Consumer complaint received 2025-08-09 00:00:00
Product: Mortgage — Conventional home mortgage
Issue: Struggling to pay mortgage — Trying to communicate with the company to fix an issue related to modification, forbearance, short sale, deed-in-lieu, bankruptcy, or foreclosure
Company: Dovenmuehle Mortgage, Inc.
State: VA

Complaint narrative:
This is my second complaint to CFPB against my lender/servicer ( XXXXDovenmuehle Mortgage , Inc. ( My first complaint was submitted XX/XX/XXXX ). 

My previous complaint was due to : a ) Improper reporting of my account as delinquent to credit bureaus ; b ) Failure to return excess mortgage payment ( {$550.00} ) and escrow funds ( {$3800.00} ) that were due to me. ( Thankfully XXXXDovenmuehle Mortgage , Inc. returned the excess mortgage and escrow in XXXX after my initial complaint, however, the false reporting of my account as delinquent has not been corrected ). 

This complaint is the result of : a ) Improper reporting of my account as delinquent to credit bureaus by XXXXDovenmuehle Mortgage , Inc. ; b ) Inconsistent, unclear communication, and potentially false information about modified mortgage loan terms and payments by XXXXDovenmuehle Mortgage , Inc. ; c ) Internal errors and delays by XXXXDovenmuehle Mortgage, Inc. that have prevented my account from be returned to current despite successful completion of loan modification. 

Overview : Initiated loan modification as a result of unemployment as a result of XXXX and XXXX. 

In XX/XX/XXXX I approached my lender/servicer ( XXXX/Dovenmuehle Mortgage , Inc. ) for a loan modification as a result of XXXX ( from Social Security Administration ) , XXXX XXXX, and unemployment. 

My initial application for loan modification was rejected because I didn't explicitly state that I was unemployed, only that I had the XXXX and XXXX XXXX  that contributed to my not being able to maintain my employment. 

I reapplied for a loan modification in XX/XX/XXXX, which was approved in XX/XX/XXXX by way of a trial loan modification plan. ( Please see attached the approval notice and attachment outlining the details for the trial modification plan offered by XXXXDovenmuehle Mortgage , Inc. ) * * Complaint # 1 : Improper reporting of my account as delinquent. * * At the time I went into the plan my mortgage was current. I completed the trial loan modification plan as outlined in the trial modification plan offered by XXXXDovenmuehle Mortgage , Inc. , yet they have reported my account as delinquent since XX/XX/XXXX, and continue to do the same as of today ( XX/XX/XXXX ). XXXXDovenmuehle Mortgage , Inc. is doing this despite : a. Overpayment of mortgage on my account in XXXX ( i.e. I made a trial period payment of {$1600.00} for XX/XX/XXXXXXXX  on XX/XX/XXXX and XXXXDovenmuehle Mortgage , Inc. also took the full mortgage payment of {$2100.00} for XX/XX/XXXXXXXX  by way of autopay on XX/XX/XXXX. ) b. Successful completion of the trial modification plan for my mortgage in XX/XX/XXXX. 
c. Me signing three ( 3 ) loan modification agreements to finalize the loan modification ( two ( 2 ) in XXXX and another one in XXXX ). 

In a XX/XX/XXXX letter that was post marked XX/XX/XXXX, XXXXDovenmuehle Mortgage , Inc. claimed that they had disclosed that the trial modification being offered was ineligible for credit protection. They included a copy of the original trial modification documents with that letter, but nowhere does it state anything about reporting my account or impact to credit. 

The first time XXXX/Dovenmuehle Mortgage , Inc. notified me of impact to credit was in the loan modification agreements they sent to me in XXXX and XXXX, AFTER the trial period had been completed. By then they had already reported my account as delinquent at least two months prior. Despite my repeated requests to XXXXDovenmuehle Mortgage , Inc. to correct this they have refused. 

Because my mortgage was current going into the trial modification perhaps XXXXDovenmuehle Mortgage , Inc. might have advised me to continue to make my regular mortgage payment rather than the trial payment amount during the trial period to avoid destroying of my credit rating, and put me into further financial distress. 

It seems XXXXDovenmuehle Mortgage , Inc. is set on staying in auto-pilot mode and continuing a course of negligence that leads them to unjustifiably holding on to excess mortgage and escrow funds and reporting accounts as delinquent several months after completion of the loan modification trial. 

Again, my loan modification was completed in XXXX ( and XXXX ), yet in XXXX they continue to report my account as delinquent. 

I believe that my account has never been delinquent and is current because : I paid all of the modification trial payments on time per the trial modification plan for XX/XX/XXXX, XX/XX/XXXXXXXX  and XX/XX/XXXX. 
I made payments for XX/XX/XXXX and XX/XX/XXXX. The loan modification agreement I received in XXXX said no payment was needed for XX/XX/XXXX. 
On XX/XX/XXXX XXXX/Dovenmuehle Mortgage , Inc. took my regular mortgage payment via autopay despite receiving my trial modification payment for XXXX on XX/XX/XXXX, making my account have an excess of {$1600.00}. 
I began contacting XXXX/Dovenmuehle Mortgage , Inc. about the double payment for XXXX on XX/XX/XXXX stating that I was heading toward financial distress so could not afford to pay my regular mortgage and the trial modification payment as that would nearly double my mortgage payment. 
Starting XX/XX/XXXX -- and for several weeks after -- I requested that the lender/servicer return the regular mortgage payment to me. I also asked the lender/servicer to suspend autopay because I would not have the money to maintain my regular mortgage and the trial modification payment. 
Instead of returning the regular mortgage payment the lender/servicer returned the trial modification payment, nearly 60 days later. That left an excess of {$550.00}, which was not returned to me by until XX/XX/XXXX, well after In XXXX the lender/servicer reported my account as delinquent to the credit bureaus. I asked the lender/servicer how that could be when I had paid all trial payment as directed and they still had excess monies due back to me. I also challenged that report with all three bureaus. The bureaus modified the report, but the impact to my credit ( was in the low XXXX XXXX but went down to the mid XXXX ) Since late XXXX I have had many contacts with the lender/servicer, but have found them to be so fragmented and inconsistent that I can not trust anything that they tell me by phone so I have requested all communications be in writing, preferably email to avoid delay. 
My loan modification was approved by the lender/servicer in XX/XX/XXXX, to take effect in XX/XX/XXXX. However, the lender has not updated my account so it is still showing as delinquent so when I tried to make payment online because it would not allow me to make the modified payment amount. 
In late XX/XX/XXXXXXXX  I started calling the lender/servicer to make the XX/XX/XXXXXXXX  modified payment. Every time I was routed to their Loss Mitigation department who would insist that I was behind on multiple payments and would demand an amount of between $ XXXX {$3500.00}, which I disagreed with and said I would not pay because a ) the lender/servicer had excess funds due back to me and b ) the account had successfully completed loan modification. 
It wasn't until a third phone call on XX/XX/XXXX -- the last day that I could make my mortgage payment without penalty -- that I was able to get a loss mitigation representative ( XXXX ( ID : XXXX  ) ) that actually listened to me and went deep in my file to see that my loan had completed loan modification and took my regular payment without insisting that I need to pay {$3500.00} of overdue payments and penalties. 

* * Complaint # 2 : Errors by and inconsistent, unclear communication, and potentially false information from XXXX/Dovenmuehle Mortgage , Inc. about modified mortgage loan terms and payments. * * As of the writing of this complaint XXXXDovenmuehle Mortgage , Inc. is stating that there are 186 payments due on the modified loan and are presenting me with three different monthly payment amounts. 

I am concerned that XXXXDovenmuehle Mortgage , Inc. has not applied the payments I made for XX/XX/XXXX ( {$1600.00} paid on XX/XX/XXXX ) and for XX/XX/XXXXXXXX  ( {$1500.00} paid on XX/XX/XXXX ). As result of these payments I am certain that the stated number of payments ( XXXX ) is inaccurate. In a XX/XX/XXXX email I inquired about this and requested clarification and referred to the unnecessary delays to the resolution of my account caused by XXXXDovenmuehle Mortgage , Incs. errors, actions, and inaction. I have received no answer to my XX/XX/XXXX inquiries as of XX/XX/XXXX. 
Online the mortgage payment amount is {$2100.00}. On my mortgage statements the mortgage payment amount is {$1800.00}, as well as {$3900.00} in overdue payments. On the various loan modification agreements the payment amount ranges between {$1500.00} - {$1500.00}. 

I believe that XXXX/Dovenmuehle Mortgage, Incs claims about issuance of a check in XXXX for excess mortgage payment were false. I have asked XXXX/Dovenmuehle Mortgage , Inc repeatedly for proof of issuance of a check in XXXX. 

* * Complaint # XXXX : Internal errors and delays by XXXX/Dovenmuehle Mortgage , Inc. have prevented my account from being returned to current despite successful completion of loan modification. * * I am concerned that a loan modification with trial loan payments from XX/XX/XXXX to XX/XX/XXXXXXXX  and a XXXX loan modification has not settled by XXXX. I believe that this is a result of XXXX/Dovenmuehle Mortgage, Incs careless and negligent handling of my account. Their internal policies, poor communication, and inefficient operations have unnecessarily drawn out my loan modification. 

XXXXDovenmuehle Mortgage, Incs actions and inaction have caused me significant financial harms that include, but are not limited to freezing and cancelling of credit, denial of credit, increased credit costs, and missed payments penalties because of excessive and inappropriate taking of funds and excessive holding of excess payment funds and excess escrow funds.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation