Consumer complaint received 2024-04-16 00:00:00
Product: Mortgage — Home equity loan or line of credit (HELOC)
Issue: Struggling to pay mortgage — Trying to communicate with the company to fix an issue related to modification, forbearance, short sale, deed-in-lieu, bankruptcy, or foreclosure
Company: CITIZENS FINANCIAL GROUP, INC.
State: PA

Complaint narrative:
In XXXX or XX/XX/XXXX, I contacted Citizens Bank to inquire about assistance for our HELOC. We had incurred significant debt and were struggling to make ends meet. I called on multiple occasions to ask for assistance & was told they would mail us a packet. I asked for an email since we were in dire restraints, and they said they couldn't. On XX/XX/XXXX, I called as we didn't receive anything in the mail and requested it again. End of XX/XX/XXXX, a packet arrived & I immediately filled it out & mailed it in. I attempted to call on XX/XX/XXXX & the number given on the letter we received, dated XX/XX/XXXX, was automated. I put my information in & it said they couldn't find our loan. I put in my husband 's information and it said our loan was paid in full. After about half an hour, I finally spoke to someone who informed me the letter we had received had our old loan number on it, the one that was paid off with our HELOC. I waited on hold again to be transferred to XXXX different people over an hour, just to be told they couldn't assist & never received our paperwork. In late XX/XX/XXXX, we received a letter dated XX/XX/XXXX, indicating they needed additional information. That information was faxed on XX/XX/XXXX with a confirmation that I received. Throughout, I continued to get phone calls from Citizens about our accounts & each time I explained I submitted paperwork & hadn't heard yet & that this had been going on for months. On XX/XX/XXXX, I was told again they didn't receive the faxed paperwork & that the application was closed but I could appeal and would need to refile all the previous paperwork. I asked again for an email so that it was in writing & sent via email all the paperwork, requesting confirmation which was never received. In the meantime, we caught up on our XXXX HELOC, but not the other. Since XX/XX/XXXX, my husband is employed but not receiving a paycheck, denied XXXX & nothing from XXXX. This continues to impact our credit. There is no direct contact to call anyone to assist. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I received a phone call from a woman named XXXX from the XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX Citizen 's Bank. She left me a voicemail message as well as an email, requesting a return phone call with her direct number. We played phone tag until Friday, XX/XX/XXXX, at which time I explained to her the exact same thing I had placed in my complaint. She was polite but did not provide any relevant feedback that helped our situation. She apologized for my experience and said she was " sorry to hear that '' several times. She informed me that Citizens had received all the appropriate documentation. I asked her a time frame and she said she couldn't tell me where they were in the process. Moreover, she couldn't tell me what our options would be or any insight into what that would look like. At no point did she address the fact that I had called since XX/XX/XXXX looking for assistance and trying to work with them. I had to call on several occasions to have them mail out the hardship packages. I asked if any of the forms were online or could be emailed to me which they said they don't do that. When I spoke to XXXX, she said they only operate by mail. I also asked her again regarding our options because I wanted to make sure I had things in place so we don't lose our home and she told me she couldn't tell me. I told her that someone had called me and I tried to explain to them we couldn't make a payment and that we were waiting on the hardship package to process and I wanted them to know that my husband had been out of work since XX/XX/XXXX, due to a medical condition and we lost his income. The woman I spoke to said she didn't know if it would matter. XXXX reported if this was the case we would have to likely apply all over again. I explained at the time I did apply, this was not an issue. She ended our phone call on XX/XX/XXXX, telling me she would follow up on the process and who/how to notify them regarding my husband 's income. She told me she would be in touch to follow up. On XX/XX/XXXX, I called and left her a voicemail message inquiring about what she was supposed to find out. As of XX/XX/XXXX, she has not returned my phone call. 
On XX/XX/XXXX, I received a phone call from Citizens asking if we would like to make a payment on our loan. I explained that we had applied for the hardship package and were waiting on information. At that time, she also informed me that they would be starting if they hadn't already, the foreclosure process. I asked how that could be since I've been asking for assistance and we still haven't heard what our options are. She again stated this was their policy after 120 days past due and that we were at 133 days. She then asked if she could transfer me to someone else to check on the status. I continued to be transferred to XXXX more people, all who were unable to assist. I was transferred between Consumer Counseling, Collections, Loss Mitigation, and Collections. The last person I spoke to mentioned I could fax or email a letter explaining my husband 's financial situation. After XXXX minutes of all of this, I had to get back to work and could not stay on hold for her to try and connect to someone to confirm that our home was not in pre-foreclosure since we had applied for the hardship package. I am beyond frustrated and stressed out regarding this situation. We are told to reach out and ask for help and yet, this continues. I would love to be able to go to another loan servicer but understand this is not an option.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation