Consumer complaint received 2022-06-27
Company: CITIZENS FINANCIAL GROUP, INC.
State: IA
Product: Mortgage
Sub-product: VA mortgage
Issue: Struggling to pay mortgage

Complaint:
We were approved for forbearance due to our hardship from Covid-19 as I haven't been working but my husband has. We were originally told that we were supposed to start paying payments again in XX/XX/XXXX I believe but it was offered to us in XX/XX/XXXX to have an extension of our forbearance through XX/XX/XXXX. So we accepted his offer over the phone and we were told at that time that we needed to not do anything and that they would send us documents to sign in XX/XX/XXXX. So we did not pay because we were following the instructions we were given. In XX/XX/XXXX, we realized that our credit score dropped significantly almost XXXX points and then got a letter from an attorney saying that our house was in foreclosure. After many tries I finally got a supervisor to call me back on XXXX named XXXX who told me she was so sorry as Citizens failed to send us a notice that we were denied an extension on the forbearance and that she was suspending the foreclosure immediately and that she was going to put our account back on forbearance and then it would start loan re-modification process and that if I hadn't heard from XXXX XXXX by XX/XX/XXXX to sign the new loan documents than I was to call back in and check on the status. Also she told me that if the loan modification was not completed by Citizens by XX/XX/XXXX that our forbearance would end and that we would be placed under review for up to 30 days wile our loan modification is finalized. I asked about the financial package that other Citizen employees had been telling me that I should fill, if I really did need to fill that out and she said no, that we were not to fill it out. Also she told me that when they put the forbearance back in that it was going to be back dated so that there were no gaps and it would correct our credit score automatically since it was their mistake. 
Well I never heard back so when I called on XXXX and was told that we were in foreclosure again but that it just hadn't gone through the system yet fully and that it was going to take another week to correct itself. I was apologized to and told that I needed to be patient and call back in a week. I requested a supervisor call me back and was told that they would in 24-48 hours. ( As of XXXX no supervisor has called me back ). 
XXXX called and was told good news! That our loan finally was put on forbearance again through the end of XX/XX/XXXX. 
XXXX XXXX from the VA told me that Citizens filed legal action against us on XXXX as the first steps of foreclosure. Same day I called Citizens and talked to XXXX XXXX and he said that our loan was in the process of loan modification and under forbearance through XXXX. XXXX transferred me to XXXX in Loss Mitigation and she said that our case was sent to management on XXXX to call me but that no one has called me back. XXXX said that our forbearance runs from XXXX through XXXX. I asked her why no one has called me back or what the legal action against us was for and she said she didn't know what I was talking about. 
XXXX XXXX  in loss mitigation says there is no legal action being filed against us. He transferred me to XXXX. XXXX said to send in the Financial package via the portal so I made an account and finished filling out the forms and uploaded them all by XXXX CST along with supporting documents for VA XXXX XXXX and 4 of my husbands ' most recent pay stubs also by XXXXCST on XXXX. 
XXXX My husband received an email of legal proceedings being filed with the county courts office in the town that we live against us from Citizens attorney. To what I can tell it is for foreclosure. 

In the big picture, on XX/XX/XXXX a XXXX XXXX hit our town and as a result in XX/XX/XXXX after a long drawn out fight with our insurance over the damages we suffered to our house and all of our contents, our house was deemed a total loss. We lost everything from the damages from the storm. Citizens did nothing to help us like the VA said that they should of to help us the the replacement cost value to be able to rebuild our home. Now almost 2 years later with the prices of everything needed to rebuild a house we are completely upside down here as prices have skyrocketed. We have spent $ XXXX fighting to save our home and our contents to now have Citizens foreclose on our house that is supposed to be in forbearance for another 3 days... Absolutely insane! Unprofessional, downright WRONG! We need help fighting yet another giant as we want to rebuild our home on that land so that we can get the insurance money to do so! This is not fair. Please help us. Citizens is in the wrong. They have admitted that and now lied about modifying our loan and not communicated with us that there was something else needed. Please help.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation