Consumer complaint received 2020-02-08
Product: Mortgage — Conventional home mortgage
Issue: Struggling to pay mortgage — 
Company: Onity Group Inc. (VA)

XXXX I hired an attorney to assist me with processing loan modification paperwork. I paid him {$5000.00}. He said that the lender will give me modification terms with an interest rate of 2 % on a 40 fixed loan term and 25-30 % will go toward the principle. 

XXXX- Ocwen Mortgage called me to take my modification application. They only requested income information for myself an not my ex husband, who is on the loan but not on the title. We were married at the time of purchase but divorced in XX/XX/XXXX. So, I have been making the payments solely for over 5 years with no issue until the attorney was hired. 

XXXX I called my attorney and asked it it was ok for me to stop making my mortgage payments because I became ill and was not able to work for 6 months.The attorney said " Ok, that is  fine. '' So, I took his word as a professional. 
( XX/XX/XXXX I am here speaking with a friend of mine in the mortgage industry - she believes that the attorney should have advised me at that exact time to do a hardship request. This way Ocwen could just add the payments to the end of the loan while I recovered. ) XXXX- My attorney called and said that Ocwen was asking for more income documentation, etc. 
This went on and on for months ... 

Late XX/XX/XXXX- My attorney called and said that Ocwen has sold my loan to XXXX XXXX . 

XXXX I received papers that my loan was sold to PHH Mortgage. 

XXXX PHH sent me papers saying my modification was approved. They advised me that my trial period would start with my first payment on XX/XX/XXXX. 

XXXX The attorney send the bank my divorce decree and Quit Claim Deed taking my ex husband off of the title. 

XXXX- I make my first months trial mortgage payment. I paid it on time, exactly in the amount requested. 

XXXX- I make my second month trial mortgage payment. I paid it on time, exactly in the amount requested. 

XXXX- I make my third month trial mortgage payment. I paid it on time, exactly in the amount requested. The trial period for modification approval is 3 months. 

XXXX- I called PHH and let them know I do not under any circumstances want to miss a payment. So, I asked to pay my XX/XX/XXXX payment now over the phone. They said they could not do that but I could sent a check to a PO Box address that he gave me. I send the check certified mail, confirmed receipt and have a copy of the cancelled check. 

XX/XX/XXXX -I received an approval for the modification. And I called my attorney and asked if it was ok for me to send back the modification papers without my ex husbands signature- which for some reason they still had on the paperwork. My attorney said " Yes, this is just good faith documentation '' and to sign my signature in both places and state under the co borrower section that I am the ex wife of the other party. So, I did and sent it overnight. It was confirmed received on XX/XX/XXXX. The due date for my response accepting the modification was XX/XX/XXXX. 

XXXX- I called PHH to make a XXXX payment and they stated that my modification was rejected because of the co borrowers signature. I was never contacted prior to this moment. The PHH representative proceeded to tell me that I would need to make the increased Adjustable Interest Rate payment of $ XXXX- not the lower modification payment. 

All this time they have accepted my trial payments knowing that I am divorced and then they deny me because my of my ex husbands signature. 

Who is going to sign for a loan on a home that they do not own for their divorced wife? NO ONE! 

Ocwen from the beginning of the process only ever asked me for my income. I qualified based on my income and a 3rd party contributors income that was added during the process. It is not based on my ex husbands information. 

**What options do I have to have my modification accepted without the signature of an ex husband that can not be located please?