Consumer complaint received 2026-06-10 00:00:00
Product: Mortgage — Conventional home mortgage
Issue: Trouble during payment process — Escrow, taxes, or insurance
Company: CITIZENS FINANCIAL GROUP, INC.
State: IL

Complaint narrative:
I am filing this complaint regarding Citizens Mortgage 's mishandling of my escrow account following a duplicate property tax payment made by Citizens Mortgage and its refusal to protect me from the financial consequences of its servicing error. As part of my refinance transaction, the title company paid my XX/XX/year> XXXX XXXX, XXXX property taxes at closing. After the refinance closed, Citizens Mortgage subsequently made an additional payment for the same tax installment, creating a duplicate property tax payment. This duplicate payment was caused entirely by Citizens Mortgage and not by any action on my part. As a direct result of Citizens Mortgage 's duplicate property tax payment, Citizens performed a new escrow analysis that now reflects an escrow shortage of {$1200.00}. This shortage exists solely because Citizens paid taxes that had already been paid through the refinance closing process. Citizens Mortgage has informed me that beginning XX/XX/year>, my monthly mortgage payment will increase in order to recover this {$1200.00} shortage over the next XXXX months. In effect, Citizens Mortgage is requiring me to repay a deficiency created entirely by its own servicing error. I have contacted Citizens Mortgage at least XXXX times in an effort to resolve this matter. During one conversation, I spoke with XXXX, a supervisor in Citizens ' tax department. XXXX informed me that XXXX XXXX would not issue refunds for duplicate property tax payments made in error. Concerned that this information was inaccurate, I contacted XXXX XXXX directly. County representatives informed me that duplicate property tax payments can be refunded through an established process and further advised me that Citizens Mortgage had not submitted any refund request at the time of my inquiry. Most recently, I spoke with XXXX in Citizens ' tax department. XXXX informed me that Citizens would first need to conduct research into the duplicate payment and that obtaining a refund could take approximately XXXX to XXXX months. However, Citizens refused to provide any written confirmation that the refund process had been initiated, refused to provide documentation showing the status of any investigation, and refused to place a hold on the mortgage payment increase resulting from the escrow shortage. In an effort to assist with resolution, I independently contacted XXXX at the XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX. XXXX confirmed that there is a straightforward process for obtaining a refund of a duplicate property tax payment and provided me with the required refund request form. According to XXXX XXXX, the process requires the party that made the duplicate payment to complete a one-page form, have it notarized, and mail it to the county for processing. XXXX further explained that the process is routine and straightforward. Based on the information provided by XXXX XXXX, this matter does not require months of investigation. A simple phone call to the county and completion of a one-page notarized form are sufficient to initiate the refund process. This directly contradicts Citizens Mortgage 's prior representation that XXXX XXXX would not issue a refund and calls into question Citizens ' assertion that extensive research is required before corrective action can be taken. Despite being notified of the error, Citizens Mortgage has not provided written confirmation that it has submitted the refund request, has not provided evidence that it has begun the process, and continues to hold me financially responsible for an escrow shortage caused entirely by its own actions. Citizens Mortgage is effectively requiring me to finance its own servicing error. The company acknowledges that a refund may ultimately be available, yet refuses to suspend the escrow shortage or the resulting payment increase while it pursues reimbursement. I should not be required to make higher mortgage payments because Citizens Mortgage paid taxes that had already been paid. I requested written confirmation that Citizens Mortgage had initiated the refund process, documentation regarding the status of the refund request, an explanation for the conflicting information provided by its representatives, and suspension of the escrow-related payment increase while the refund is pending. Citizens Mortgage declined to provide written confirmation, declined to provide documentation regarding the refund process, and declined to suspend the payment increase. I am requesting that Citizens Mortgage : 1. Immediately suspend any mortgage payment increase related to this escrow shortage. 2. Remove, reverse, or otherwise exclude the {$1200.00} shortage attributable to its duplicate tax payment from escrow calculations while the refund is pending. 3. Immediately submit the required refund documentation to XXXX XXXX if it has not already done so. 4. Provide written confirmation that the refund process has been initiated. 5. Provide a timeline and status updates regarding recovery of the duplicate payment. 6. Correct my escrow analysis once the refund is received. 7. Ensure that I suffer no financial harm, fees, penalties, or increased payment obligations as a result of Citizens Mortgage 's servicing error. I have made repeated good-faith efforts to resolve this issue directly with Citizens Mortgage XXXX Instead of correcting the error promptly, Citizens has provided inconsistent information, delayed action, refused to provide written documentation regarding the status of the refund process, and is increasing my mortgage payment due to an escrow shortage that exists solely because of its own mistake. I respectfully request CFPB assistance in resolving this matter and ensuring that Citizens Mortgage corrects the escrow shortage without requiring me to bear the financial consequences of its servicing error.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation