Consumer complaint received 2025-01-12 00:00:00
Product: Mortgage — Conventional home mortgage
Issue: Trouble during payment process — Escrow, taxes, or insurance
Company: Shellpoint Partners, LLC
State: NY

Complaint narrative:
I own a condo in Florida. In XX/XX/XXXX, I received a letter from my mortgage company NewRez which is also d/b/a Shellpoint Mortgage stating that they received a request for payment from a second insurance company and I need to cancel my old insurance or my escrow account will go into the negative. I tried calling multiple times as I did not purchase new insurance. One time the call back was hours later in the evening when I was already sleeping and the second time I readily answered when they called back over an hour later and they hung up as soon as I answered. On XX/XX/XXXX I looked up the insurance help on the NewRez website and emailed them explaining that I did not purchase a second insurance, as this that they email me : 1 ) the name of the insurance company you paid for XXXX XXXX XXXX, the amount you paid and the loan number 2 ) the name of second company that billed you for XXXX, the amount they are billing you and the loan number I directed not to make a second payment to an insurance company. 
I did get a correspondence stating that I did not have hazard insurance and was going to be lender placed. 
As I could not get through to anyone by phone or email, I followed up again with a query through the company website on XX/XX/XXXX stating that I did not give permission for additional insurance, I had and have had hazard insurance since they bought my mortgage from XXXX  XXXX, and I need them to pay my insurance which was due on XX/XX/XXXX. I also added that I needed them to audit what was going on and credit my account for the insurance they bought. I attached the email I had sent them on XX/XX/XXXX and digitally recorded the successful submission of this query. The website stated I would hear a response in 5-7 business days. 
On XX/XX/XXXX I received a very generic letter via regular mail stating that it was in response to my inquiry and that they are working to gather the requested information and will forward it to me as soon as possible. I never received the requested information. 
I looked on the insurance portal and saw that the insurance purchased was more than twice the cost of the original insurance I had which included hazard. 
On XX/XX/XXXX, I submitted another email through the portal stating that I have still not heard from them and needed a meeting scheduled to discuss this matter with the mortgage company. I again digitally recorded the message and successfully submission through the portal. 
On XX/XX/XXXXXXXX  I also started a live chat on their website with a customer service representative. The representative stated that they are responsible for my hazard insurance. I stated that I had and always had hazard insurance. The rep told me to contact their insurance company at XXXX. I explained how I called twice and they did not get back to me. The rep also stated that my request was received and the concern team is gathering information and working on it. I asked if this was the insurance request and the chat rep replied Yes, correct. I recorded this full chat. 
On XX/XX/XXXX, I sent emails to NewRez / Shellpoint at XXXX and XXXX again explaining the situation and listing the following demands : 1 ) Please email the names of the insurance companies are you paying for my residence at XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX to this email address XXXX 2 ) Please immediately send copies of the bills sent to me at XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX NY XXXX AND via email to this email address XXXX 3 ) Please immediately send verification of payment for all required insurances for the years XXXX and XXXX to my home address at XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX NY XXXX AND via email to this email address XXXX XXXX ) Email me an appointment date and time for a phone call with someone in the insurance department that can provide me answers and work through this with me. When I have tried calling, one call back hung up on me and the other was hours later in the evening and I was not available. 
5 ) Keep my insurance current and do not let it lapse!!! 
On XX/XX/XXXX, I followed up to this email with another query through the website stating that for several weeks I have been trying to contact them via email, website, online chat and phone with no resolution. I stated I sent queries to insdoc mailbox and shellpointld mailbox. I explained that I had and always had hazard insurance and that they need to keep my insurance current. I demanded that they do not let my insurance lapse. I requested that they contact me to have a meeting regarding this issue. I also requested an escrow analysis. I included my email address, phone number and home address. As always I signed the email and included the loan number. Again, I recorded the successful submission of this request/demand through their website. 
I did receive the escrow analysis by mail but no information regarding the insurance they purchased and no other response to my demands. I did received another mail correspondence stating that my request was complex and to please give them more time to get everything together. 
During this time I was receiving correspondence from my insurance company that my insurance was not getting paid and was going to be cancelled. After XX/XX/XXXX, when I received mail that it was cancelled, I again called NewRez and finally got through to a woman representative. I explained the issue to her and she stated that I did indeed have insurance and not to worry. I explained that I did not want to switch and that this insurance was more than twice what I was paying. I asked for the documents and she stated I should be getting them in the mail. I was told I was placed with XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX and provided the policy number which I wrote down. 
On XX/XX/XXXX, I received a letter from NewRez by regular mail dated XX/XX/XXXX which stated that my evidence of property insurance was documentation was recently received and it was noted that the Name Insured was incorrect on the policy. It asked me to update the name on the policy to my name. I called NewRez on XX/XX/XXXXXXXX  and was able to get through to a representative named XXXX. She stated that a check was sent to the insurance company from my escrow account in the amount of {$2700.00} on XX/XX/XXXX and I had insurance. She stated that the name was wrong. I explained what has been going on since XXXX and told her that I am now convinced that they paid someone elses insurance and am worried I do not have insurance. She stated it must be my insurance because it has my address on it. I asked what unit number because my condo was in a building with multiple units. She stated that it did not say. When I asked whose name was on the policy she stated the name of my downstairs neighbor. I explained that is not me and is my neighbor. Upon investigation she found that they had paid for my neighbors insurance out of my escrow account, let my insurance lapse and I was uninsured. I spent ~3.5 hours on the phone with XXXX as she was unsuccessful in getting me back with my old insurance carrier given that their office was now closed as it was the day before XXXX. She told me she took detailed notes and would try again Friday XX/XX/XXXX and call me back. She did not call me back. 
On XX/XX/XXXX I called again and spoke with another representative named XXXX. Initially, this agent stated that I must had forgotten that I switched companies. I took great offense to this insult to my cognitive abilities and explained that it was doubly insulting as I am XXXX. After spending some time explaining the situation over again she did validate that my neighbors insurance was paid out of my escrow account and that I was uninsured. She was successful in getting me through to an agent named XXXX who stated that they would have to underwrite me again because it had been too long since coverage was dropped. XXXX stated that she would try to underwrite me for the same amount so I was not penalized by them for the error, however their would be a gap. She stated it would take a day to get this done and needed the mortgage company to work with her via fax. 
On XX/XX/XXXX I received a phone call from my neighbor in XXXX  stated that a roofer was working on the roof of our building and broke a sprinkler pipe. She stated that there was severe flooding in my unit, the unit above me and the unit below me. She agreed to work with the maintenance company and roofing company to let them in my unit to begin the remediation process. I was in XXXX XXXX and booked a flight to XXXX  for XX/XX/XXXX, the soonest I could travel. 
On XX/XX/XXXX I called again and noted that now their was a different insurance policy number for me on the automated system. During this call I asked to speak with a supervisor and I was put on the phone with a supervisor named XXXX. He verified that I had new insurance and that they were paying the company from my escrow account. I stated that I needed the insurance information, the money refunded to my escrow account, I needed to be credited for any difference in cover. He stated that my insurance coverage began that day XX/XX/XXXX and that they were pursuing gap insurance because they needed it as the bank still holds a mortgage. He stated he would work on this issue and would get back to me. To date, he has not. 
On approximately XX/XX/XXXX I received a letter in the mail dating XX/XX/XXXX stating that my hazard insurance was about to expire and they were going to place me lender placed with an insurance company. I called NewRez on XX/XX/XXXX and they were still working on correcting everything, the letter was sent in error and I should ignore it. 
I called again on XX/XX/XXXX and explained that there had been an incident and that I needed to file a claim so I needed the information of the gap insurance. She told me I did not have any insurance for XX/XX/XXXX, confirmed that this was due to the error of them paying the wrong insurance out of my escrow account and not paying my insurance. She then told me to speak with the lender placed transferred me to lender placed insurance department. The representative at the lender placed insurance company told me that my insurance was lender placed and that it commenced on XX/XX/XXXX. She stated that I did not have any coverage for XX/XX/XXXX. I told her what happened and she told me to call my current insurance company. 
I called my current insurance company and spoke with XXXX. She validated that I had current insurance and it was not lender placed. She stated that my coverage commenced XX/XX/XXXX. 
Meanwhile, the roofing company that caused {$29000.00} damage to my unit -as documented by a public adjustor- is refusing to provide me their insurance information and offering subpar repairs stating they wish to self-insure so their insurance costs do not go up. The HOA is also refusing to provide the roofing companys insurance and has twice told me I should go through my insurance company to have them demand that the roofer provide their insurance information and put in a claim. 
In addition to the above nightmare with my unit which has sat since XX/XX/XXXX in disrepair with {$29000.00} in damage, I have now received notification from NewRez that they are raising my monthly payment by {$66.00} to cover the escrow deficit from the insurance payment that has still not been refunded. 
I am XXXX  and have a XXXX  XXXX XXXX. The issues caused by NewRez have taken an excessive emotional toll on me. My husband had planned to retire in XX/XX/XXXX but moved his retirement date to this month losing out on almost a year of additional income so he can make himself available to go down to XXXX  with me and help with this situation. I need NewRez to fix this situation and compensate me for all damages.

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