Consumer complaint received 2022-05-23
Company: PLANET HOME LENDING, LLC
State: FL
Product: Mortgage
Sub-product: Conventional home mortgage
Issue: Trouble during payment process

Complaint:
Planet Home Lending collected escrow for our property taxes via our monthly mortgage payments. In good faith, we relied on Planet Home Lending to pay our taxes from our escrow account. We received notice from our county of a pending tax lien sale on our home effective XX/XX/XXXX. We contacted Planet Home Lending. They verified they had failed to pay our property tax bill when they received it XX/XX/XXXX per their customer service. They advised us to fax them a copy of the tax bill and they would pay it within 10 days. We faxed it to them on XX/XX/XXXX. We contacted them 10 business days later. They did not pay our property taxes. They advised they would review the issue, without promise of any completion date. We contacted them multiple times and each time were advised they had not paid the tax bill because they were still researching the issue. Our prior mortgage companies, before selling to different banks, all paid our tax bills from escrows they collected. Planet Home Lending collected escrow funds from us, in order to pay the tax bill, but they kept the money and did not pay the tax bill. We had to pay our tax bill from our saving to prevent the county from selling the tax lien against our home on XX/XX/XXXX because Planet Home Lending took our escrow funds, held our escrow funds for the property taxes, and failed to pay the property taxes as promised. This has caused us financial hardship. In good faith, we submitted proof of the paid tax bill from our county to Planet Home Lending and requested they refund the overage now in our escrow account to us. Planet Home Lending said they would research this and to follow up today XX/XX/XXXX. Instead of refunding us, their representative advised us that they marked the account as " Taxes Paid '' and closed the escalation ticket for our refund review. Another representative advised the ticket was open yet it was only to get the penalty back from the county. The penalty being the result of Planet Home Lending 's negligence to pay our property taxes prior to XX/XX/XXXX when they were due. Instead, the county assessed a penalty which was paid by us, to the county, along with the property tax bill that Planet Home Lending failed to pay. Their representative advised they were requesting a refund of the penalty from the county. We advised them the county assessed the penalty because of Planet Home Lending 's failure to pay the bill and we questioned why Planet Home Lending felt the county owed them a refund for the assessed penalty for their negligence, when we paid the penalty. They advised that would be researched by XX/XX/XXXX. They give the county 45 days to refund a penalty which was legitimately assessed by the county because the Planet Home Lending was negligent and failed to pay the tax bill from the collected escrow account we paid to Planet Home Lending. Planet Home Lending advised us that there is no refund indicated. That they are only looking for their refund for the penalty that they caused. They advised once their escalation team resolves this escalation ticket, no earlier than XX/XX/XXXX, they will let another team know. This other team will then review the results of the escalation ticket for the refund of the penalty. But there is no indication they will refund us for the amount that we paid out of pocket, in addition to the prior year of escrow and the ongoing escrow they continue to collect from us for property taxes which they have not paid. This is the loop of misinformation that protects their theft of our escrow.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation