Consumer complaint received 2023-02-11
Product: Mortgage — Conventional home mortgage
Issue: Trouble during payment process — 
Company: Onity Group Inc. (VT)

To Whom It May Concern. 

I want to make a formal complaint on XXXX XXXX, PHH, XXXX, and XXXX 

We purchased our home back in XXXX for {$250000.00} through XXXX XXXX XXXX and XXXX XXXX. We paid out of pocket {$25000.00} and took a mortgage loan for {$220000.00} through Century 21 XXXX XXXX XXXX ). From XXXX to XXXX the mortgages companies that were holding our loan ( there were multiple companies due to the constant transformations of each lender to another XXXX XXXX, to PHH TXXXX XXXX to XXXX ( XXXX XXXX XXXX ) ) were taking advantage of us financially by charging us unexplainable fees, and instead of our principal reducing the principal was increasing over the years. 

We reached out to everyone we knew in hopes that someone could help us. Every phone call would lead us to a dead end. All mortgage lawyers seemed either back logged or unable to take on new clients. We even reached out over state lines and were told we needed to get a lawyer within our state. 

This all began in XXXX, after a loan modification that we thought would help us in a positive way but instead it has crushed us. The reason for the modification to begin with was due to the high payment amount. The payment was lot higher than we anticipated it would bea payment of {$2300.00} a month. With a loss of income, we knew we had to get help, or we would be tight financially. 

In XXXX we received a letter stating that our interest rate would be a fixed rate of 2 % for the remainder of the mortgage loan and with a balance of {$190000.00} We were hoping that with fixed interest rate of 2 % the principal would start reducing. 
We started to realize, the principal payment was less then and the interest instead of principal being higher due to 2 % fixed rate. Our payments kept changing and the interest payment was higher than the principle for example we with a {$660.00} payment the payment was split 50 % not 2 %. When phoned to ask why no answers or explanations could ever be given. 

We were at a balance of {$190000.00} as of XXXX and XXXX our payoff was {$240000.00}. {$230000.00} principle Interest {$590.00}, Escrow Mortgage Ins. PMI {$1000.00} this is at a 2 % interest rate since XXXX. We paid off the loan at a higher amount then we original loaned it for after 14 years of payments. 

We would call the lenders questioning why the loan was increasing and were told that it was out of their hands and to contact the other lenders, and the other lenders stated that it would be investigated, and they would send us a letter with explanations, which we never received any explanations. 

We have asked the lenders multiple times why our PMI was not being removed we would get different answers with each phone call, such as ; the PMI would be removed in XXXX of XXXX never happen, to being told the PMI would never be removed. When we refinanced in XX/XX/XXXX, we were told that our PMI should have been removed a long time ago since the equity was 50 % of the principal. 

1. Attached is the XXXX payoff statement in which you will see the payoff and how it was broken up you will see even at the payoff they charge us {$1000.00} in PMI, and they state they paid our property taxes. We received a property tax rebate which has yet to be applied to our payments or received back to us due to over payment of our property taxes. 

2. Attached is the XXXX statement from XXXX to XX/XX/XXXX. ( 13 pages ) On pay 13 of 13 you will see the principal balance was {$190000.00} On page 12of 13 XX/XX/XXXX you will see that PHH increased the principle {$16000.00} from {$190.00}, XXXX principle increased to {$200000.00}. How is this possible? 

On page 11 of 13 you will notice that there are charges ad an unapplied payment of {$1300.00} on XX/XX/XXXX, XX/XX/XXXX another unapplied payment {$1300.00} on XX/XX/XXXX another unapplied payment {$1300.00}. During this time our mortgage interest rate was at a fixed 2 %, rate so why would my interest payment be higher than my principal payment. 

On page 10 of 13 you will see XX/XX/XXXX PHH increases our loan to {$40000.00} to make our loan now {$240000.00} which is more than we paid for the house which we started at {$220000.00}. Then on XX/XX/XXXX PHH decreases our mortgage {$27000.00} to make our mortgage {$210000.00} you will notice a {$5700.00} payment not being applied to any principle you will see XX/XX/XXXX payment made of {$1300.00} but not being applied to principle. 

On page 6 of 13 you will notice XX/XX/XXXX charges for modification of {$450.00} ( we did not modify ) on XX/XX/XXXX you will see unapplied payment of {$1500.00}, on XX/XX/XXXX a fee for {$15.00} inspection ( never got inspection? ) XX/XX/XXXX unapplied payment of {$1900.00}. XX/XX/XXXX another unapplied payment {$1900.00} XX/XX/XXXX another property insect {$15.00} On page XXXX XXXX XXXX XX/XX/XXXX unapplied payment {$1900.00}, on XX/XX/XXXX unapplied payment of {$2700.00} XX/XX/XXXX you will notice a property inspection fee {$15.00}, XX/XX/XXXX unapplied payment {$1900.00}, XX/XX/XXXX unapplied payment {$1900.00} XX/XX/XXXX unapplied payment {$2800.00} XX/XX/XXXX states new loan PHH transferred to XXXX {$200000.00}, the transfer was not our choice nor did we get notification of the transfer until it was transferred. 

On page 3 of 13 you will notice attorney cost payment {$1800.00} ( why an attorney? ), title cost payment $ XXXXmodification payment {$2300.00}. We did not modify or refinance. XX/XX/XXXX inspection fee {$60.00}. 

One page 1 of 13 you will notice that our balance on XX/XX/XXXX shows {$190000.00}. 


When all said and done, we feel like there was no direction to get out of this hostile mortgage company and got financially taken advantage of. If there is any direction of making this a formal complaint and what else, we need to provide to help the process let us know. 


Sincerely,