Consumer complaint received 2024-05-29
Product: Mortgage — Conventional home mortgage
Issue: Struggling to pay mortgage — Foreclosure
Company: JPMORGAN CHASE & CO. (DC)

My complaint is against Chase Mortgage Co, which is now threatening me with foreclosure for charges incurred illegitimately. Since XXXX, on several occasions, Chase has automatically paid money from my account, allegedly on my behalf, which I now owe Chase. They paid without my knowledge, without my approval and without necessity - and also without checking to see whether the false information they received was legitimate. 

On two occasions in XXXX my condo lawyer lied to them and they quickly paid her, without my knowledge, approval or necessity and in violation of my rights. Both caused me irreparable harm. 

The first case led to the cancellation of a temporary restraining order TRO hearing scheduled before a judge on XX/XX/XXXX, to challenge false accusations and charges to prevent an auction sale of my condo unless I paid {$26000.00} by XX/XX/XXXX. My lawyer and I were prepared to challenge the charges. I might have owed some late fees. Two hours before the TRO, my lawyer told me the TRO was cancelled because my XXXX lawyer got Chase to pay her off the same day. According to her time records she spent 6 hours preparing for the TRO but got Chase to collude with her on cancelling my TRO when she realized that she would lose in the hearing. This was an obstruction of justice and sabotaged my right to due process. I was very upset with Chase and spoke to them and wrote to them. I later found out that they actually overpaid my XXXX lawyer {$37000.00} based on an earlier claim that was dismissed because of errors. Chase should not have paid. Because of this I owe that money to Chase and since I was denied justice I had to declare bankruptcy which caused me damages. 

In the second case my condo lawyer lied to Chase and told them I was not paying my condo fees. I was. it led to false accusations, defamation and retaliation from my condo XXXX, telling me I was not in good standing and not letting me vote. The XXXX president told me that the condo lawyer told him that I was not paying my condo fees and that my mortgage company was paying them. After hours of investigation I found out that Chase had been paying my condo fees for 15 months, as was I. The management company received 2 checks a month - one from me and one from Chase. I asked them to stop paying. I had to put it in wiring to get them to stop. 

Every time I spoke to staff at Chase they mindlessly repeated that they were protecting their interests. Nothing they did actually protected their interests but violated mine. They told me that I agreed to that in our contract. I did not agree to them automatically paying money based on lies, colluding with fraud, without informing me. 

The contract Chase kept telling me I agreed to is an " adhesion contract '' " where the parties are of such disproportionate bargaining power that the party of weaker bargaining power could not have negotiated for variations in the terms of the contract '' with " terms to be especially egregious to standards of fair play. '' This contract should be considered unconscionable and void on the grounds of evidence of procedural unconscionability include duress, fraud, undue influence, and fine print. 

After having been violated twice I spoke often with Chase staff and suggested they change their policy to simply inform people and get their approval before paying money. Chase also told me they never investigate- they just pay instantly with no scrutiny. 

On several occasions on the phone and in writing, I told XXXX that there would never be any occasion that they would ever have to pay a penny on my behalf and demanded that they inform me and get my approval first. They refused. I told them I had a XXXX  XXXX due to exposure to toxic mold in my condo. I have problems with XXXX function - trouble with reading, writing, organizing and dealing with desk work, mail and paperwork. I also have XXXX XXXX and brain fog. I told them I needed to be informed by phone, primarily and secondarily by email. They refused for years and said they don't do that. I said according to the XXXX XXXX XXXX they are required to accommodate my XXXX. I said it was easier to make a phone call than to go though all of this. 

Eventually someone on the phone said they would and some said they wouldn't. 

Then some time in XXXX, I think, I had a new problem with Chase. I found out that Chase paid my DC Property Taxes around XX/XX/XXXX and twice after. I had no idea. With my neurological XXXX somethings things fall through the cracks. I missed XXXX property tax payment. Had Chase called me to accommodate my XXXX as repeatedly requested on the phone and in wiring, I would have instantly walked across the street to the bank and paid my property taxes like I usually do. I had no idea Chase would pay. I did pay the next two, but Chase kept paying my property taxes, even when I was also paying, without my knowledge, approval or necessity. I got a letter from DC tax office that I had a credit. 

Note that all of these instances caused me a lot of stress, disrupted my work and wasted hours and hours and hours of my time on the phone and writing emails and trying to correct and resolve an absurd situation. 

I told Chase again that they failed to accommodate my XXXX. Again, they repeated their mantra that they were protecting their interests. 

I called Chase and tried to put a stop to this disruptive ongoing arrangement to resolve it once and for all. They said I could do an investigation with their XXXX XXXX. I was delighted and naively imagined they would investigate their collusion with fraud and would then accommodate my XXXX and never ever pay money again without my approval. We went through an illusory process but nothing changed. 

I don't exactly understand this because of my neurological issues, but they raised my monthly mortgage amount with an escrow account. I have my mortgage on automatic Billpay and have never missed a payment. I have been told I was behind several payments and owe thousands of dollars. Since XXXX, XXXX, Chase has refused to accept my payments. I refuse to pay the higher amount caused by their refusal to accommodate my XXXX. I think this might be extortion. 

I am now threatened with foreclosure for charges incurred by their violations of my rights. I had no idea about this until I got an email from my former bankruptcy lawyer in XXXX. They contacted him. I didn't know I got a letter from Chase, sent to my condo that I moved out of. 

I started receiving CDs in the mail, almost daily from Chase which I played in my car which was a recitation of numbers I didn't understand. Then Chase sent me what I imagine is a copy of my statement in XXXX, which I don't read. Chase was bizarrely accommodating XXXX that I don't have, which require far more work and expense to burn CDs or print out XXXX and put in the mail, than to make a simple phone call. 

Once again, I have another investigation with Chase 's XXXX XXXX hoping to resolve this. I said I was willing to pay the amount of my mortgage payments that I legitimately owe but refuse their illegitimate increase. 

Over the years I have had numerous contacts with Chase by phone and email. Many of the staff seem to be understanding and gave me the illusion of willingness to address these issues in good faith and resolve them once and for all. They have all failed 100 % so far. They are like automatons and still repeat they are protecting their interests and I agreed to a contract and nothing changes. Many have said they won't call me for approval I contacted the XXXX XXXX firm handling my foreclosure and they have been responsive and contacted Chase for escalation of the investigation, which is pending. I am worried. My expectations are low. I hope the CFPB can help. There has to be a law preventing them from doing this.