Consumer complaint received 2016-02-02
Company: Stearns Ventures, LLC
State: KS
Product: Mortgage
Sub-product: Conventional fixed mortgage
Issue: Settlement process and costs

Complaint:
Complaint about fraud. 
I was divorced in XXXX and received a XXXX acre ranch with a house in the settlement. It was completely paid off, no mortgages, etc. In XXXX, when I needed money to live on, I mortgaged the house and XXXX acres with XXXX XXXX at about 5.6 %. The remaining land was still unencumbered.This gave me XXXX schedule ( tax parcel ) numbers ( see below ) all accessed by the same street address. The house and it 's XXXX acres were on XXXX, the vacant XXXX acres on XXXX other schedule numbers. XX/XX/XXXX I refinanced the house and the XXXX acres at 4.625 % with Stearns Lending on a HARP loan. When I needed money to live on ( I 'm XXXX and unemployed ) I found a buyer for XXXX acres of my remaining XXXX acres of unimproved ranch land that would be owner financed. This would have given me a small monthly income and helped me not be forced to lose XXXX % of my retirement savings ( land ) in taxes from a lump sum payment. When we went to the Title company to close, they informed me that I had to " pay off the loan on that property ''. I replied that it was n't mortgaged. But according to the deed of trust, Stearns Lending now owned over a XXXX dollar property with that {$340000.00} HARP loan. None of the paperwork prior to the loan showed anything other than the single tax schedule number ( parcel number ). The HUD paperwork with the loan showed only the XXXX schedule number. In all the re-fi loan papers, the property was referred to by the schedule number, not the legal description. The taxes and insurance I had been paying with my loan payment were only for the house and XXXX acres. I had been paying the taxes and insurance on the remaining XXXX acres myself. Clearly, Stearns thought they only had the house and XXXX acres which would have been a refinance of the original XXXX XXXX loan 's collateral. They did n't require an appraisal or survey.They never paid the taxes on the XXXX acres they should n't have had. No communication from them, ever, that said the collateral was going to change. 
They sent a notary out to me in Kansas during a blizzard XX/XX/XXXX. She had to walk up my brother 's XXXX mile driveway because of the drifts. She was in a major hurry to finish so she could drive the 2 1/2 hours back to XXXX and not be stranded. The single paper in the stack of closing papers that showed the legal description for the refinance was wrong and I did n't catch it since I was hurrying for her. Every other paper showed the XXXX, correct, schedule number, never the XXXX distinct numbers. She gave me a disc as my copy, which turned out to be blank (? ) I called Stearns in XXXX to ask for help getting this straightened out. I had a Real Estate attorney in XXXX who wrote the owner finance contract. He also called and wrote a registered letter. Stearns required my written permission to talk to him, which I sent. We called a total of XXXX times according to my records and his bill. Each time we were told that they would get back to us in XXXX business days. They called him back once and asked what this was about. He told them and they assured him they would call back in 5 business days. Nothing. 
I finally was forced to sell the XXXX acres and an additional XXXX, just to pay off the loan on my home. Because I have no job, I could n't qualify to refinance, and Stearns used my HARP eligibility. It gave me enough to pay my credit cards and the XXXX % in taxes. Now I will need to find a job or try to get a reverse mortgage. I should not have been in this situation. 
That was 10 months ago. THEY HAVE NEVER RESPONDED BY PHONE OR BY MAIL. Not once. I called the number today that is for problems. I spoke with " XXXX # XXXX '' He was extremely defensive and confrontational. He said " this is not a debate '' and told me it was because I had never sent the appraisal XX/XX/XXXX. What? The loan was paid off XX/XX/XXXX. I 've even never had a late payment.

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