Consumer complaint received 2017-06-11
Company: ASTORIA BANK
State: OH
Product: Mortgage
Sub-product: Conventional home mortgage
Issue: Struggling to pay mortgage

Complaint:
Our mortgage company is Astoria Federal Savings. In XX/XX/XXXX my husband and I came to our hometown in XXXX to help establish a XXXX in an impoverished community. We have done XXXX XXXX and XXXX XXXX XXXX for our entire adult lives. We already owned property in XXXX and would be spending time in XXXX and in XXXX on a part time basis. We did not move our furnishings and our XXXX adult children and XXXX XXXX  continued to live in our home in XXXX while we are fulfilling our XXXX XXXX here in XXXX. Our plan is to return to our home permanently in XXXX when our XXXX XXXX is complete here because we want to be with our children and grandchildren. When we are in XXXX we stay in our home there along with our children. I started a part-time temporary job in XXXX with the XXXX XXXX. My husband is retired XXXX XXXX. I started the XXXX XXXX to help continue our mortgage in XXXX. In XX/XX/XXXX that job ended and also we received a letter from our mortgage company saying that our ARM mortgage was ending after 10 years and the letter showed our new payment which would double our payment. We knew it would change in 10 years but we did not know that our payment would double. This was shocking and created a very stressful hardship with paying our mortgage. I contacted the mortgage company to see what could be done. We thought surely they will work with us and help us by adjusting our payment agreement and allowing us to work out an affordable option. This was just the beginning of this nightmare. As instructed by the representative I requested a loss mitigation package from my mortgage company and filled it out including all details and documents requested. After many additional requests for the same documents over and over and over again, we were turned down for a modification or forbearance because they stated that we did not have enough income. We appealed and resubmitted the loss mitigation package about 4 or 5 times over the course of time from XX/XX/XXXX up until present day. My husband and I have submitted documents continually throughout this course of time including, letters, bank statements, tax returns, pay stubs, leases, rental agreements, explanation letters of spending, deposits, withdrawals, expenses ; We have made countless phone calls, received countless letters and threats of foreclosure, legal documents and such without successfully receiving a modification. We have sent countless emails and scanned countless documents continually. I saved every document. I have a large shopping bag full of them. I have every email that I have sent to them with documents attached since XX/XX/XXXX. Every hoop they asked us to jump through we have done it to try to save our home. I wrote a letter to the president and officials at Astoria hoping to appeal to them and that by chance one of them would at least talk with me but my letter was passed on to others and I received only more papers detailing everything that I already knew which was, we are not going to help you. I obtained a full time job in XX/XX/XXXX and my husband obtained part time work in addition to his retirement pay, We do this in addition to our XXXX XXXX because we want to keep our home. We submitted again with all of our new income and information. Our income also includes rental income and our daughter covers the utilities at our home in XXXX. Our income also includes a monthly housing allowance that we receive monthly from our XXXX  which offsets our living expenses. Everything they requested and asked for we sent it. With such a significant change in income we were sure we would receive help. Once again we received a letter on Thursday XX/XX/XXXX saying once again that we do n't have sufficient income and no offer of modification. We are beyond disappointed stressed and fearful that our beloved family home will be lost and our daughter and grandson will be uprooted without an affordable place to live. I am totally frustrated and I feel that this company has bullied us, dismissed us, toyed with us, and has totally disregarded our claims. After paying faithfully for 10 years I feel that they have decided to snatch our home away without giving us a chance to start over and begin payments again. I believe we deserve this opportunity. I believe everyone who experienced the housing crash should be given a chance to keep their homes. We like many families did not have full understanding of what could happen with our payments nor did we understand that a housing crash would take place. Astoria no longer offers the loan product that we received in XXXX and its unfair to us as consumers not to be given another chance. Astoria should take responsibility for their part in this too for offering a product which later would cause many families to lose their homes. Our home is severely underwater. We owe XXXX but the house in only work XXXX however we are willing to still pay the loan if they modify our principal, interest rate, or anything to give us a chance. I have asked what income was counted in the decision and I have not received any detailed answers. I also asked what does our income have to be to quality but they have not provided that answer either. After over a year and a half of the threat of foreclosure hanging over our heads I believe we have been severely wronged and stressed beyond measure. No family should have to be tortured in this manner. We worked ourselves to the bone to achieve home ownership and we feel that this company has not considered or regarded our situation. Our lives are deeply affected by the thought that we will not have a home to return to. We want to keep our home and we believe there is no benefit to refusing to give us a chance. Snatching our home from us, selling it at a huge loss will not change the life of Astoria Federal but it will devastate our family. We are just asking for a chance. I understand that certain lenders were not mandated or ordered to help their clients because of the housing crash and loan products which are no longer offered. I believe that it is just plain wrong and evil to refuse to help those of us caught in this type of dilemma. I am also disappointed that my husband who served his country for almost 25 years and used his XXXX XXXX income to obtain our home is not being considered for a loan modification. This home was purchased for us to retire and grow old in. This home is part of our security as we age. We would appreciate any effort or gesture from Astoria Federal to give us an opportunity to keep our home. We would appreciate an opportunity to sit down face to face and discuss this with those at Astoria who can make a decision to help us. In good faith we are willing to pay our debt.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation