Consumer complaint received 2017-07-10
Product: Mortgage — Conventional home mortgage
Issue: Struggling to pay mortgage — 
Company: Onity Group Inc. (MD)

In XX/XX/XXXX, XXXX loss his job and became unemployed, XXXX had already been unemployed since XX/XX/XXXX. Both of us were unemployed, we contacted Ocwen to request mortgage assistance in XX/XX/XXXX. At this point mortgage payments were current despite both of us being unemployed. Our savings were exhausted. Ocwen offered us an unemployment forbearance program beginning XX/XX/XXXX. At the time we were granted a year to make min. payments of XXXX per month and we made the monthly payment as instructed until XX/XX/XXXX. At which time XXXX and I were back employed and asked for a loan modification, sent in the application and was not told until XX/XX/XXXX that our loan modification was not an option because the investor XXXX XXXX refused to participate in loan modifications. Our home was under water by about {$100000.00} at the time and we opted to participate in the forbearance program because Ocwen indicated at the end the one year unemployment assistance program we would be eligible to apply for a refinance. Why would you offer me a refinance option that Ocwen knew did not exist? Ocwen the loan servicing company never told us that the XXXX XXXX does not participate in any loan modification programs and expected all past due to be paid up front in order to continue the loan. <P/>Had we had the funds we would have never asked for a payment exception, and surely had we known that we would be in a worsen position by participating would put our home in jeopardy of foreclosure because the lender would not give us the opportunity to refinance by loan modification. We were scammed by Ocwen who knew this would end up in a no win situation. <P/>We attempted to contact XXXX XXXX on two occasions and had to be called back because nobody was available to speak to us, and never received any return calls. We attempted on three different occasions to submit applications for modification with Ocwen and was led to believe this time it will be different and the second time the only option given was we had to turn over the deed in lieu of or do a short sale and the option to keep our home with loan modification was not an option. The house was under water and we were destitute, Ocwen was aware of programs that could have saved the property and did not inform us because we believe they wanted to foreclose on our home. <P/>We have been in this property since XX/XX/XXXX, in XX/XX/XXXX put in a new heating and air conditioning unit that cost more than {$5800.00} and in XX/XX/XXXX, a section of the roof fell in and we had to borrow money to replace costing us more than {$8200.00} when we had no money because we wanted to retain our property. After investing to keep the property in tip top shape, now Ocwen and XXXX XXXX want to foreclose on our property. <P/>All correspondence regarding XXXX XXXX, directs us to deal with Ocwen who says it is the lender who makes the decision to either foreclose or not, yet we are unable to get the lender to contact us or accept our call. <P/>On XX/XX/XXXX we received a letter from XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX representing XXXX XXXX  XXXX XXXX XXXX as trustee for XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, Mortgage Loan Pass through certificates, series XXXX, advising of foreclosure proceeding beginning for the debt {$370000.00}. We are asking an opportunity to resolve this issue with the bank however the bank will not take or return our calls. <P/>Had Ocwen told us up front that entering the forbearance program even if completed with on time payments would not help us because the lender does not do loan modifications we would have re-thought our decision to participate and opted to struggle to rob peter to pay Paul to avoid this foreclosure option. We were not given the opportunity to do this and we feel we were purposely misled by Ocwen representing XXXX XXXX. <P/>Please investigate for us, I only can imagine how many more people have been misled through this scam of yes, we are here to help and then when you are able to pay your mortgage payment they demand the entire arrears amount which anyone with common sense would know you do not have, for if you had it you would not have been in the program to begin with. <P/>XXXX can be reached at XXXX XXXX for further information.