Consumer complaint received 2022-02-17
Product: Mortgage — Conventional home mortgage
Issue: Trouble during payment process — 
Company: CITIZENS FINANCIAL GROUP, INC. (TX)

We refinanced our home 6 months ago with a local bank that sold off our loan to Citizen Bank. One month after it was sold to Citizen Bank, we received a notification letter from XXXX XXXX that they had purchased our loan but we would still continue to make those payments to Citizen Bank which we have done. We have actually made 2 payments monthly for the past few months since it was sold off. We pay the amount due plus an additional principal payment. Those payments have drafted from 2 separate accounts each month which we schedule through the automated because I DO NOT bank online. We have an outstanding credit rating and never late on any of our bills. 

I received a call on XXXX from XXXX XXXX with Citizens Bank Collections that my XX/XX/22 payment for {$1200.00} was not paid. I explained that they needed to check their records because I had 2 confirmation numbers for 2 payments that I scheduled on XX/XX/22 to post from the 2 separate bank accounts on the dates XX/XX/22 and XX/XX/22. She explained their were not payments made - I requested to speak to a supervisor. She handled the call unfortunately very rudely and said that a supervisor wasn't available right now but she would have XXXX call me back reference my past due payment. 

Waiting on a call back from XXXX, I decided to call the main number XXXX. I reached XXXX in customer service. I explained the entire situation, she apologized first and asked if she could put me on a brief hold to get with a supervisor and explain the situation. She came back and told me that unfortunately a supervisor in their customer care couldn't help and she would have to transfer me to collections to speak with a supervisor there. She placed me on hold to transfer the call and after waiting about 10 minutes I got a dial tone and realized the call had been disconnected. 

I called another number which is on the back of my statement under payment problems XXXX and got back to collections department. When a customer service agent answered I immediately requested a supervisor and was placed on hold. XXXX XXXX - answered the call, I verified that she was a supervisor and I was on her call list after she finished her last call which she just got off almost 2 hours later. 

I explained and expressed to XXXX XXXX my concerns that there was obviously an issue with their automated system if I had 2 confirmation numbers for 2 payments scheduled prior to my XX/XX/22 payment date and they had no recollection of them. She immediately told me she would remove the late fee of {$60.00} if I wanted to make a payment. I insisted that I would like to know what happen to the 2 payments that were already scheduled prior to my due date before I authorized anything. I expressed that if their calls are recorded she should be able to verify the call I made on XX/XX/22 and locate the authorizations for the payments that were scheduled. 

She advised that she would have someone start researching the information immediately and could she could schedule a call back with me. That was scheduled for Tuesday XX/XX/22 at XXXX unless she could find something out sooner then she would call me back. 

About 15 minutes later XXXX XXXX called me back and said that she had found the problem that apparently I made my 2 payments and scheduled them for the same date from the 2 different bank accounts so their systems cancelled the first payment out. I explained to her that I scheduled those 2 payments from 2 accounts on 2 different date. {$1200.00} was scheduled on their automated for XX/XX/22 confirmation # XXXX and {$280.00} was scheduled on their automated for XX/XX/22 confirmation # XXXX. She said since my payment was called in on a Saturday that they system processed only the one payment for {$280.00} on XX/XX/22. 

I expressed that there was nothing in fine print that says you can't schedule a phone payment on a Saturday or Sunday versus a Monday through Friday and or that it would post differently based on the day of the week you call one in. None the less, why would that explain why I had 2 confirmation numbers for 2 payments scheduled.

Even if I had scheduled 2 payments on the same day from 2 different bank accounts ( which I didn't and if they pulled the recording to verify that they would know ) ; there is nothing in their fine print that says the system will not recognize that and or stating that it will automatically terminate a payment. 

I also explained that I had scheduled the same payments amounts for the previous months that I have been paying them prior to the XXXX billing cycle making 2 payments from 2 accounts and haven't had an issue for any of the previous months, so WHY now??? Again, she said because it was scheduled on a Saturday and set for the same date. I expressed that a recording would prove that information incorrect. 

I let XXXX XXXX make a draft for the {$1200.00} requesting that it be backdated for XX/XX/22 since that is when the payment was scheduled for originally when I received the first confirmation # of XXXX. She said that she would make a note that I requested that information to reflect the XX/XX/22 payment date. She provided me a confirmation number of XXXX for the payment made. 

There was no resolution to why their system would glitch in providing confirmation numbers for payments made. 

We have had mortgage payments for over 40 years and I have never experience a system or supervisor that would have no realistic reason for the mishap. Certainly concerned that someone else could experience this mishap or I personally could experience this with a future payment and have to explain myself to them for a problem that clearly exist on Citizen Bank end.