Consumer complaint received 2024-04-18
Product: Mortgage — Conventional home mortgage
Issue: Struggling to pay mortgage — An existing modification, forbearance plan, short sale, or other loss mitigation relief
Company: Dovenmuehle Mortgage, Inc. (TX)

I pay my homeowners insurance through the Escrow that I have setup with my Mortgage. My old homeowners insurance was through XXXX. It was due to be renewed on XX/XX/2024. I was never going to renew this policy as XXXX increased my homeowners insurance from {$4500.00} to {$9300.00}. I shopped around and found a new homeowners insurance company and signed with them. After that, I cancelled the XXXX policy on XXXX, XX/XX/2024. The new homeowner 's insurance was also going to be paid through my escrow as well. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I saw that Dovenmuehle had done an escrow analysis and monthly mortgage payments had gone up by {$1900.00} effective XXXX. I called Dovenmuehle, and they said that the reason for the increase was because they paid XXXX as well as my new homeowners insurance. When I looked at the XXXX analysis statement, I saw that they had paid the new homeowners insurance first and then sent the payment to XXXX for the amount of {$9300.00} to renew the policy. 

I asked Dovenmuehle why they paid XXXX when I cancelled the policy. They said that they dispersed the check on XX/XX/XXXX. This did not make any sense as the XXXX XXXX shows that they paid the new insurance company first and then paid XXXX after that. Then they said that once XXXX receives the check, they will send me a refund and I can pay it back to my Escrow and my monthly payments will go back to the normal rate. So, I called XXXX and asked them about the refund. They said that they have not received such a check from Dovenmuehle. 

If the payment was sent on XX/XX/XXXX, XXXX would have received the check in few days. I again called Dovenmuehle and mentioned that XXXX has not received the check and therefore there will not be any refund. Then I was told that the check normally takes XXXX - 45 days to clear and they can not do a check trace or even check the status of the check. I would need to wait 30 days to ask for a check trace. I called XXXX on XX/XX/XXXX and they mentioned that they could not locate any check that Dovenmuehle sent them. I then again called Dovenmuehle and asked them to do a check trace. They again told me that I have to wait for 45 days until they can do anything. Then they also mentioned that if they can not find the check, they will put a stop payment on the check and put the amount back in my escrow. In XXXX of the calls to DovenmuehlXXXX, I had the agent call XXXX to confirm the status of the check while I was on the call with them. Then XXXX confirmed that they had not received the check and my policy was cancelled and there is no refund. 

Between XX/XX/XXXX and XX/XX/XXXX, I made several calls every couple of days every week to Dovenmuehle to ask them for an update on the status of the check they sent to XXXX. Each time, I received the same answer, our system is showing that the check was sent to XXXX on XX/XX/XXXX, and we can not do anything. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I called Dovenmuehle back and they said that they put a stop payment to the original check and reissued a check and sent it to XXXX on XX/XX/XXXX. I asked them why did they still pay XXXX policy when they knew the policy was cancelled. They apologized and said they could do not do anything. This again made no sense to me why Dovenmuehle would still pay XXXX when they knew my policy was cancelled and it is in their system. If they had not included my insurance payment on the reissued check, my mortgage payment would have returned to the normal amount. 
Between XX/XX/XXXX and XX/XX/XXXX, I also asked my insurance broker to check from his side, if he was able to trace the check. He called XXXX several times and had even threatened to take legal action thinking Dovenmuehle was telling the truth. Then finally, on XX/XX/XXXX, my insurance broker told me that XXXX received the new check and is in process and they would send me the refund soon. In the meantime, I had to pay Dovenmuehle the new monthly mortgage amount as I did not want to be delinquent on my monthly mortgage payment and affect my credit rating. 

I finally received my refund from XXXX on XX/XX/XXXX and called Dovenmuehle and put the entire amount back to my escrow on XX/XX/XXXX and asked them to do an escrow analysis so the new monthly amount can be effective from XX/XX/XXXX. Then they said that the escrow analysis would take at least XXXX business days and the new payment will take XXXX mortgage billing cycles to be effective. I told them this is unacceptable as this is their mistake, and I can not pay the same amount I paid for XXXX Mortgage, and they need to correct this mistake. 

I seek clarification and accountability regarding the following points : XXXX. Why did Dovenmuehle pay XXXX on XX/XX/XXXX when the policy renewal date is XX/XX/XXXX? 
XXXX. Why did Dovenmuehle wait for 45 days to cancel the check when XXXX confirmed they did not receive the check even after 30 days? 
XXXX. Why did Dovenmuehle reissue a new check with my XXXX policy amount included when they knew this policy was cancelled, and send it? 
XXXX. Why does Dovenmuehle take XXXX mortgage billing cycles to fix my monthly mortgage payments? 
XXXX Who is going to be held accountable for my financial burden caused by Dovenmuehles carelessness? 

This has caused undue financial strain and stress for me and my family, as well as significant inconvenience and disruption to our daily lives by not being able to pay our credit card bills and utility bills. 

This has also caused me to spend many hours on the phone with Dovenmuehle every week during my work hours since XXXX. Furthermore, this has also caused me unnecessary XXXX and XXXX  pain.