Consumer complaint received 2022-07-13
Company: FIFTH THIRD FINANCIAL CORPORATION
State: OH
Product: Mortgage
Sub-product: FHA mortgage
Issue: Trouble during payment process

Complaint:
I opened a mortgage with fifth third in XXXX and was offered points if I opened a checking account with them that the mortgage payment could be withdrawn from. I used the checking account for the sole purpose of paying my mortgage I typically put one to two months payments into my account at a time. 

I was looking into possibly getting a new vehicle and checked my credit report on XX/XX/XXXX. To my shock my credit report was trashed, showing 8 missed payments on my mortgage when I had never missed a payment. My credit report showed 2 missed payments from XX/XX/XXXX and XX/XX/XXXX, and several missed payments starting XXXX of XXXX ( probably about to get another one because XXXX hasn't posted yet ). I have never received any notice that my account was behind. 

After seeing this discrepancy, I immediately tried calling the bank, but it was after hours so I got on the fifth third website and spoke with XXXX. She first told me that my mortgage was behind a month and that it had been since XX/XX/XXXX. I explained to her that what she told me couldn't be possible as I have been making regular deposits and that the information on my credit report didn't support her account. She then " looked into it further '' and told me that I had " gotten off track in XX/XX/XXXX, getting back on track in XXXX of XXXX '' and that " what happened in XXXX happened again in XX/XX/XXXX. '' She informed me the bank reversed the payments. I asked if this was an issue with my checking account her response was, and I quote " You having a 5/3 checking account takes no effect on your mortgage payment. '' So apparently my 5/3 checking account has no bearing on my 5/3 mortgage even though I deposit the funds for my mortgage into that account and that my mortgage is pulled out of that account??? 

Monday XX/XX/XXXX I went to my local branch to try to get some answers and resolve the matter. It wasn't a whole lot of help but I was able to get some printouts of statements and a number to call. One of the statements was a monthly mortgage statement, I have never received a monthly mortgage statement. I also closed out the checking account that day. It was later in the day so I was unable to call the mortgage department as I was informed that they closed at XXXX. 

Tuesday XX/XX/XXXX I called the mortgage department as soon as I got home from work. I still tried talking to them to figure out what exactly happened but was told that payments had been reversed. I talked with a rep and a supervisor neither was much help. The supervisor I spoke with was XXXX employee number XXXX. She pretty much told me that the payments were reversed and that was that. Would not help me with the issue that is plaguing my credit. She told me that the bank had tried pulling my mortgage payment on the XXXX and XXXX but was unable to process the payment due to insufficient funds. Checking my statement, the funds were shown to be in the account on XXXX showing that the mortgage payment was reversed after the funds were in my account. I also inquired as to why I had never been notified of a missed payment. I was told that I should have gotten a notice or phone call. I got neither. I told her that I was given a mortgage statement from the local bank upon my XX/XX/XXXX visit and inquired why I never received one ( I get my statements through the mail ). She said she didn't know and that they are online so I " received notice '' via a form I had no knowledge of. She was pretty combative and of no further help. I made a payment over the phone to bring my mortgage up to date. 

I have done some more looking at my account on the fifth third website. Looking in my mortgage account details there is nothing stating my mortgage is behind, nothing in my inbox about it, alerts are specifically vague. Pay anything online and you well know that if you are even a day late you will see something in big bold letters alerting you to the fact apparently 5/3rd doesn't want you to know and expects you to hunt for it. Had I not run my credit I still wouldn't know. 

Looking at the XXXX checking account statement shows {$3100.00} of deposits and an ending balance of {$1000.00}. Any information that might inform you that they reversed the payment from the 5/3rd mortgage to the 5/3rd checking account seems purposefully pushed to the second page. 

5/3rd 's own documentation seems to be purposefully misleading if not fraudulent. Couple that with the fact that while all this was going on I have somehow not been receiving monthly mortgage statements. I have in the past deposited funds into my checking account a few days after the first without having my mortgage payment reversed if 5/3rd bank is changing its timeline for reversing such payments it has a responsibility to notify it's customers. 5/3rd 's actions in this instance could potentially violate the Fair Housing Act. It is also their responsibility to notify customers that they are behind on their mortgage as they have not done in any way, shape, or form in this instance. I have also, on multiple instances, had problems being able to make deposits into my checking account due to problems with 5/3rd 's website and app which typically seem to happen at the beginning of the month.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation