Consumer complaint received 2019-08-22
Company: Home Point Financial Corporation
State: CA
Product: Mortgage
Sub-product: VA mortgage
Issue: Trouble during payment process

Complaint:
We have auto deduction on the XXXX of each month in the amount of the payment {$2000.00} for our mortgage. XXXX, XXXX XXXX all cleared with no issues. On XX/XX/XXXX Homepoint Financial deducted {$4200.00} without any reason or notification. I am a 100 % XXXX veteran, caring for my wife with XXXX XXXX XXXX on a fixed income. This deduction without warning caused great distress and concern in an already chaotic life. The bank returned the request on XXXX as an overdraft and charged me a bounced check charge of {$33.00}. I did not become aware of the issues until I received a notice from Homepoint dated XX/XX/XXXX ( see letter ). The notice was surprising in the fact that the payment was returned but also, they had requested {$4200.00} for payment. This is over twice the amount of my regular payment. Also indicating I owed them {$25.00} return charge. I tried to call and speak to someone for days- it was not only impossible to get through to a person, but when I did, they could not explain why they increased my payment and tried to deduct so much from my account. Each person I spoke to was rude, abusive and could not clarify the issue. They just told me to make the payment. I sent in a check for the amount requested thinking this would be the end. A few days later, I received a mortgage statement showing that I owed {$8500.00}. I tried to call again and was unable to reach anyone who could explain. Because allowing them to deduct whatever they wanted from my account would put my wife 's life and care in jeopardy, I cancelled my auto payment with them and sent a check for the regular XXXX payment in the amount {$2100.00}. That check cleared on XX/XX/XXXX. I called someone to refinance my mortgage to try and take control another way, since I was not getting any answers. When they ran my credit on XX/XX/XXXX, they said Homepoint Financial had already reported my payment late for XX/XX/XXXX even though it was not even the end of XXXX? Again, I attempted to talk to someone at Homepoint to straighten this out without resolve. Homepoint Financial now not only was jeopardizing my home, but they prevented me from refinancing away from them by reporting my XXXX payment late erroneously. As mentioned prior the check cleared on XX/XX/XXXX. I spent XXXX trying to clear this up with Homepoint Financial and finally reached someone who explained that it was due to an increase in my tax bill that they paid on my behalf. They sent me an overnight return package so that I could make my XXXX and XXXX payments, I sent them a cashiers check # XXXX in the amount of {$7800.00} dated XX/XX/XXXX in the overnight package they provided. They have since reported me late for XXXX and XXXX 's payment even though they received them on the XXXX of XXXX in their own envelope? I have sent XXXX payment cashiers check {$4200.00} as they requested by certified mail as I do not trust them any longer, tracking # XXXX it has arrived. I am unaware what the next bill will be and when if ever I can stop paying the increased amount. I received a XXXX coupon requesting the amount of {$3400.00} and it keeps changing. I need assistance to help explain the future payment of my loan, if the payments are going to continue to increase at Homepoint Financial without an end in sight. I need assistance to report the payments on time correctly on my credit report so I can refinance and payoff the loan to a lower rate and correct the taxes. The new lender that I applied said a HERO loan I took out caused my taxes to increase by {$10000.00} and paying it off would decrease my taxes again. Because I am a XXXX Veteran my tax rate was very low allowing me to afford the home. Homepoint Financial has stopped me from refinancing. They have stopped me from doing this by reporting me late erroneously and by not communicating with me to explain why they were even doing this. Now I am being told that the VA has changed the loan guidelines and I wont be able to refinance and payoff the HERO loan after XXXX because of the value of my home. I need help quickly. IF they stop me from refinancing my loan by reporting these late payments in error and I can't payoff they HERO loan, I will have no options but lose my home. Again, we are both XXXX in our XXXX 's and on a fixed income. Moving or losing our home will be devastating at the least. Please help!

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation