Consumer complaint received 2020-03-06
Company: PLAZA HOME MORTGAGE, INC.
State: FL
Product: Mortgage
Sub-product: FHA mortgage
Issue: Struggling to pay mortgage

Complaint:
I have been on XXXX from work for a total of 7 months. My XXXX benefits were barely half of my regular salary. The first couple of months I paid the mortgage payment from my savings account. On the third month, I called my mortgage company, Plaza Home Mortgage ( PHH ), to advise that I have been on XXXX and needed help to make the payments, and they suggested a modification of my original loan to add any missed months to the end of the loan. I agreed and thought this would be a great help. I supplied them with all information that they requested, and waited for an outcome. After receiving letters that my payment was late, etc., I would call every time, and the agent I spoke to would tell me to disregard the correspondence, and that they know I am awaiting a modification. Each time I spoke with someone from the PHH, I asked if I should make any payments I could, no matter of how small or large, and was told not to make any payments. After many calls and many reassurances that there is no problem, I received a letter from PHH advising me that I was denied for the modification, but no information as to why. I again called the Relationship Manager, XXXX XXXX, to whom I had spoken 2-3 times before and he told me the exact same information about not making a payment etc, and he advised me that it was denied because I had not yet had the loan for 1 year. I was more than a little confused, and asked him why no one, INCLUDING HIM, told me this earlier so I could make payments. He then proceeded to tell me that my house is in pre-foreclosure, and I needed to make a payment of 3 months within the next week ( This was XX/XX/XXXX ) or it could move into foreclosure status. I ended up taking a loan from my 401K to pay the 3 months that he advised me to, and at the beginning of the next week I contacted the company to make my payment. I was then told that I needed to make a total of 4 payments, even though they were reading the notes from the Relationship Manager with the specific amount, and told me that no tat we are in another month I have to pay more. I reminded them that he told me this information 2 days before the end of the month and gave me a week to make the payment. 
I then called back and was unable to speak to him, big surprise, so I requested an Escalation Manager, and he  said he would make it right and would call me the next day at XXXX to let me know I could make the payment. His name is XXXX, employee ID XXXX. He never called, so I had to call HIM ( good thing I requested his information! ) and he didn't answer, so I left a detailed message. He called me back an hour later, and basically said, " yeah, well it's 5 months past due now so you have to pay the 4 months, etc ''. I reminded him of our conversation the day before and he just said " yeah, I understand ... '' as every one of  the employees does. 
I am 100 % convinced that this company purposely takes advantage of these situations to foreclose on homes that are valued at a lot more than what is owed. I find it disgraceful and unethical that this company tells customers to NOT make any payments, even though asked several times, and then gives you the bad news that they want to foreclose because you haven't made any payments. Above and beyond that end of this scam, they have reported each month to the credit bureau as missed payments, even though the modification was pending in their system. How can they report a missed payment when this is pending, and they specifically told me not to make a payment? 
I made the payment of the 4 months today, {$1300.00} more than what I was told to make by the Relationship Manager, so I am only the current month behind, which I will pay by the end of the month, since I am going back to work in a couple of days.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation