Consumer complaint received 2023-01-10
Product: Mortgage — FHA mortgage
Issue: Trouble during payment process — 
Company: FIFTH THIRD FINANCIAL CORPORATION (SC)

I opened my home loan in XXXXFifth Third Bank took over my loan. Since, I did have a couple of late payments up to XXXX or XXXX. Every year since, and up to now, the company has claimed that I've continued to make late payments without the due late fees, and they also claimed that I wanted to sell my house and they assisted me with the sale which incurred over {$200.00} in fees that they started collecting two and three times a year since XXXX. The company knew my age and knew this was my first mortgage loan. So, I stopped sending money orders and started completing payments online. I felt like this would keep a better trail. Whenever I paidd my loan at the beginning and end of the same month since the bill was due on the first of each month, they would put my second payment towards principal instead of applying it to the next month as I indicated in the notes section of my online payment. To their defense, they would tell me that they can't see the notes-but this is their online portal. I was also told that I could make payments over the phone for free in which I would receive a notification later that there was charges for making payments over the phone instead of by mail or online. I wasn't able to afford a phone for a while so I used my neighbor 's phone number-they called her so much that she changed her number. So, since around XXXX, I haven't had a number on file, but fifth third has been sending me junk mail and my monthly mortgage payment notification by mail. In XXXX of XXXX, I got an online message when I logged in to setup my mortgage payment. The message informed me that I would have to download their new app or I wouldn't be able to login online after XX/XX/XXXX. So, while online in XXXX, XXXX, I went ahead and setup payments up to XXXX, XXXX. So, in XXXX, XXXX, I downloaded the new app, wasn't able to login with same credentials so I called number provided. I was assisted and was able to login, but then before accessing my account, an error message appears " well that didn't go as planned. Please try again. If this is your second try, go ahead and message us or call XXXX and we'll figure it out together. '' I've called several times since XX/XX/XXXX to get assistance with logging in to make a payment. I have had no success with several representatives. After XX/XX/XXXX, I incurred a late fee. The last time that I called was XX/XX/XXXX and I provided a phone number and email address for them to assist me with online access and the representative told me, " well you still have to wait 15 days for everything to be updated before you can access your account. '' I informed him that by that time I would have another late fee. He offered to take a payment online but I told him that I won't be able to afford the hidden fees for making a payment over the phone. So, on XX/XX/XXXX I received a letter from fifth third bank informing me that my loan would be in default if no payment was received 10 days after the date on the letter- XX/XX/XXXX, XXXX which was probably typed up while I was on the phone with representatives from the company for several hours that day. Fifth Third Bank has been taking money from me that has not been applied appropriately or at all to my home loan. I no longer have access to their online portal which I was able to make payments and see my payment history-although they are able to manipulate their system from their end of the online portal. However, I have had the same bank since before the approval of my home loan. And, every payment that I have made since making payments online, I can retrieve from my bank. I need help finding a lawyer who can go through every page of my payment history with fifth third bank so that I can payoff my home loan and not deal with this company any longer. Any help would be greatly appreciated.