Consumer complaint received 2023-01-19
Product: Debt collection — Mortgage debt
Issue: Took or threatened to take negative or legal action — Threatened or suggested your credit would be damaged
Company: Dovenmuehle Mortgage, Inc. (FL)

My home was affected by XXXX XXXX in which I obtained and requested an active request for assistance for disaster loan deferment. It was approved and then denied after they stated they did not receive a letter that was not listed as a requirement originally. Now my credit score is very damaged and although I gave my best effort to complete the requirements, my credit score continues to show late mortgage payments despite my formally approved ( have a letter ) and then denied and now active request for assistance. I actually cried to the mortgage debt collector explaining everything and she said that an active request for assistance will not stop her from collecting the debt or pursuit of foreclosure. I explained that there was a mistake and have tried to correct all the requested items. Let me be clear, I will take this as far as I am allowed to go. This is NOT ok. I have called and been called by my mortgage company collections department on multiple occasions and threatened foreclosure if I did not pay. I owe now {$10000.00} I can not pay because I thought I was getting a mortgage disaster deferment and what I got was a XXXX point decrease in my credit score and now I think I might lose my home after watching my community and family suffer a major hurricane. What protection do I have? apparently, none because everyone is blaming someone else and mostly blaming me for thinking I could get a 6 months deferment to pay approximately {$72000.00} in damages according the the XXXX loan inspector. I am doing my best to replace a vehicle I lost in the storm, but my credit is so damaged I can not recover. 

Here is the letter I have sent to everyone who will listen. Someone will. 

Hello, On XX/XX/XXXX hurricane XXXX swept my area and my home sustained damage. Days later, I requested a disaster deferment, filled out all required documents, and had an active request for assistance while I was searching for a XXXX loan to help repair my home and getting needed documents for my insurance companies. I also had a vehicle XXXX  XXXX XXXX that was totaled during the storm. Immediately, my credit was hit for nearly XXXX points as late mortgage payment while a screenshot of the website stated I had an approved request for assistance, then, I even received an approval letter. I called in tears your collections department and it was stated that it would be reversed because I had an active request for assistance. After 2 weeks your company stated that I did not provide a letter to them that was not on the original list of requirements, so my request was declined with more letters to follow. Keep in mind that I had no mailbox during this time, so I had to keep checking the website where I took pictures of our correspondence. They dropped my request, and your collections department began calling me daily at work where I am a registered nurse in a hospital. Multiple times, I explained to XXXX that I was working on my disaster deferment request as there was a mistake. I then received several other requests for documentation and edits, including a date change on a document because of the dropping of my request for deferment. I proceeded to the best of my ability to return all requested documents and in this time repeatedly was harassed by your collections department stating that my credit will continue to be hit for late payments regardless of my due diligence to complete the request documents. Foreclosure was threatened on more than one occasion. I am devastated that your business would take a state disaster declaration from a major hurricane and make it so difficult for me to defer my payment for 6 months so I could repair your interest in my mortgage. During this entire time, I somehow kept my job so I could keep my home. Despite this effort, I have been unable to procure a disaster deferment and now suffer a credit score so low that I can not replace my lost vehicle or obtain any financial assistance other than XXXX loan that estimated my damage at around {$72000.00}. My insurance companies have provided and estimate of {$10000.00} in damages that will not even cover my roof or water damages. I am also unable to get contractors to repair anything as of yet and my husband climbed on my roof to prevent further damage. Lets make no question that any prudent individual would not expect such a devastating loss of humanity at your hands when I was just trying to obtain a little relief from this mess. Unfathomable that the offering of disaster relief and deferment came with such a high cost to me mentally and financially. I will never wish this on anyone and so we are clear, we do my best to let everyone I meet know how this was handled by your agency. I owe {$10000.00} and I can not pay it. I should have never trusted you to defer my mortgage or give me any assistance. My financial situation is so afflicted, and I have daily calls saved on my phone to the point I can not even work without crying. I let your loss draft department know what was happening and they told me they could not help me. The problem is, no one can. My home is at risk, my credit is ruined, and you are to blame for offering a service you could not provide to a venerable population affected by a disaster. Do not call me. Either fix this or don't. The damage is already done. I have sought council, but I thought you should know my story before everyone else in case I was talking to the wrong people. Mortgage deferment lies are worse than price gouging or unlicensed contractors. I hope someone reading this is as ashamed as I am financially ruined. I honestly hope no one reading this ever goes through such an event, with kids, and in laws who lost everything only to find out the people who were supposed to help you made it so bad. My husband and I spent several days on XXXX and XXXX XXXX XXXX thankful we still had a home and we were safe helping those who were not so fortunate only to have my home then threatened by the people who are supposed to protect it and that I trusted to loan me money for it. 

I believe someone even laughed at me and said that I was in the wrong department while I cried thinking that I was losing everything with a ruined credit score unable to replace any of it.