Consumer complaint received 2016-02-26
Company: MORTGAGE CENTER, LC
State: MI
Product: Mortgage
Sub-product: Conventional fixed mortgage
Issue: Loan servicing, payments, escrow account

Complaint:
My mortgage company is trying to steal my house. I have been paying on my mortgage for more than 15 years. My house is now worth XXXX times what I owe. 

First of all, the mortgage changed the company website in XX/XX/XXXX, and I have not been able to create an account or access my information online. I believe I could also make the payments online -- if I could get access to my online account. The mortgage company was supposed to send a letter with instructions and a temporary access code, but I never saw that letter, although it might have come last summer when I was on vacation and got lost. I NEED ACCESS TO MY ONLINE ACCOUNT I NFORMATION. Prior to XX/XX/XXXX, the website would not allow online payments. 
Let me explain what happened. For several years, I gave the mortgage company permission to withdraw the mortgage payment automatically from my checking account. The problem started with the house insurance problem. 

About XX/XX/XXXX, I lost my homeowner 's insurance when I was on vacation and the payment did n't go through. The mortgage company immediately put me on a high risk fire insurance and charged {$610.00} every 6 months for some kind of escrow PLUS a monthly insurance fee. Then I had trouble getting another insurance policy. To this date, I have no idea what insurance company issued the policy and whether the premium was excessive or not. It took me 3 years to get a replacement policy in XX/XX/XXXX because of what the mortgage company did. Meanwhile, I did NOT authorize the mortgage company to take any money from my account except the monthly payment. They had no permission to withdraw over {$10000.00} in these insurance fees and other fees, and I do n't even know what they were for. 

Then XX/XX/XXXX for the next 2 years, Mortgage Center started taking another approximately {$200.00} a month for some kind of escrow which I have no idea what it was, where the money went. And I got no explanation about that. XX/XX/XXXX, I cancelled the online payment authorization since the mortgage company was bilking my account. So I started mailing in my payment by check every month. That went fine for a couple of years until XX/XX/XXXX XXXX. 

Then the mortgage company started losing my checks and not applying the payments I was sending in. I have attached copies of all the checks I wrote AND MAILED. Some of these checks were never cashed ; however, the envelopes never came back through the post office either. I think the mortgage company is simply throwing the checks away. 

That 's FRAUD. Now the company is returning my payments and trying to force me into foreclosure. 
RESOLUTION : 1 ) I want to catch up on my payments, but I do n't feel like I should have to pay late fees. I made the payments ; the mortgage company failed to handle the payment and post the payment to my account. I will pay all charges and fees after XX/XX/XXXX. 

A ) I am protesting late fees as FRAUD and request triple damages B ) I am protesting any other fees and charges as FRAUD and request triple damages C ) I reserve the right to contest any other fees. 

2 ) I want ALL the money wrongfully withdrawn from my checking account applied to my mortgage account as payments on the mortgage balance. The account also needs to be adjusted for interest. I am requesting triple damages for FRAUD. 

3 ) I need access to my online account so I can set up automatic payments. The mortgage company MUST provide any information to allow me to make online payments. 
4 ) I reserve the right to request further relief as may be determined in the investigation.

Company public response: Company believes it acted appropriately as authorized by contract or law
Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation