Consumer complaint received 2024-07-31 00:00:00
Product: Mortgage — FHA mortgage
Issue: Struggling to pay mortgage — An existing modification, forbearance plan, short sale, or other loss mitigation relief
Company: MIDFIRST BANK
State: MD

Complaint narrative:
I live off my XXXX  since my spouse who is a XXXX  passed away on XX/XX/XXXX since then I have been trying to maintain paying the mortgage with the help of my children since I live in a different state. During the Pandemic we did a forbearance and at the end of it in XXXX of XXXX, we struggled to pay a whole year of mortgage and had to pay over XXXX to the bank at the end of the forbearance. We fell behind again in XXXX when I had to sign a modification document that Midland Mortgage sent me to get back on track and told me that to get the modification the modification had to be done for 30 years when I only had about less than 10 years left on my mortgage. took the years of my mortgage back 30 years. I am not a real estate attorney and with my financial hardship, and worried stress about losing my home I believed what they told me. Midland stated that the arrears would be put in the backend of the mortgage. I wasn't aware that it didn't have to go back to 30 years. I just learned that speaking to a friend. In addition, after the modification and taking the mortgage back 30 years the monthly payment remains about the same when it was just about 5 years left to pay off the mortgage the principal balance of {$190000.00}. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I received a call from Midland Bank to further discuss the option of another modification because, at that time their portal, was showing that the mortgage had been behind for one month. I explained to the representative that I was not ready to do that. Therefore, when I went to pay the mortgage for XXXX in XXXX the portal was changed showing that it was 3 months behind. This made me so baffled after it was almost a year showing that. The bank made a new change in my mortgage account showing 3 payments late when that wasn't the case after all this month. It put me at a disadvantage in making payments in their portal system. So I had to call them to make the payment for XXXX. 

On Monday, XX/XX/XXXX I received a letter from Midland Mortgage indicating that the mortgage monthly payment had increased from {$2100.00} to {$2400.00}. I understand that taxes do increase and decrease however I don't understand why my mortgage needed to go back to 30 years for modification paying practically the same amount that I was paying before the modification. That's just unfair business practice. 

I strongly believe the Midland Bank is practicing predatory lending. Midland Bank is aggressive and using tactics and deception to get me to take out another modification loan, which I can't afford to do right now not to mention that they took my mortgage back 30 more years when that wasn't necessary. I was told that was the only way to get the modification in XXXX or my home would have been in foreclosure. They pretend to try to help but they are not in the business of helping.

Company public response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation