Consumer complaint received 2023-05-10
Product: Mortgage — Conventional home mortgage
Issue: Trouble during payment process — 
Company: Onity Group Inc. (ID)

I got XXXX XXXX and the needed to take time to attempt to recover so I could at least hopefully gain enough strength to walk XXXX XXXX again and return to work enough to meet my obligations. I called PHH, and asked for assistance at the suggestion of their support agent. We were put in a forbearance for 90 days. During this and subsequent calls, I was told that these 90 days of payments would be put at the end of the loan, and not to worry. However, at the end of this 90-day forbearance, to my complete dismay, they refused to put these at the end of the loan and additionally refused to take any more payments from me, putting me into foreclosure. For nearly a year now I've been trying to pay this balance or get payment arrangements set up, but each time I get the same runaround and then denied any assistance and threatened with foreclosure and am put another month behind. Had I never called and asked for assistance, I would never be in this position. It has become very apparent that PHH Mortgage has no intention of helping me or my family, and makes a habit of taking advantage of hardworking citizens. 

All I have been asking for is a loan modification, or other assistance in putting my 90 days of payments on the end of the loan as I was promised. ( or anything else that could potentially help me while I navigate this terrible illness. 

The reason I reached out for help to begin with is because I have a XXXX  XXXX XXXX and am not only a full time single dad, but I also care for my elderly and XXXX mother. So now it's not bad enough for me to have to face each day knowing I am going to die soon and leave my child and mother, but now I also have to worry that myself and those I leave behind are going to be out in the streets and homeless and my life 's earnings which have went into our home and property, are now at risk of leaving my surviving family members completely penniless as a result of PHH 's deception. We have been in our home for almost 20 years and farm it to feed ourselves and can not fathom how heartless their company can be to someone who is XXXX  XXXX and to my family, to add the prospect and fear of foreclosure on the only thing of real value we have so that we must live daily with this threat despite spending nearly a year trying to resolve this, including 8? attempts at loan modification. I also know that I am just one of many, many people who have been victimized by their tactics. Had I never even called them, and been coerced into the forbearance, and lied to, myself and my family would not even be in this situation. They have used the forbearance as a weapon against us and attempted to destroy us financially with this, and threatened to put us out on the streets, depriving us of our home and equity, 20 years of equity we have accumulated in our property, and they wish to take this and benefit by means of foreclosure. The property and it's equity is the only thing I have to leave my child and mother upon my passing to take care of them and their dishonesty and lack of care is jeopardizing that now. I wasn't behind on my payments when I called and asked if assistance was available. They knowingly coerced me into something they knew would potentially jeopardize my home, my credit and my equity. 
I am now working 12 hours a day with my daughter to earn this money back and am not supposed to be working only but a few hours a day if that. Doing so is shortening my expected lifespan in a very dramatic way coupled with the fact that every XXXX I earn is going to pay them, when ultimately it should be going into medical treatments and XXXX to help extend my life. 
I guess if it were me, and one of my customers came to me with the same problem, I would do every thing I could to assist them and to make it as affordable as possible by either reducing the principal, reducing the interest rate, spreading out the loan, or all of the above, whatever I could do I would ... .as this is the ethical thing to do. 

All I have been asking for, for the past several months ( going on a year ) is the ability to send my payments and not have them returned and for perhaps, a repayment plan or other arrangement that is affordable. 
Between my daughter and I, we have saved a little over {$10000.00} to pay this balance ( by forgoing my much needed medical treatments and XXXX ) and all I was requesting was help with the remaining {$5900.00} by either putting to the back of the loan as promised or by giving us a formal repayment plan, but I can't even get that. Also, PHH currently holds an excess {$500.00} dollars of a payment I made, which they refuse to apply to our account. 

The severe stress from this completely unnecessary situation has not only worsened my condition, it has caused further trauma, fear and worry for my family, all unnecessarily, and all due to no fault of our own. They have a ludicrous amount of nerve to use the motto " helping homeowners '' when they have, and continue to do the exact opposite of helping us, going so far as to take advantage of my situation and desperation to deliberately destroy us financially and risk having our home taken during the time when we need it most. This situation is by far the most evil thing that I've ever experienced in my XXXX XXXX. I can not describe the amount of stress, fear and frustration we have all felt as a result. 

Perhaps they can use this opportunity to prove that they mean what the say when they use the motto of " helping homeowners ''. Especially when one of their homeowners has an immediate, urgent, and legitimate need. Up until XXXX shut us down, made us ill and likely caused my XXXX XXXX, I don't believe that I was ever late or missed a payment in the previous 15 years. Again, I ask you to look at our situation again and consider helping us in any way possible while we try to navigate this horrible place we find ourselves in. 

Sincerely, XXXX XXXX and XXXX ( XXXX ) XXXX