Consumer complaint received 2016-04-04
Company: Ocwen Financial Corporation
State: CA
Product: Mortgage
Sub-product: Conventional adjustable mortgage (ARM)
Issue: Loan modification,collection,foreclosure

Complaint:
We received the Trial Modification from Ocwen on XXXX/XXXX/XXXX and returned it immediately, signed and notarized. Subsequently, it was confirmed that the XXXX " Trial '' payments were due on XXXX/XXXX/XXXX, XXXX/XXXX/XXXX and XXXX/XXXX/XXXX for {$1800.00} each month. In the interim, I had contacted XXXX XXXX to see if I was eligible for any assistance because I was unsure how long I would be unemployed. Luckily, I was eligible for their Unemployment Assistance program which could pay the mortgage for up to eighteen months, if needed. 
As things turned out, I found employment with the State of California shortly after being approved for assistance ( although I would only receive a monthly paycheck ) and needed to wait 30 days for the income to begin. Again, things worked out insofar as the policy of the XXXX Unemployment Assistance program was to provide a four month " cushion '' of mortgage payments AFTER XXXX is re-employed. As a result, XXXX made a LARGER payment of {$2000.00} to Ocwen for FIVE months, per Ocwen 's instructions. Ocwen received a payment of {$2000.00} on XXXX/XXXX/XXXX, XXXX/XXXX/XXXX, XXXX/XXXX/XXXX, XXXX/XXXX/XXXX and XXXX/XXXX/XXXX. All of these payments were confirmed by my wife and I as being paid by XXXX and received by Ocwen prior to their respective due dates. We had spoken with associates at XXXX and Ocwen each month to insure that the " Trial '' payments had been paid and received. We specifically referred to these as " Trial '' payments when we spoke to the Ocwen associates, who confirmed they were received and said that the Permanent Modification would be forthcoming, once the XXXX Trial payment was received. 
For this entire FIVE month period of time, Ocwen collected these " Trial '' payments for the INFLATED amount and NEVER notified us, the property owners that the modification was in jeopardy. We were unaware that seeking assistance from XXXX violated ANY rule against the acceptance of a modification from Ocwen ; after all, we had already accepted and notified Ocwen of our acceptance of the trial modification. Also during this time, Ocwen did NOT inform XXXX or us that the amount they asked XXXX to pay on our behalf was greater than the contractual Trial Modification amount or that the payments were to be used for any other purpose than the " Trial '' payment in which it was intended and confirmed with XXXX to be applied as. Ocwen was completely aware the payments were coming from XXXX, because they informed XXXX to pay the {$2000.00} amount to them. In fact, Ocwen appears to have waited until the KYHC Unemployment Assistance was terminated and the last payment was received, BEFORE sending the decline letter. A highly dishonest and unethical business decision. 
If Ocwen had once mentioned to us that by having XXXX make the Trial payments for us, that we would lose or modification, we would never had accepted the XXXX Unemployment assistance. But at no time, did Ocwen say anything at all. They did not communicate with us at all.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation