Consumer complaint received 2025-04-29 00:00:00
Product: Mortgage — Conventional home mortgage
Issue: Trouble during payment process — Escrow, taxes, or insurance
Company: Freedom Mortgage Company
State: SC

Complaint narrative:
In XXXX of last year my county mistakenly sent a tax bill to my mortgager at a 6 % rate instead of what it should have been at 4 %. The year before my tax was {$1300.00} and the incorrect bill the county sent for the new year was {$4300.00} My mortgage company paid the incorrect tax of {$4300.00} and never even brought it to my attention before doing so. 
A couple weeks later I found out this happened because my county sent a paid receipt of {$4300.00} to my address.

The following day, I went down to the county and proved to them that the {$4300.00} was the incorrect amount. During that visit the county agreed that the correct amount should be {$1300.00} and the county also said that they would issue a credit to my mortgage company for the difference and that it should be received by no later than XXXX of this year. 
On the last week of XXXX I received a mortgage payment in the mail for the upcoming month of XXXX. To my shock the payment was for {$1600.00}. Before this my payment was always {$1000.00}. 
So I called my mortgage company right away and asked them if they had received the tax credit yet from my county. The mortgage companies response was that my escrow had a shortage of {$2900.00} and that's why my payment increased. I told them I was aware of that but the tax credit from the county would take care of the shortage. My mortgager then told me they never received a credit and I had to pay {$1600.00} and they would not allow me to pay any less than that. I tried to explain to them that it was a billing error and the payment amount was incorrect and the credit had been sent to them. My mortgager still insisted on my {$1600.00} payment and would not let me pay my normal correct amount.

Later that day I went back down to my county tax office and they provided proof ( see attached ) that they not only sent the payment to my mortgage company but they also provided proof that the check was cashed by my mortgage company on XX/XX/XXXX. 
I called back to my mortgage company after my county visit and now they have suddenly found the credit in their system.

So I was then told by my mortgager that with the credit now received an escrow analysis would be performed by them and my payment would return back to normal.

So I asked them when would I expect the analysis to be performed so my payment can return back to normal? The answer I received from the tax department manager was " I don't know. '' I called back to my mortgager the following day and asked a different agent the same question about when the analysis would be performed and this time the agent said XXXX of XXXX. The same agent then said that I would have to pay the monthly payment amount of {$1600.00} until next XXXX and that a lesser amount would not be accepted. I then asked the agent if you have received the credit from the county, then why do I have to pay an additional {$600.00} dollars every month until XXXX? She had no response to my question. 
I have had a mortgage on this house ( {$1000.00} ) since I bought it XXXX years ago and I have never missed or made any late payments. But now because of a billing error my payment is now {$1600.00} and I physically can't make a payment that large because I just don't have the income. 
My issue is that my mortgage company HAS received the over payment credit but they won't apply it to my account and if they would my payment would return to normal but they are refusing to do so and at the same time they are also refusing to accept any of my payments of {$1000.00} so I will end up losing my home to a foreclosure all because of a billing error and people that are too lazy to do their job of doing the analysis. My account would not have an escrow shortage if they'd just apply the credit to my account. 
They don't care that an innocent family will lose their home and equity and we have always paid them on time. This is amazingly unfair.

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