Consumer complaint received 2024-10-21
Product: Mortgage — VA mortgage
Issue: Closing on a mortgage — Closing disclosure or other related disclosures
Company: UNITED SERVICES AUTOMOBILE ASSOCIATION (SD)

Testimony Narrative : I stand before you to share the challenging experiences I have faced over the past several years, a timeline marked by financial hardship, negligence, harassment, and the struggle to find justice. The ordeal began when I applied for a mortgage, which culminated in receiving a pre-approval letter and being assigned a realtor through the bank 's referral program. 

My journey took a troubling turn after I signed the contract and transferred my earnest money. Shortly thereafter, the realtor abandoned me despite still holding me under contract. To complicate matters, her boss, who represented the seller, took over her duties and effectively locked me out of the process. My attempts to manage the situation proved futile ; an out-of-state signing followed, and I immediately called the bank to halt the transfer, fearing something was amiss. 

As I navigated this chaotic situation, I never received any photos of work claimed to have been done on the property. The delivery of the keys was disastrous, with the wrong key provided, leaving me unaware until my arrival XXXX hours later. I quickly called the bank again within the XXXXhour window to halt the wire transfer, leaving several voicemailsyet there was no answer, no callback. The bank refused to communicate, leading me to seek assistance from the veteran hotline, where I had witnesses, XXXX and XXXX, who can corroborate my account. 

As the situation escalated, I was forced to move into the property. The following day, while sitting in my driveway, I encountered the realtors manager. In front of witnesses XXXX and XXXX, I was again denied access to the property. The realtor, in a fit of anger, threw the keys onto the driveway when I refused to take possession of the property, asserting my legal rights within the three-day period to decline acceptance. She drove off, leaving me feeling powerless. 

With no further communication from the bank, the mortgage was sold, and my service was transferred to XXXX, who likewise refused to discuss the loan with meonly referring me back to USAA, who also refused to talk about a sold loan. Harassment began from neighbors immediately upon my arrival at the property. I found discrepancies regarding property linesthe baseball diamond encroaching onto my landyet my attempts to communicate about these issues were met with silence. 

The earlier promise of repairs made by the seller remained unfulfilled, and I received no inspection report despite needing critical repairs. Alarmingly, I was billed for water service and discovered that I could not use the well, as the township had outlawed it. 

Worse still, I noticed a gas leak in the basement from the boiler and hot water tank. After filing a complaint with the CFPB in XX/XX/XXXX, a home warranty sent a technician who confessed he had been instructed to make the boiler appear functional when, in fact, it needed a complete replacementone that the warranty would not cover. Ultimately, I was faced with a {$10000.00} investment to replace the boiler, and a similarly expensive {$3000.00} for foundation supports due to cracking. 

XXXX mold was discovered in both downstairs and upstairs bathrooms, rendering my upstairs bathroom inoperable. Communication with the bank remained nonexistent, and my attempts to file a report with the realtors board were refused as they were reportedly acquainted with her. My number was placed on an endless hold for over XXXX hours during multiple calls, and I received no support. 

My mental health deteriorated as a result of these accumulating stressors, leading me to seek therapy through the Veterans Affairs ( VA ). Despite this, I scrambled to find legal representationover XXXX lawyers turned me down upon hearing the parties involved. A discrimination complaint was filed with the Pennsylvania Department XXXXf Housing, but the situation only worsened, culminating in my roommates moving back to Tennessee due to the frigid conditions and an inoperable heater. 

Months passed, and I began repairing the house while enduring harassment from the local council. Despite my ongoing home improvement efforts, I received notices for grass violations, and the pandemic exacerbated my isolation. There were distressing incidents of automatic gunfire near my property, which was largely ignored due to its rural setting. 

The harassment escalated significantly. After mentioning the public corruption I was experiencing in therapy, I was confronted by two city workers who showed up at my property on a Sunday, harassing and threatening me. Despite my clear refusals to leave, they ignored my requests and followed me into my workshop. In a moment of fear for my safety, I instinctively grabbed a XXXX-pound sled as they cornered me, leading to a XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX 

Following this, I XXXX in my XXXX XXXX from a XXXX XXXX XXXX during the altercation. Despite the situation, I was treated poorly by law enforcement when they arrived. I blacked out and later woke up in the hospital where they informed me I had undergone XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX  without my consent. 

During my time in the XXXX XXXX  my condition and story took on a darker hue. I interacted with other patients whose accounts echoed my experiences, with themes of XXXX  and police involvement surfacing. I knew Testimony Narrative : I stand before you to share the challenging experiences I have faced over the past several years, a timeline marked by financial hardship, negligence, harassment, and the struggle to find justice. The ordeal began when I applied for a mortgage, which culminated in receiving a pre-approval letter and being assigned a realtor through the bank 's referral program. 

My journey took a troubling turn after I signed the contract and transferred my earnest money. Shortly thereafter, the realtor abandoned me despite still holding me under contract. To complicate matters, her boss, who represented the seller, took over her duties and effectively locked me out of the process. My attempts to manage the situation proved futile ; an out-of-state signing followed, and I immediately called the bank to halt the transfer, fearing something was amiss. 

As I navigated this chaotic situation, I never received any photos of work claimed to have been done on the property. The delivery of the keys was disastrous, with the wrong key provided, leaving me unaware until my arrival XXXX hours later. I quickly called the bank again within the XXXX window to halt the wire transfer, leaving several voicemailsyet there was no answer, no callback. The bank refused to communicate, leading me to seek assistance from the veteran hotline, where I had witnesses, XXXX and XXXX, who can corroborate my account. 

As the situation escalated, I was forced to move into the property. The following day, while sitting in my driveway, I encountered the realtors manager. In front of witnesses XXXX and XXXX, I was again denied access to the property. The realtor, in a fit of anger, threw the keys onto the driveway when I refused to take possession of the property, asserting my legal rights within the three-day period to decline acceptance. She drove off, leaving me feeling powerless. 

With no further communication from the bank, the mortgage was sold, and my service was transferred to XXXX, who likewise refused to discuss the loan with meonly referring me back to USAA, who also refused to talk about a sold loan. Harassment began from neighbors immediately upon my arrival at the property. I found discrepancies regarding property linesthe baseball diamond encroaching onto my landyet my attempts to communicate about these issues were met with silence. 

The earlier promise of repairs made by the seller remained unfulfilled, and I received no inspection report despite needing critical repairs. Alarmingly, I was billed for water service and discovered that I could not use the well, as the township had outlawed it. 

Worse still, I noticed a gas leak in the basement from the boiler and hot water tank. After filing a complaint with the CFPB in XX/XX/XXXX, a home warranty sent a technician who confessed he had been instructed to make the boiler appear functional when, in fact, it needed a complete replacementone that the warranty would not cover. Ultimately, I was faced with a {$10000.00} investment to replace the boiler and a similarly expensive {$3000.00} for foundation supports due to cracking. 

XXXX mold was discovered in both downstairs and upstairs bathrooms, rendering my upstairs bathroom inoperable. Communication with the bank remained nonexistent, and my attempts to file a report with the realtors board were refused as they were reportedly acquainted with her. My number was placed on an endless hold for over XXXX hours during multiple calls, and I received no support. 

My mental health deteriorated as a result of these accumulating stressors, leading me to seek therapy through the Veterans Affairs ( VA ). Despite this, I scrambled to find legal representationover XXXX lawyers turned me down upon hearing the parties involved. A discrimination complaint was filed with the Pennsylvania Department of Housing, but the situation only worsened, culminating in my roommates moving back to Tennessee due to the frigid conditions and an inoperable heater. 

Months passed, and I began repairing the house while enduring harassment from the local council. Despite my ongoing home improvement efforts, I received notices for grass violations, and the pandemic exacerbated my isolation. There were distressing incidents of automatic gunfire near my property, which was largely ignored due to its rural setting. 

The harassment escalated significantly. After mentioning the public corruption I was experiencing in therapy, I was confronted by two city workers who showed up at my property on a Sunday, harassing and threatening me. Despite my clear refusals to leave, they ignored my requests and followed me into my workshop. In a moment of fear for my safety, I instinctively grabbed a XXXX-pound sled as they cornered me, leading to a XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX 

Following this, I XXXX in my home, XXXX from a XXXX XXXX XXXX during the altercation. Despite the situation, I was treated poorly by law enforcement when they arrived. I blacked out and later woke up in the hospital, where they informed me I had undergone XXXX on my XXXX without my consent. 

During my time in the XXXX XXXX, my condition and story took on a darker hue. I interacted with other patients whose accounts echoed my experiences, with themes of abuse and police involvement surfacing. I knew I was in a destabilizing environment, and my attempts to advocate for myselfrequesting transfers and privacywere met with denial. 

Upon my discharge, I returned to a broken home with no working hand, leading to further medical neglect and delays in rehabilitation. The struggle continued as my family took custody of my belongings and left me dealing with the consequences of what felt like a life unraveling. Following my discharge, I sought to initiate legal action ; however, the same legal representative who initially supported me turned against me, eventually leading to a coerced plea deal with no leverage on my part. 

My history of harassment continued, compounded by repeated attempts to lodge complaints with various authorities, including the Inspector General and local representatives, which were met with silence and dismissal. I filed grievances with the Equal Housing Opportunity and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to no avail. 

I decided to place my mortgage payments into escrow, as I did not agree to the contract. Paying would have implied my acceptance of it, which I vehemently disputed given the circumstances. However, this decision only spiraled into foreclosure proceedings, with claims of missing inspections and nonexistent communication from the bank. 

Burglary incidents began to plague my property, and the police showed negligible interest in my reports. While I attempted to make sense of my life, I learned that critical records had not been updated, and I faced hurdles in securing housing due to lingering charges from the past. 

Despite all these challenges, I attempted to apply for a mortgage in XX/XX/XXXX, only to be denied due to the in-process status of my previous mortgage, which was linked to the late payments reported by USAA. The house had been sold the same day the last reported late payments occurred, uncovering the tangled web of negligence and incompetence that has followed me throughout this crisis. 

My testimony today lays bare the extensive trauma, financial distress, and persistent harassment I have faced. I seek acknowledgment of what has transpired and hope that by sharing my story, I can pave the way for justice and accountability for those who have wronged me. Thank you for your time and attention