Consumer complaint received 2015-07-08
Company: Caliber Home Loans, Inc.
State: WA
Product: Mortgage
Sub-product: Conventional fixed mortgage
Issue: Loan servicing, payments, escrow account

Complaint:
In XXXX I obtained a home loan from XXXX Mortgage Co. At the time I was required as a condition of the loan, to submit a FEMA Standard Flood Hazard Determination ( SFHD ). The lender engaged XXXX, a third party certification business to obtain the SFHD and it was submitted as a part of the loan package. The SFHD stated that my home was not in a flood zone and that no Federal Flood insurance was required. 
In XXXX, Caliber Home Loans acquired XXXX Mortgage, and assumed my loan in the process. 
In XXXX XXXX, Caliber sent me a letter indicating that my home was in a flood zone and insisted that I provide flood insurance on the property. Through numerous conversations I explained that I had certification to the contrary and provided them with a copy the SFHD that I obtained through a senior loans officer at Caliber. Caliber continued to insist that I was in a flood zone and produced a copy of a SFHD that they purportedlyreceived with no preparers information ( as contained in the SFHD that was submitted with the original loan ). 
I continued to try and work with them to resolve the problem, but refused to purchase flood insurance as they were requiring. I supplied them with maps substantiating my position as well as copies of all SFHD information in my possession. I also submitted copies of the FEMA map certification showing that no updates or map revisions had been made since XXXX. 
Finally I spoke with a Caliber Insurance supervisor, XXXX XXXX XXXX, who told me that if I applied for and obtained a Letter Of Map Amendment XXXX LOMO XXXX from FEMA that showed that my property was not located in a flood zone, that Caliber would reverse all the insurance charges they had placed on my account. In XXXX, I received that LOMO at a cost of {$800.00}, and Caliber sent me a letter indicating that no flood insurance would be required in the future, however they refused to remove the insurance fees charged to my account from XXXX XXXX through XXXX XXXX. 
In addition, I have asked to speak with XXXX XXXX XXXX of their office to clear up the situation and they have not made her available to speak with me. 
I am very frustrated and feel that Caliber is not acting in good faith on this issue. Despite the fact that the paper trail shows clearly that they were in error to apply the flood insurance requirement, FEMA 's own regulations state that : " Whenever an institution makes, increases, extends, or renews any commercial loan secured by improved real estate or by a manufactured /mobile home, it must determine whether the building or mobile home offered as security is or will be located in an SFHA and complete the Standard Flood Hazard Determination form ( SFHD ) ... XXXX Caliber assumed this loan which is not covered in the FEMA requirement. All requirements for SFHD were complied with at the time the loan was processed. No amendments to the map were made after the loan and Caliber used a SFHD form in XXXX with no preparers certification.

Company response to consumer: Closed with non-monetary relief