Consumer complaint received 2024-05-08
Product: Mortgage — VA mortgage
Issue: Struggling to pay mortgage — Trying to communicate with the company to fix an issue related to modification, forbearance, short sale, deed-in-lieu, bankruptcy, or foreclosure
Company: LAKEVIEW LOAN SERVICING, LLC (NC)

Lakeview Loan Servicing and XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX have engaged in unethical servicing practices. I bought this home with my wife XXXX XXXX XXXX with a VA loan in XX/XX/year>. Not long after we closed on the house she XXXX XXXX  It was a very difficult and emotional time for me. In XXXX my XXXX XXXX and I ( he has Power of Attorney and helps with my affairs ) contacted Lakeview to ask for a short bereavement forbearance so that I had time to deal with the funeral and the expenses and settle her estate. I did not think it would be any major problem, I just needed a little time to focus on my family and clear everything up with the estate. I was wrong!! The agents told me that in order to receive a forbearance I needed to skip two payments. I thought all I needed to do was send in death certificate and written request for forbearance. Instead they demanded a full financial package to evaluate my ability to pay when in truth all I needed was two month bereavement forbearance. According to the VA, Lakeview did not need to do a full financial evaluation to grant this request, yet Lakeview turned this simple exercise into blood sport that has led me to foreclosure. I am XXXX XXXX XXXX and served my country in the XXXX XXXX during XXXX XXXX XXXX and the XXXX XXXX and was awarded a XXXX  XXXX. After I left the military I was a professor at XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX for close to 30 years. I should not be going through this, and I blame my mortgage company. 

I called Lakeview expecting that they would quickly grant the forbearance and I would resume the mortgage payments in a couple of months after all of my affairs and her estate were settled. Since the bank told us to skip two payments we followed their instructions. My son helped me with the documents and the application and was dealing with Lakeview and XXXX XXXX XXXX but it was a very frustrating process. He submitted all of the requested paperwork several times but was always told that something was missing or outdated. A couple months into the process we became frustrated and told them to forget it, we just wanted to start making the regular payments again. The agent at Lakeview told us not to pay, and said we needed to wait to go through the review process, so dont try to get caught up on the payments instead hold off while we review the paperwork. Unfortunately my son submitted packages to Lakeview 14 different times and the financial information was never reviewed. Instead of getting forbearance or some type of assistance I am in default and facing foreclosure. 
I feel this was completely avoidable and am shocked at the way Lakeview and XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX conducts business and cant believe they would treat a XXXX and decorated XXXX  this way. I always had the ability to pay, I just needed a couple of months to take care of the funeral and expenses and settle the estate and tie up all the financial loose ends. After two months I was ready to resume making payments but my son and I were told by Lakeview and agents at XXXX XXXX XXXX that we should not pay and wait until we get the decision on the assistance program. These statements by their office led to the delinquency and situation snowballing.