Consumer complaint received 2025-03-31 00:00:00
Product: Mortgage — FHA mortgage
Issue: Trouble during payment process — Trying to communicate with the company to fix an issue while managing or servicing your loan
Company: FIFTH THIRD FINANCIAL CORPORATION
State: MI

Complaint narrative:
Back in XXXX I tried several times to make my XXXX payment but Everytime id call id be told my account was all caught up and no payments were due. Well being that I know when a payment has or has not been made I knew XXXX 's payment had not been made so I tried calling and tried logging into their app to pay XXXX 's payment that way as well. Now I had in just the last couple months started using their app to make my payments so when after several attempts of repeatedly being told I was caught up and that their was no way a mistake had taken place on their end. In which I do have recordings from conversations because I can't even count how many times ive been told different stories from the representatives from fifth third throughout the duration of this mortgage so I've made a point to record all conversations because even though from their end it states conversation have been recorded they never seem to have the recordings when I'd like to hear them so I can prove how conversations took place so I've decided to take matters into my own hands..And I did tell each rep that they were being recorded but that still didn't stop them from telling me no payments were due.. Now also I was unable to make a payment until at the end of XXXX when I logged into the app it would then let me make XXXX 's payment so on XX/XX/XXXX I made XXXX payment and added on some extra money because I'd been doing so the last few months because I'd been working very hard on building my credit back up after falling behind a few years back. So anyway but when I tried to place the extra cash in the Principe box of payments it would not let me fill in the extra amount so I just added it all together in the payment box and figured they'd figure out where to put the extra funds. Just figured I could trust them wish that. But anyway so made XXXX 's payment on XX/XX/XXXX and then through the beginning of XXXX I kept signing into app to check and see if changes had been made and by XX/XX/XXXX their was no change to the account. So after awhile you start to questioning yourself and thought maybe because I'd been paying extra maybe that's why now nothing was due. And I recently had got denied from Medicaid because I made to much income so I was now having to pay the {$180.00} Medicare premiums and id also lost the {$200.00} in food benefits from the state so I was already feeling the effects because in XXXX they had withdrew 2 months of premiums out of my social security benefits so When I was repeatedly told that I was all caught up I did finally take their word for it because id been looking into refinancing because my present rate is at XXXX for 40 years so every month when I'd pay {$990.00} only {$36.00} was going towards my actual Principle so I'd wanted to refinance but the lenders all needed a down payment for the appraisal and deposit to hold the present rate.. But because I only bring in {$2000.00} a month I couldn't come up with the extra {$500.00} so after being told I was caught up I honestly took it as a sign from XXXX. I realize that may sound completely ignorant but I've lived a tough life. I lost my husband to XXXX and had to bring both my XXXX boys up on my own and then I got into a horrific car accident and nearly lost my life. But instead XXXX XXXX XXXX so I'm now XXXX XXXXXXXX and this house has been built specifically for my XXXX so the thought of losing it has been to much to bare.I 've put so much money into making it work for me and my XXXX but so some of the more important updates had been put off so when I was approved for the extra XXXX XXXX  I could finally get the work done the house needed. But I'd also just learned that I was approved for a grant through my city for up to {$20.00} XXXX in home improvement projects of my choice so things were finally looking up for me. Until after id given the lady from XXXX my bank card info and they pulled out the {$500.00} for the deposit did she then connect me with a gentleman that I believe was forwarded to whom ever makes takes the final steps to move forward and that's when he informed me that I was 30 days late on my mortgage. At first I argued and told him he was making a mistake until it hit me that it sure was fifth third and I was sure it had something to do with that XXXX payment of course. So of course he informed me that they could not even look into refinancing again until another year had passed where id never fell late on my payments. So that was like a knife right in my gut..But so the only thing on my mind was to hurry and withdraw the funds out of my primary checking account and then deposit them into my fifth third checking account by so i could then make payment and just maybe because even though it was XX/XX/XXXX maybe it wouldn't be considered 30 days passed due because it was in all reality only 29 days passed due and not quite 30 days yet so I ran from one ATM to another and got the whole payment put into my fifth third checking account before XXXX XXXX  on XX/XX/XXXX but then forgot to actually transfer the funds to my mortgage account. I was so frustrated with myself. But I'd also forgot that during all this id also given this other lender {$500.00} towards the refinancing that would now no longer take place and of course those funds were already withdrawn from my account so now I was {$500.00} short on making XXXX 's payment because clearly fifth third had figured out their mistake sometime after the XXXX or XXXX because sure enough in XXXX mail i received line XXXX different letters letting me know that id fallen behind on my last payment was the first letter and it was just telling me id missed the grace period so I now owed a late fee. And now that letter was dated for XX/XX/XXXX but I had 2 more letters and these letters were both dated for XX/XX/XXXX and the first one had went into explaining what to do when your unable to make your payments and how to apply for help. Then the next letter went immediately into saying that my account was in default because they said that the payment that id made on XX/XX/XXXX had been reversed due to insufficient funds. But yet id never made a payment on XX/XX/XXXX, so I called and was told that back in XXXX I'd set up a payment for XX/XX/XXXX which I knew was a lie because why in XXXX would I set up a payment for XXXX meanwhile skipping XXXX 's payment and also because I'd never scheduled it passed the 16 day grace period because I'd know id get charged a late fee and it would show up on my credit report in which I'd been working effortlessly to fix so none of what I was being told is done made any sense. But just like them telling me I didn't owe a payment in XXXX they were now telling me id set up this payment in advance back in XXXX. Now I'm making a point of this because they never once said that this could have happened it was always like a fact that I had set that payment up in advance and I had just skipped XXXX 's payment with no records of all the calls id made repeatedly trying to make XXXX 's payment so it is funny how you start believing them and second guessing yourself when their on the other end making it sound like I was completely incompetent..But so at first I tried wrapping my brain around everything Id been accused of but the more I read the letters and looked at the dates they were written none of it made any sense. So I called the mortgage department and finally after several attempts and even after going to HUD and asking for their help in figuring out what happened I think I finally figured it out for myself. I believe that Everytime id paid extra through for the last few months and because it wouldn't let me add the extra funds to the principle Payments so I just added the extra amount to the box that said payments id have to believe that I through the system off and i pretty much know this has something to do with it because I did finally receive a letter with a check attached but it wasnt for the {$990.00} that Id been told was when i didn't have the funds in my account so payment was reversed it was for the exact amount that i had added to my regular payment thinking it would get placed In the correct spot from the bank. But I had never thought that it's not a banker that looks at each of these payments as they come in and then distributed the funds accordingly because it's not an actual person it's a computer so I did explain my theory to a man named XXXX who is with the office of the president and he told me they'd be doing an investigation and that is hear something in writing within the next few days and that was on XX/XX/year> and I've recieved no calls or letters with any updates so I have this feeling they have been waiting for me to fall into default because If id missed a payment today then I'd be a full month late or so I was told that as long as the payment was made by the last day of the month id be Anyway I decided to just put a complaint in because let me tell you they don't care how ridiculous they sound when they insist that id made payments that were returned and how I'd set up payments months in advance. Their stories would change Everytime id call it would just depend on who answered and if they felt like looking into the matter further or not because again if I would have just took their word for it then my credit would and may still be destroyed so I will still have to only get {$36.00} dollars towards my principal for a whole other year because they sure did not hesitate reporting the late payment to the credit bureaus and matter of fact im curious as to when that 30 days late was reported to credit bureaus because the man at XXXX knew before I'd even received a letter stating that id missed the grace period because them letters hadn't even arrived to me until XX/XX/year>. Anyway I realize this is a book but I don't know how to break things down better. I have brain damage from car accident so I know that I often make mistakes when trying to take care of my own affairs because I'd like to believe that I still I'm still capable of taking care of my own affairs but sure doesn't make things easier when the bank that your trusting with your mortgage is straight up lying to you just so they don't have take a minute and or take into consideration that it may not be the consumer who made the mistake.. Maybe they contributed to the problem. Meanwhile Im unable to refinance for a whole year and I also have lost the home improvement grant because in order to be considered for grant the home owner can not have fallen behind on mortgage so everything id had planned to improve my situation is now lost and I can't even get a response or update from them letting me know where I stand and if I can possibly save the grant or just hand it up. Plus interest rates have now went up again I believe so I missed that window.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation