepted and it was refunded to my bank account a few days later. Every month my mortgage bill would arrive in the mail with an increasing new balance. In   XXXX   XXXX  , I received a notice that said I was ineligible for almost every possible program or assistance because I applied after 90 days of deliquincy. I was already 120 days behind when I was told to even apply for the remodification, so they were already aware that I did n't qualify for any reasonable help and I would ultimately be forced to lose my house, either in a short sale or foreclosure. There was no point for me to fill out the application at all. The denial letter said that I did not make enough income to afford my home, even though I do. In  XXXX , I was told I could add my fiance 's income to my application, but I would have to fill out the entire application all over again and send in new documentation for myself and my fianc. I sent a new application and I told them beforehand that I could not submit new paystubs from my employer because I was on maternity leave for a high risk  XXXX . I was told that was not a problem. Once again, I was asked to resend documents or I would receive letters that said they would need more time to process my application. At the end of  XXXX  I received a letter that once again said my only option would be a short sale. Once again it said that I did not have enough income to afford my house, and all of the income from my employer was subtracted from the total because I was on maternity leave, even though I am only off work temporarily. I am now being forced to sell my home and my credit is completely ruined. It took from   XXXX   XXXX   until   XXXX   XXXX   to get an ultimate result of the remodification application and it appears as if I have not paid my mortgage for a year. For my to keep my home I would have to make a mortgage payment of {$22000.00} in full because I was n't allowed to pay towards my balance during the process and it was not my fault that it took Bank of America so long to complete their part.

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