Consumer complaint received 2022-01-26
Product: Mortgage — Conventional home mortgage
Issue: Struggling to pay mortgage — 
Company: FIFTH THIRD FINANCIAL CORPORATION (TX)

During the Covid pandemic, our loaner ( Fifth Third Bank ) gave us the option to go into forbearance, which we began in XX/XX/XXXX. A year later, we chose to have our loan modified, and began a Trial Period Plan in XX/XX/XXXX. Our old mortgage payment was {$2300.00}, while our Trial payment would be {$2100.00}. We made the payments in a timely manner for three months, after which we were told we would be sent a loan modification agreement, which we would have to have notarized, in order to start making the new payment amount on a regular basis. Many weeks went by and we still had not received our documents. We made a payment during XXXX, in the old mortgage amount of {$2300.00}, not knowing what we were supposed to do. We also made payments during XXXX and XXXX, around the amount of {$1900.00}, which was an amount that was included in a letter indicating what our new payment amount would become. During these months we made several calls to the loaner, asking when they would be sending the loan modification agreement, and we were constantly told that it would take a few weeks. We noticed that although we were making payments, they were not being added to our mortgage payments, which customer service agents told us was because new payments could not be accepted while a new modification was being written, and the money was put on hold. The agents also failed to tell us early on that they were sending a flood insurance policy notice, which would need to be signed and returned in order to continue the modification. In XX/XX/XXXX, we made multiple calls to them to ask when the flood document would be sent, and they kept saying it would be sent in a few days. When we finally received it, we sent it back the same day, and the XXXX tracking number showed that it had arrived early the next morning. When we called to inquire if they had received it, they said they had not, and that it was still at their mail center. We called a few days later, and they still hadn't opened it. Flash forward, on XX/XX/XXXX, the mortgage company had sent a letter saying that our case had been closed. When we called to inquire about why that is, we got many mixed messages. On one hand they were saying that it was closed by mistake, and on the other hand they were saying that it was closed because we hadn't submitted the flood document in time, which we had, but they had neglected to open in time. One agent even implied that we were going into foreclosure. We had to continue speaking to many agents until we could finally reach a supervisor, who assured us that they had received the document in time, and that closing the case wasn't a mistake. When asked when we would be receiving the loan modification agreement, he indicated that he would be looking into the manner and getting back to us as soon as he knew what was happening. We have not heard back from him since we spoke to him, despite continuing to send online messages and making phone calls to find out what was happening. Today, XXXX, XXXX, XXXX, we called the loaner again, only to find out they were sending us a new trial period plan document with a new amount, which the customer service agent indicated that after the payments were made for three months, it would take another few months ( up to six months ) to deliver the loan modification agreement. This is not what we were told would happen. We asked to speak to a supervisor again, and are currently waiting to hear back from one. We have also been trying to get a copy of our phone records which indicate all the times we called to ask for information and what was happening, as they often refuse to send us in writing what is being done. In addition, we were told today that the money that was put on hold was applied to our Escrow account, something we were not notified was going to happen.