Consumer complaint received 2020-12-24
Product: Mortgage — VA mortgage
Issue: Closing on a mortgage — 
Company: Mortgage Research Center, LLC (WI)

We refinanced our mortgage in XX/XX/XXXX with Veterans United to get a cheaper interest rate. In XX/XX/XXXX I received a call from Veterans United telling me we could get 2.25 % rate. We started he process of a refinance in late XX/XX/XXXX with them. The drafts/disclosures/numbers we received from them from XX/XX/XXXX through XX/XX/XXXX kept changing and the interest rate to 2.49 %. 
We had approximately {$5800.00} in escrow at the time in XX/XX/XXXX. We were set to close on XX/XX/XXXXWhen we arrived at the title Company they only had a check for us for {$2600.00} for or XXXX tax bill, this money was in full in our escrow account to pay the entire tax bill of {$5300.00}. Also in the papers at closing all our escrow money was being taken to put down on the previous loan balance & then they added {$5300.00} for our property taxes to our new loan amount as a closing fee along with {$790.00} for our homeowners insurance which we had also saved up in escrow. Along with all of that they added in 2 extra months of homeowners insurance and about {$1300.00} for 3 months of property taxes into the new loan as closing fees. We refused to sign and left. 
Also prior to this our Senior Loan person, XXXX XXXX had emailed me on XX/XX/XXXX telling me to STOP automatic payments to the loan. That is attached in the uploaded documents. I contacted my Credit Union on XX/XX/XXXX & told them no more payments were to come out of our checking account. They reimbursed us the partial payment of {$820.00}. ( We always had the payments taken out a month ahead out of our checking even though Veterans Untied took the money they would not credit our account until the following month ). Again on XX/XX/XXXX our Credit Union called me & told me Veterans United had once again taken out {$820.00} even though I had signed revocation papers on XX/XX/XXXX and Mr. XXXX knew & told me to stop the payments. 
I called Mr. XXXX after our failed closing on XX/XX/XXXX and he said the paperwork was correct & that this is the way they do things is use the money in your escrow to pay down the previous loan balance. He said it was no big deal. We argued that we wanted our taxes paid in full in XX/XX/XXXX with our escrow money and not put towards to loan balance. In an email he stated the Title Company would have a check for our property taxes for {$5300.00} & a check for {$790.00} for our homeowners Insurance that would come from our escrow account a the next closing date of XX/XX/XXXX. We arrived at XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX in XXXX WI on XX/XX/XXXX & met with XXXX XXXX to close. Once again our escrow account was applied to our loan balance & then the taxes for 12 months were written back into our loan along with an additional 3 months of taxes of {$1300.00} as well as {$790.00} for homeowners Insurance plus two more months of insurance at {$130.00} added to our new loan PLUS an additional {$1000.00} added for a cushion into our escrow account with them. This made our closing costs {$8400.00} which through the VA we are only required to pay the Title Company which is {$900.00}. Now we are paying interest on that {$8400.00}. 
The Closing Documents from XX/XX/XXXX state our closing costs were {$4900.00}. What in the XXXX??? The Closing Agent, XXXX XXXX was very confused as well & asked me to call Mr. XXXX from Veterans United while we were at Closing so he could explain all of this because she had never seen this done this way & we were upset that this was done this way again PLUS more closing costs than three weeks prior. Mr. XXXX told us all this was just a wash & that we were actually saving money by applying all of our escrow money to the old balance. We got nowhere with him & we signed the papers. XXXX XXXX said she has done many VA loans & had never seen this done this way before.It was over. I had been under stress for two months with this & I ended up just trusting what he said about saving us money in the long run. 
On XX/XX/XXXX I received a call from or Insurance Company, XXXX XXXX - XXXX. She proceeded to tell me that we paid our homeowners insurance twice for XXXX. Two payments of {$790.00} each. One from the Title Company & one from Veterans Untied. She said XXXX XXXX would be sending me a check for {$790.00} because Veterans United had double dipped in our closing costs. I told her that I told Mr. XXXX this but he refused to listen & added it in our closing costs anyway. About an hour after XXXX XXXX called me I received a call from XXXX XXXX from Veterans United & he old me that I was short {$2400.00} on paying on my previous mortgage from them from XX/XX/XXXX. I could not believe what I was hearing. He told me it was because I stopped making my XXXX payment which was {$1600.00} but I was still short {$2400.00}!!! He said he called XXXX XXXX & told them he wanted the check back for {$790.00} for my shortage. I told Mr. XXXX that I had an email from the Senior Loan Advisor at Veterans Untied, XXXX XXXX on XX/XX/XXXX to STOP making payments & that is what I did. I told him Mr. XXXX told me that my XXXX payment was wrapped into the refinance & that is why I had to stop the payments. I kept asking him WHY this happened & why wasn't the numbers correct on the final closing disclosure? I also told him I had 10 final closing disclosures with all different numbers, balance, closing costs etc. I told him I had over paid not under paid & he wasn't getting that check back from XXXX XXXX. 
On XX/XX/XXXX I called XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX to speak with XXXX XXXX about what was happening. XXXX was upset & told me she started getting emails from Veterans United on Sunday, XX/XX/XXXX. I was shocked. She forwarded me those emails & I am enclosing them in a file to you. Veterans United wanted her to get the check back from XXXX XXXX and from the Village for my property taxes so they could get this {$2400.00} back. XXXX consulted with her Boss & her boss told her that money belonged to the XXXX 's and the XXXX 's were getting their money back. XXXX also told Veterans Untied that she was not changing the closing documents because this was illegal. We had signed at our closing on XX/XX/XXXX and now on XX/XX/XXXX, XXXX, XXXX, XXXX & to this day they after our money. 
XXXX also called XXXX XXXX on XX/XX/XXXX & told them to send the over payment of {$790.00} to the XXXX 's because they were over charged on their final closing documents. 
Later in the day on XX/XX/XXXX I received another call from XXXX XXXX from Veterans United and he said " we have a proposal for you. '' He said " we will take the check for {$790.00} from your homeowners insurance & we will eat he remainder of the costs. '' I told Mr. XXXX that I was over paid on my property taxes and awaiting a check back from the Village, I over paid my homeowners of {$790.00} and that Veterans Untied is sitting on over {$1000.00} of my money in escrow as a " CUSHION Fund '' & that I want that money back as well. I told him I am NOT paying them XXXX XXXX & that I am owed money as well as the loan costing me over {$8000.00} in interest because of what they wrote into my closing costs which should had been {$900.00}. He said he would call me back. 
Today Mr. XXXX called to say they are still trying to figure out the numbers & due to XXXX he will get back to me next week. 
My husband who is a XXXX XXXX XXXX Veteran & XXXX years old, I am XXXX have been XXXX  by Veterans United and want all of our money back & the rate of 2.25 % that we were told in XX/XX/XXXX. 
Thank you