Consumer complaint received 2022-03-18
Product: Mortgage — Conventional home mortgage
Issue: Trouble during payment process — 
Company: FIRST COMMUNITY MORTGAGE, INC. (FL)

I have a mortgage on my home held by First Community Mortgage. An escrow account was originally established for taxes and insurance. In early XXXX, I requested that the insurance obligation be removed from the escrow account and that lender permit me to make insurance payments directly. This was approved by the lender in XXXX, XXXX. I was advised at that time that the lender will be performing an escrow analysis and that the monthly amount required to be paid towards my monthly escrow would be reduced to remove the amount attributable to insurance ( approximately {$450.00} per month ) but that I needed to continue to pay this amount until the analysis was complete. In XXXX, XXXX, after not hearing anything from the lender, I contacted them again and requested an analysis review and a reduction so that I did not have to continue paying an amount for insurance. I was advised that the analysis would not be done until XXXX, XXXX. In the meantime, I continued to pay the excess of {$450.00} per month into my escrow account for the remainder of XXXX. In XXXX, XXXX, after not receiving an escrow analysis, I once again reached out to the lender and requested an escrow analysis. They acknowledged that their account reflected that the approval of the removal of insurance from escrow was approved in XXXX, XXXX and they did not know why an analysis was not immediately done when the insurance was removed. I was informed that the analysis would be requested and that I should have a response in approximately two weeks. Again, I was informed that in the meantime, I would have to continue to the entire escrow amount which included the portion for the insurance of approximately {$450.00} ( even though I had an escrow balance at this time with over a {$4000.00} surplus ). On XX/XX/XXXX, I contacted the lender again and they informed me that the analysis was not completed, that it should be coming sometime in XXXX, XXXX and again that I had to continue to pay the additional {$450.00}. After questioning them further, they advised that I would receive a refund of the surplus currently in the account. They advised that once the analysis was approved, I would have to continue to pay the surplus for approximately 2 months as it took time for they system to update. 
If I did not pay the amount including the insurance escrow, I could be charged a late fee. They confirmed that the refund of the surplus would not include the additional months required to be paid after the analysis was approved and that had to be done in the future by requesting another analysis. I asked to immediately speak to a supervisor and asked why it was taking so long ( almost a year at this time ) for the lender to do a simple analysis. She looked at my account and advised that an analysis stop had been placed on my account and she could not advise why but that I had to speak with customer service. The analysis stop prevented them from performing an analysis on my account. Customer service could also not advise why a stop had been placed on my account. I have never been late on a payment. He told me he had good news ; that the stop had been removed and that they could now move forward with an analysis. 
He also informed me that my loan was due to be sold and that they would try to finalize the analysis before the transfer of the loan. They could not guarantee that it would be accomplished and that I would not have to continue to pay the surplus escrow amount to the new lender. While on the phone with them on hold, I noted the provisions of XXXX relating to escrow agreements and the requirements under c ( ii ) which place limits on the amounts that could be charged during the life of an escrow account as well as section ( 3 ) relating to requirements for escrow account analysis to be conducted annually. My lender has been charging me and continues to charge me an extra {$450.00} a month for services they are not providing and have not provided in over a year relating to my escrow account and has cause me tremendous financial stress since I have in effect had to pay for my insurance twice each year ( once to the lender and once to the insurance company ).