Consumer complaint received 2026-01-07 00:00:00
Product: Mortgage — Home equity loan or line of credit (HELOC)
Issue: Struggling to pay mortgage — Foreclosure
Company: FIFTH THIRD FINANCIAL CORPORATION
State: NC

Complaint narrative:
I am filing a NEW complaint regarding Fifth Third Banks ongoing foreclosure activity and servicing conduct after Fifth Third provided non-responsive feedback and failed to resolve the dispute in my prior CFPB complaints : XXXX ( Fifth Third Bank ) XXXX ( Fifth Third Bank , National Association ) Those complaints were closed without resolution, even though Fifth Thirds responses failed to address the core violations, factual contradictions, refusal of tender, and escalation of unexplained fees. 

Fifth Third relied on generalized statements, selectively referenced internal processes, and ignored the documented record. 

Attachment : Servicing Timeline of Fifth Third Home Equity Loan, setting forth a detailed chronology with dates and verbatim excerpts from Fifth Thirds correspondence and portal communications, demonstrating material inconsistencies between Fifth Thirds responses and the documented servicing record. 

All referenced documents are available and can be produced upon request. 

KEY FACTS WITH DATES & AMOUNTS XXXX. Loss Mitigation Was Pending While Foreclosure Proceeded ( Dual Tracking ) I submitted a loss-mitigation/mortgage assistance application in XX/XX/year>. 
From XXXX through XX/XX/year>, Fifth Third repeatedly represented in writing that : my application was pending, documentation was under review, and no final decision had been made. 

Despite these representations : Foreclosure was filed on XX/XX/year>, and foreclosure counsel activity continued, while Fifth Third continued sending letters stating the review was ongoing. 

Fifth Thirds prior CFPB responses do not explain how foreclosure could lawfully proceed while the bank was simultaneously representing that loss mitigation was pending and under review.

2. Written Reinstatement Amount Issued, Then Tender Was Refused On XX/XX/year>, Fifth Third issued a written letter stating, verbatim : To bring your mortgage current, you must pay the total past due amount of {$2500.00} as of XX/XX/year>. Additional fees and costs may be outstanding and/or incurred after issuance of your reinstatement balance. 

This letter : was uploaded to my online portal, was mailed to me, explicitly stated the amount required to bring the loan current, and referenced the figure as the issuance of the reinstatement balance. 

On XX/XX/year>, I attempted to tender payment of {$2500.00} in reliance on Fifth Thirds written instruction. 

Fifth Third refused to accept payment, asserted after the fact that the amount was not accurate, and demanded a higher amount tied to attorney fees and costs that : were not disclosed in the XX/XX/XXXX letter, accrued while Fifth Third was stating the account was under review, and exist only because foreclosure was allowed to proceed during the review period. 

Fifth Thirds prior CFPB responses do not explain : why tender based on its own written amount was refused, how the plain language of the letter is reconciled with their retroactive disclaimer, or how refusal of tender complies with fair servicing obligations. 

XXXX. Reinstatement Amount Later Ballooned With Unexplained Fees During Active Dispute While my dispute and regulatory complaints were pending, Fifth Third later issued a new reinstatement quote dated XX/XX/year>, totaling {$6200.00}, including : attorney fees, late charges, and nearly {$2000.00} in vague fees/costs currently assessed with no itemization, dates incurred, or legal basis. 

These charges : were not disclosed in the XX/XX/XXXX letter, were introduced after Fifth Third refused lawful tender, were assessed while Fifth Third acknowledged the matter was under investigation, and directly contradicted earlier written figures. 

Fifth Thirds prior CFPB responses fail to itemize, justify, or reconcile these charges.

4. Reliance Induced During Documented Hardship Following the death of my spouse after a prolonged illness, I immediately contacted Fifth Third and was : told the bank would work with me compassionately, instructed to submit a hardship/loss-mitigation application, and told foreclosure was not a concern while my file was under review. 

When I later received a foreclosure attorney notice in XX/XX/year>, Fifth Third explicitly told me : the notice was standard, the loan was on hold, and I should ignore the notice because the application was still being processed. 

I relied on these representations in good faith. 

Fifth Thirds CFPB responses do not address these statements or explain how they align with foreclosure being filed during the same period. 

WHY FIFTH THIRDS PRIOR CFPB RESPONSES FAILED Fifth Thirds prior CFPB feedback responses did not : explain dual tracking during an active loss-mitigation review, explain or justify refusal of tender based on Fifth Thirds own written reinstatement amount, provide a lawful, fully itemized accounting of attorney fees and costs with dates and basis, reconcile conflicting reinstatement figures, or confirm whether foreclosure activity was paused during dispute and review. 

As a result, the dispute remains unresolved, and foreclosure activity continues. 

RESOLUTION REQUESTED I respectfully request that the CFPB require Fifth Third Bank to : 1. Provide one single, accurate reinstatement amount, valid through a stated date, with full itemization of every charge ( principal, interest, late fees, attorney fees, corporate advances, and any fees/costs assessed ), including the date incurred and legal basis for each charge ; XXXX. Remove or waive attorney fees and foreclosure-related costs that accrued due to Fifth Thirds delays, misrepresentations, dual tracking, and refusal to accept tender ; 3. Confirm in writing whether foreclosure activity is paused or held pending resolution of this reinstatement dispute ; and 4. Provide clear written payment instructions for reinstatement. 

Submitted for your review : Servicing Timeline of Fifth Third Home Equity Loan NOTE : All referenced letters, portal messages, and attempted tender documentation are available and can be produced upon request.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation