Consumer complaint received 2022-10-30
Company: WELLS FARGO & COMPANY
State: TX
Product: Mortgage
Sub-product: Conventional home mortgage
Issue: Trouble during payment process

Complaint:
14 years of Foreclosure with Wells Fargo I am writing to you today to make you aware of my case and situation regarding Wells Fargo bank. I am going to try and give you the short version. We bought land in XXXX, in a small unincorporated town in Texas, called XXXX. XXXX acres ( XXXX -lot one is XXXX plus acres with house and lot XXXX is XXXX plus acres of barre land ), which some people called a swamp. we had a vision to build a log home on the secluded acreage. We cleared the land and did most of the work ourselves. A lot has happened since XXXX of XXXX when I missed my first payment with Wells Fargo. I have never entered into an agreement with XXXX XXXX and did not have a mortgage with them. I have refinanced my mortgage in XXXX with XXXX home loan. The interest rate at the time was 8.75 %. Wells Fargo bought it in a land grab sight unseen. See Amendment # 1 After losing my job in XXXX, my husband was on XXXX, so I was the principal bread winner of the family. I have XXXX XXXX, XXXX of which joined the military in the same year, and I was featured in the XXXX morning news. By XXXX I was in foreclosure and begged them for assistance. I had even told them that I had equity in the home, they could use to refinance and put the payments in the back of the note. They had offered to take on the back taxes we owed as well. I knew at the time this would not be a good thing, but our situation worsened. We entered into two forbearances, one in XXXX XXXX, which we made three payments on of {$6500.00}. The 2nd one was for 4 payments totaling {$9100.00} ( XXXX, XXXX, XXXX and XXXX, XXXX ). Once completed they where to modify the note. Instead they wanted yet another forebearnce. On XX/XX/XXXX we received a check for {$8200.00}. They denied the moficiation with no explanation. Not even sure how they derived at the number. IF they where so depserate to help us get caught up, why did they return money? They just wanted it to look worse than it really was... Now we are further behind then when we started working with them. 
Never did they ever live up to the promise of giving us a loan modification. Finally in XXXX of XXXX, I had enough. I called the news paper and asked if they would do another article about the military family losing their family home. The newspaper agreed and called the bank about the impending article. It wasnt 24 hours later ; we got a call from someone claiming to be the secretary to the vice president of Wells Fargo. We knew it wasnt true but at least we got their attention. We finally got the modification! They really didnt modify anything. No interest rate change, they put the past due in a silent second. 2nd mortgages are not allowed in Texas, I guess that is why it was silent? They promised to show us as current, which is what we really wanted so we could refinance with someone else. We mailed checks to Wells Fargo, not XXXX servicing company. This is where they asked us to send it to. It took them until XX/XX/XXXX to finally acknowledge that payments where being applied. See amendent # 2 and # 3 Then they said that the taxes increase, which we never got a statement from anyone to prove that. The letter of the increase was received after the date of the start date of the increase. This little amount was enough to show us late again. See Admendment # 4 and # 5 I had always made the payments via a paper check. One month when my son was getting married, I had forgotten to transfer the funds to the house paying account. I had already sent the check but by the time I realized I didnt transfer the funds the check had bounced. I called every day for almost 4 weeks to get someone to assist me. They told me since it was a paper check they where keeping it and would not resubmit it to the bank. I had to stop payment on the check and send a replacement. It even said replacement check in the notes. 
See Amendment # 6 To this day they have not recognized it was replaced. They told the courts we missed a payment making us look like dead beats who dont pay their bills. They lied to a federal judge, and no one distributed it. See Amendment # 7 On XX/XX/XXXX the attached statment shows an increase plus late fees even though we made payements in time. See amendment # 8 They also changed servicing companies without telling us. ( New loan number and everything ).

During the duration of all this, we had hired a lawyer to help us fighting them because we where not going to give up on the family home. We hired a lawyer who only got paid if we won the case. This went on for years. She sued them for ruining our credit of which we were supposed to receive XXXX dollars but we never got it. It went into the account since we still showed us as behind. See Adendment # 9 and # 10 We grew tired of the run around and I had sent a complaint into your agency. You sent the complaint to the Wells Fargo who used it against us in court. They showed that we were dissatisfied with our council. She said that we made her look bad to her other Wells Fargo clients. We were frustrated with the system. Years of being in foreclosure. We hired another attorney ; this one wanted the money we were paying on the mortgage to be paid to them. This went on for several more years. Finally on XX/XX/XXXX, I lost my husband of over 40 years. He didnt even have life insurance so I could bury him. I had to sell his belongings just to pay for the funeral. I was devastated. I had nothing ; the house was supposed to be our nest eggA month later ( 8 years after missing our first payment ), I got an email from attorney that I had lost the case. He told me I could continue to fight and appeal the decision. I couldnt do that. The Social security people stopped my husbands XXXX checks immediately. I could NOT keep fighting them, I was exhausted, and devastated. The house was not my main concern. I was trying to figure out how to move forward being single and aloneI hired yet another attorney just to help fight the foreclosure which was sure to come after they won the case. I finally decided I should move closer to work, I could not live there by myself. I turned off the power and water and moved to an apartment. They sent a company to protect their investment This company broke into the house, put a pad lock on the back door and stole property out of the outbuilding. They also stole the original plans to the house which I left on the counter. I could not prove what was stolen. I never abandoned the home. 
Fast forward to XX/XX/XXXX, I am remarried and wanted to get this elephant off my back. My new husband and I wanted to start our new life together and not have this hinder us in the future. The market values of homes rose enough where I might be able to sell it and maybe make a little profit. The bank did nothing to help. I got the pay off and they wouldnt help sell it at all. I hired the realtor and finally got a buyer in XX/XX/XXXX. It took until XXXX of XXXX, for the banks to work with us and all the red tape. All this time they where acessing late fees even though we where in a lawsuite disbuting their illegal accounting practices. They even charged attorney fees, while still in disbute. I was still fighting them when the closing occured. See amendment # 11 The buyers wanted the house bad and hung in there with me while I tried to get them to do anything! They not only made the full amount they claimed I owed ( still no statement ), plus the buyers had to pay all closing costs and the realtors fees. I got nothing!!! I feel this was a big injustice. I paid off the land ( 2 parcels, one with the house and one was bare land ). I used every favor I had to get electricians and people to help with the build. We did a lot of the work ourselves. Working day and night all for nothing! The house according to XXXX is now worth {$890000.00}, I only owed XXXX. The payoff was {$580000.00}, The sale price was {$620000.00}. The rest was fees and now the new owners have equity! Everyone made money on this house except the owners of the house!!! There is no breakdown of what all this money is for? There never was a statement of charges, just numbers on a peice of paper. Why can they get credit for things they paid and I got nothing for my orogonal invenstment and expenses? I thought I had protection with my homestead in Texas? See Pay off Amendment # 12 Whenever I asked why they would not reduce the interest rate when most Amercians ' where refiancing for a 2 % rate. I was told that the investors where not letting them do that. They where plauing a seroius game with people 's lives prior to XXXX. The investors Did XXXX 's, default swaps with Subprime mortages. I was one of them! They knew the risks, I made no deals with Wells Fargo or their investors! I thought the federal govemrment helped the mortage companies out, which the Amercian tax payers paid for. I thought we would be protected from these uethecial practices! It is my knowledge they didn't even change the title over until XXXX. How are they collecting money on loans they didn't even have titles to?

See Amendment # 13 & # 14 Not sure why I am sending this or even telling my story. It has never amounted to anything. I dont think you will ever get Wells Fargo to care. They are not a peoples bank! They are greedy and out to make money at any cost to the homeowner. I guess its time to put all these boxes of legal documents into the shredder and move on with my life. Everyone told me I should be happy I am out from under this horrific ordealIts still hard to let go. My first lawyer was right, they will never admit to any wrongdoing. Wish I would have listened instead of going through all that. I could have just given it back to them and let them sell it themselves. 
Thank you for your consideration in this matter.

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