Consumer complaint received 2023-10-14
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: Onity Group Inc. (FL)

To Whom It May Concern : I am writing to inform you about the horrific experience I am having with PHH Mortgage corporation and would like to file a complaint with the CFPB regarding this matter. I am a XXXX XXXX XXXX veteran and currently have a VA loan through the Department of Veterans Affairs ( VA ). I believe that my family and I are being discriminated against because we are an XXXX minority. I believe that PHH is attempting to foreclose on our home despite our full cooperation and compliance with all requested documentation. Please find a timeline of events below. 

We experienced extreme financial hardship in XXXX due to several factors including XXXX, a job loss, a hurricane, and a severe decrease in our income. We immediately contacted PHH Mortgage and were told we could enter a forbearance program that would stop our payments until we were able to resume payments upon improvement of our financial situation. We were told that our missed payments would be pushed to the end of our loan at the end of the forbearance period and that wed re-enter good standing with our mortgage after that. 

Upon resolution of our financial situation, we contacted PHH to notify them that we were able and interested in resuming payments towards our mortgage. We were told to submit an application and provide financial documentation ( bank statements and income tax return ) for proof of income. We were told that this would allow them to provide us with options for resuming our payments as we were not allowed to make payments unless we were able to pay the entire amount of all missed payments during forbearance. 

We submitted the forms and were approved for a trial loan modification which included trial payments with an almost {$700.00} increase in our original mortgage payment, the first of which was sent in XX/XX/2023. We were told to make one trial payment, then were told to make three additional trial payments upon completion of the first payment ( sent in XXXX, XXXX, and XX/XX/2023 ). After 4 successful trial payments, all of which were made well before they were due, we were sent additional documents to sign, agreeing to the loan modification, requiring a notary. We submitted the documents exactly as they were requested and were told that we denied solely because the notary omitted my middle initial. 

We attempted to speak to a supervisor regarding this matter and were denied the opportunity. We were told they would review the notary issue and get back to us. Upon review, we were told that it was in fact denied and we needed to either begin the application for modification all over again, foreclose, or enter short sale. We, of course, agreed to submit the application again. 

We were asked to, yet again, submit an application and provide several documents including our bank statements. Upon submission of these items in XX/XX/2023 and a processing period, we received a letter in the mail requesting our bank statements again. We submitted them again, along with additional documentation for clarification though it was not required. After a processing period, we again received correspondence asking us for our bank statements. We submitted them a third time by the requested due date. Each letter requesting bank statements was received a month apart. We then unexpectedly received a letter in the mail at the end of XX/XX/2023 stating that PHH Mortgage had begun the foreclosure process on our home. 

We immediately called PHH Mortgage upon receipt of that letter to address the miscommunication as we had sent every piece of required documentation on multiple occasions. We were told that we had never sent in the required documentation by the XX/XX/2023 due date. We told them that we had proof of email submission on XX/XX/2023 and upon bringing this to their attention, they confirmed that they in fact had received the bank statements. They then said that we needed to highlight the deposit amounts ( highlighting of the deposits was never requested in the paperwork sent from PHH mortgage ) and resubmit the bank statements yet again. We complied. The following day we called back to confirm receipt and were told that, upon review, we needed to submit the bank statements YET AGAIN as they needed to be highlighted. We advised them that the documents submitted the previous day had been highlighted as requested. It has continually appeared as though PHH mortgage is either not looking at the documents we submit or simply trying to push us out of our home. The representative confirmed that they were in fact highlighted and stated that he would submit a request to have the underwriting team review the documents again. 

On XXXX, we called PHH mortgage again to speak to a supervisor regarding the settlement of this matter and were transferred 4 times and on the phone for a total of an hour. We were never transferred to a supervisor and were not allowed to speak with someone who could actually assist with this matter. 

We finally received a call back on XXXX from a supervisor who assured us that shed review the documents we provided and would call us back the following day. She has not returned our phone call to this day despite various email follow ups requesting her to please call us back as she assured us she would. We are doing everything in our power to make payments on our loan and keep our family in our home; but we feel that PHH Mortgage is purposely trying to foreclose on us and prevent us from getting into good standing on our mortgage loan. We believe this could be due to discrimination as we are an XXXX minority family. Please assist us in this matter as we are willing and able to make payments and do not want to lose our home.