Consumer complaint received 2025-09-08 00:00:00
Product: Mortgage — FHA mortgage
Issue: Trouble during payment process — Fees charged
Company: CARRINGTON MORTGAGE SERVICES, LLC
State: CA

Complaint narrative:
I am the owner of a property secured by mortgage loan number XXXX, following the death of the original borrower in late XX/XX/XXXX. As a protected " successor in interest, '' I am not liable for the loan, but I am responsible for ensuring payments are made. My goal has always been to bring the account current and continue payments. 

Following the borrower 's passing, the loan became past due. I made my first attempt to contact Carrington Mortgage Services in XXXX XXXX to inform them of the death and to get instructions on how to proceed. I was told that I would have to wait 30 days for a different department to provide me with a list of the documents required to verify my status and to get instructions on how to pay. I made a second attempt to contact the servicer in XX/XX/XXXX and was given a similar stalling response, with no information provided on how to make a payment to bring the account current. 

In a good-faith attempt to bring the account current, I mailed a check for the full past-due balance in late XXXX XX/XX/XXXX. However, on XX/XX/XXXX, XXXX returned the check via mail to the vacant property address, which I had previously informed them was no longer occupied. They stated they would only accept a certified check for payment. This refusal to provide a reinstatement quote or accept a conforming payment is a violation of federal mortgage servicing rules and directly contributed to the continued delinquency. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I sent a formal letter to Carrington via both FAX and XXXX Mail to notify them of the death and to submit documents I believed they would need, since they had failed to provide me with a list of required documents. My proactive communication was an attempt to resolve the issue and make a payment. 

Despite my ongoing efforts, the servicer referred the account to foreclosure on XX/XX/XXXX. This was done without providing me with a Notice of Intent to Foreclose, as it was sent to a vacant property address. In XX/XX/XXXX, I ended up researching on my own how to make a payment and successfully brought the loan to a current status on XX/XX/XXXX, by paying the full past-due balance. 

However, my account was subsequently charged over {$1000.00} for " Attorney Fees Billed '' on XX/XX/XXXX. These fees were assessed after the loan was brought current and were a direct result of the servicer 's procedural failures, not a lack of effort on my part. 

In response, I sent a formal Notice of Error ( NOE ) to Carrington on XX/XX/XXXX, disputing the fees under RESPA guidelines and requesting a detailed breakdown of the charges, including the specific legal services performed and invoices from the law firm. 

Carrington 's response, dated XX/XX/XXXX, was wholly inadequate. They acknowledged the loan was reinstated but offered no substantive explanation for the fees, simply stating they were " assessed to the loan in accordance with the terms of the mortgage. '' They failed to provide the detailed breakdown I requested and provided a vague date for when the fees were " incurred, '' stating it was different from when they were " assessed ''. 

Carrington 's conduct represents multiple violations of RESPA : - Failure to promptly facilitate communication with a successor in interest after being notified of the borrower 's death. 

- Failure to accept a conforming payment.

- Imposition of a fee for which they lack a reasonable basis, as the fees are a result of their own procedural failures.

- Failure to conduct a reasonable investigation and provide a substantive response to my Notice of Error, as required by law.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation