Consumer complaint received 2019-06-20
Product: Mortgage — Conventional home mortgage
Issue: Struggling to pay mortgage — 
Company: Dovenmuehle Mortgage, Inc. (SC)

I am a homeowner in XXXX XXXX, SC. We bought our home on XX/XX/XXXX. Our mortgage company is Dovenmuehle Mortgage , Inc .

Almost one month to the day after we closed on and moved in to our home, Hurricane Florence hit. We were forced to evacuate as the forecast called for a Cat 4 hurricane with catastrophic storm surges. We evacuated to XXXX XXXX, NC. We were blessed and did not experience the catastrophic damage that so many others did, but we did have some roof, tree, debris and yard flooding damage. As compared to so many others, our damages were minimal, and we were able to come back / live in our home 4 days after it made landfall.

We initially made the decision to pay for the handful of missing shingles / roof repair, the debris clean up and also absorb the additional $ 1,000+ it cost us to evacuate. Basically, we did not intend to make an insurance claim or seek a forbearance plan with our mortgage company. However, Dovenmuehle contacted me directly, unsolicited, in the fall of XX/XX/XXXX offering me the opportunity to enter their 3-month forbearance plan. I declined, they called again in a few days with the same offer and I declined again. They called AGAIN a few days later, at which point I spent almost 90 minutes on the phone with them, asking how the forbearance plan worked, explaining that we would not be interested if this forbearance plan could in any way damage our credit, if the 3 months of deferred payments would in any way accrue any interest, penalties or other charges and if it would add any additional dollars to our mortgage. They explained that it would not affect our credit, would not add any additional dollars to our mortgage that after the 3 months of forbearance we would simply begin making our mortgage payments again as we had before and that the 3 months of deferred payments would just be added to the back end of the loan. They sent a LENGTHY, confusing legal jargon forbearance agreement for us to sign and return, which we did.

Our mortgage payments from XX/XX/XXXX to XX/XX/XXXX were supposed to be deferred to the back end of the loan and we supposed to / expected to just start making our normal monthly payments on XX/XX/XXXX. 2 weeks before XX/XX/XXXX we received a LOSS MITIGATION / LOAN MODIFICATION AGREEMENT from Dovenmuehle which was NOT as per the agreed upon forbearance plan. It basically said we were 3 months delinquent on our mortgage, had been referred to their loss mitigation department and were at risk of foreclosure. It also said that we needed to respond by a certain date to avoid FORCLOSURE PROCEEDINGS. I immediately called Dovenmuehle, they told me not to worry, it was just their computer system and that I would just start making my normal monthly mortgage payment on XX/XX/XXXX. When I went online to pay my mortgage payment on XX/XX/XXXX, I discovered that my access to pay online was suspended and that I had to contact loss mitigation for further assistance. I have been forced to make my payments over the phone, which they charge me {$11.00} for each time. In addition, their computer system does not show the loss mitigation folks the payments I have made since XX/XX/XXXX, so they continue to show us several months behind!! Our mortgage payments were {$2300.00} but we were paying {$2400.00} with the difference going to principal. Now when I pay {$2400.00}, they take {$11.00} for the pay by phone!!! I am still unable to use the online payment portal that cost me nothing additional.

I have spent no less than a total of 8-10 hours on the phone with Dovenmuehle loss mitigation since mid-XX/XX/XXXX and have been battling / arguing with them that we are NOT behind / delinquent on our payments and that they solicited us repeatedly for their natural disaster forbearance program. I get a different story and feedback every time I am able to get anybody on the phone. Most of them have been very rude and disrespectful. We just received a loss mitigation package ( was sitting at our front door on the morning of XX/XX/XXXX ) that shows they have added nearly {$10000.00} to our total loan amount ( {$5500.00} Accrued Interest and {$4200.00} Advanced Escrow and {$14.00} property preservation expenses )!! Dovenmuehle is not giving us credit for the nearly {$14000.00} we have paid towards our mortgage since XX/XX/XXXX.

Our original mortgage as of XX/XX/XXXX was {$320000.00}. We have paid nearly {$14000.00} to date towards that ( XX/XX/XXXX, XX/XX/XXXX, XX/XX/XXXX, XX/XX/XXXX, XX/XX/XXXX, XX/XX/XXXX ). We understand the vast majority of that has gone toward interest. The Loss Mitigation Agreement we just received has the new mortgage amount as {$320000.00}, which means that not only has the nearly {$14000.00} we have already paid not been accounted for / not credited to our loan, but they have added an additional {$7100.00} to our total loan amount!! That is a loss to us of {$21000.00} ( not including interest ). This can not be legal. We were solicited by them and tried to tell them no. They hounded me, convinced me it was a good thing and would help us financially, ease the financial burden caused by the hurricane. Had they not called me repeatedly, I would never have done any of this. They are treating us like we are deadbeats and behind on our loan due to negligence and are basically stealing tens of thousands of dollars from us, under the threat of foreclosure!!! We were repeatedly solicited by Dovenmuehle and sold on a NATURAL DISASTER FORBEARANCE PROGRAM, but were placed in a LOSS MITIGATION / REPAYMENT PLAN that is for people that are negligent or simply delinquent on their mortgage payments.That is NOT us!

I am a senior executive with a large engineering and construction company, have been fairly successful in business and take my financial obligations very seriously. I believe that Dovenmuehle is engaged in a fraudulent bait and switch scam, targeting those adversely affected by natural disasters. They are banking that people will not question them, will not push back. Unfortunately, I can not afford an attorney to fight this, which I suspect is the case with most homeowners and consumers.

We must sign, have 2 copies of the lengthy loss mitigation agreement notarized and returned to Dovenmuehle Loss Mitigation by XX/XX/XXXX or they will start foreclosure proceedings! Since receiving this LOSS MITIGATION AGREEMENT on XX/XX/XXXX, I have repeatedly tried to call the ( XX/XX/XXXX) XX/XX/XXXX number listed on the cover page. There is never an answer, it rings several times then just disconnects.. I do not want to sign and return it because it is not what we agreed to and is stealing {$21000.00} from us! I want them to honor the forbearance program we agreed to, which I have abided by.