Consumer complaint received 2019-12-25
Company: WELLS FARGO & COMPANY
State: OH
Product: Mortgage
Sub-product: Conventional home mortgage
Issue: Struggling to pay mortgage

Complaint:
I inherited my home 3 years ago and have been paying the mortgage every month on time to Wells Fargo Mortgage ever since I became the beneficiary. I was also appointed as the executor and trustee of my partners last will and testament. During the 3 years after I inherited the home the decision my partner made for me to be the sole beneficiary was unchallenged and supported by everyone in his family. Initially after my partner passed it was difficult for me to go through the formality and process with the mortgage company to assume the loan, because it gave me comfort to see his name on the mortgage since I always considered it to be our home. If I would have gone through the process with the mortgage company to assume the loan my partners name would have replaced with my name as the borrower. With that being the case I also had my perso nal battle with XXXX making the fight for my life the priority over assuming the loan. 

After three years of making on time loan payments to Wells Fargo Mortgage I was faced with some major home repair issues. Being on a fixed income and receiving XXXX as my only income source, has made my budget very tight and I never had the luxury of building a savings. Unfortunately in XX/XX/2019 I had to make the decision to use my house payment money to fund an emergency repair. Being behind one house payment created a ripple effect, and I began accumulating an arearage, making it more difficult to become current on my mortgage. To date I've, never been able to close the gap on the mortgage arrears. My time in loan default grew to 90 days as of XX/XX/XXXX, and triggered Wells Fargo to begin the foreclosure process. I've been trying to work with Wells Fargo to remediate foreclosure and have had nothing but a host of challenges and obstacles, creating a barrier to avoid foreclosure with Wells Fargo only offering me limited information and no options other than reinstatement to become current on the loan. 

I've been trying to find out since mid XXXX how the foreclosure of my home went from being 90 days in default as of XX/XX/2019, past pre-foreclosure, and currently in active foreclosure, queued for a sale date as of XX/XX/XXXX. Since beginning my effort to assume the Mortgage in early XXXX, no one will explain how Wells Fargo expeditiously put my home on the fast track to foreclosure. It took several passes to even obtain minimal information about the loan since my partner is still named the primary borrower. Since early XXXX, Wells Fargo has limited my contact to first work with the life events team to add me as an interested party obtaining only limited information about the loan. They make the option to go through the process for a loan modification completely off limits. Every phone call I've made I've asked Wells Fargo to provide me with a temporary protection from foreclosure while I work with them to assume the loan, they refuse to give me foreclosure protection and they continue making me wait in a holding pattern while they're working in the background with all their red tape and newly mentioned processes every phone call with a new single point of contact that never answers the phone when you dial their direct extension, someone else answers with new information and never any next steps to help me meet the simple step to assume the loan. After keeping me in a holding pattern for weeks while their foreclosure department is actively in the process of completing the foreclosure of my home and in final steps to schedule a sale date. Working with Wells Fargo team members who make it seem like it's too late for me to do anything to avoid foreclosure that is going at the speed of light. I finally avoided the aggravation of taking backward steps because they are demanding three years after my partners passing that his last will and testament go through the probate process to avoid anyone stepping up as a beneficiary with reinstatement as my only option go avoid foreclosure. New single point of contacts are calling me to request additional documents after telling these people countless times my partners last will and testament is the only document I have, which they received a copy of two weeks ago, these new Wells Fargo contacts leave messages requesting additional documents because the will I provided that remains uncontested is referred to as a partial non probated will. I've fought the battle explaining to every paper pusher I get put in contact with, I have to remind them not all wills go through probate and is a legal document. I'm not a legal genius but how can they refuse it as a legal will and testament and not be obligated to recognize me as a legal heir and legally placed as the borrower. Today was the final straw that I hope will be considered unacceptable and proves Wells Fargo does bad business and forces people into foreclosure. These people are ignoring regulatory requirements and scampering around to finish the foreclosure of my home that was placed on a fast track because they already knew my partner was deceased, and I took them by complete 7surprise by stepping up to assume the mortgage, which is ordinarily a rubber stamp process. They continue to make it impossible for me to assume the mortgage. Finally when I barged in and made the foreclosure department speak to me because I threatened them and told them I have submitted a formal complaint with you. The first mention that a complaint was submitted to the CFPB, they demanded the case number and immediately directed me to submit my complaint to Wells Fargo executive complaint department. I refused because the CFPB will ensure Wells Fargo operates in compliance. I threw them a curve ball and told them I was holding off on my complaint to you. They told me I had the option to reinstate with a new twist of paying closing costs and some other fee that sounded ridiculous. When I told them that sounded suspicious and completely made up, l they gave me another only option j my other only option was to apply and be qualified for a new mortgage loan. When I asked why they weren't giving me the option to assume the loan They offered to put me in contact with the assumption department to see if I qualified to assume the loan. I played dumb because I wanted to hear how they were going to refuse to recognize me as the legal heir and successor to assume the loan. I was put in contact with a woman whose name is XXXX XXXX. I asked XXXX what will it take to assume the loan she immediately responded with a denial for me to assume the loan because it was in foreclosure. I asked XXXX how can I avoid foreclosure she continued to state that I didn't qualify because I'm not vetted as a person associated with the mortgage. I told XXXX she was making a bad decision she held her ground and I told her she was forcing me into foreclosure and that it was bad business she denied saying that. I'm really counting on someone from the CFPB contact Wells Fargo to find out what they are doing because they are scampering around and keeping me at bay while they fast track the forecloure of my home and continuing to make new excuses and denying me my rights as the legal heir and beneficiary making me the homeowner. Thank you XXXX XXXX XXXX

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