Consumer complaint received 2025-12-01 00:00:00
Product: Mortgage — Conventional home mortgage
Issue: Trouble during payment process — Fees charged
Company: FIFTH THIRD FINANCIAL CORPORATION
State: NH

Complaint narrative:
CFPB Complaint Draft Issue : Mortgage servicing, escrow handling, late fees, and misleading information about bank-authorized contact numbers Company : Fifth Third Bank Complaint Summary I am filing this complaint because I believe Fifth Third Banks mortgage servicing practices specifically relating to escrow changes, payment handling, and contradictory information about their contact phone numbers caused me financial harm and presented a potentially intentional pattern of misinformation that could mislead or disadvantage consumers. 

Details of the Problem Fifth Third notified me of an escrow shortage, which increased my monthly mortgage payment. I pay automatically, and because of the change, my payment was short by approximately {$27.00}. 

Instead of applying the payment and notifying me of the shortfall, Fifth Third refused to apply the payment, marked it as late, and charged a late fee. This alone is troubling, given how minor the shortage was and that it resulted entirely from their own escrow recalculation. 

However, what happened next raised far more serious concerns. 

I received a call from XXXX, claiming to be Fifth Third regarding the payment issue. When I searched this phone number online, it appeared on multiple sites labeled as fraudulent or phishing, including links originating from Fifth Thirds own fraud-alert information. 

To protect my account, I contacted Fifth Third directly through the official number listed on their website on XX/XX/XXXX. I asked very clearly whether XXXX was a legitimate Fifth Third number or a scam. 

Their representative told me that the number was NOT associated with Fifth Third and that it was a fraudulent number. 

However, after further review, it appears that this number is, in fact, used by Fifth Thirds own automated collections department to notify customers about delinquent payments. This directly contradicts what their representative told me. 

Why This Is Concerning The combination of these actions raises serious questions : I was explicitly told by Fifth Thirds own representative that their collections number was fraudulent.

This is significant misinformation whether intentional or not.

Consumers searching the number online are also led to believe it is a scam, including via results connected to Fifth Thirds own fraud-alert pages.

Fifth Third then uses this same number to call customers about late payments caused by their escrow adjustments, while simultaneously charging fees when payments are short by small amounts. 

The confusion surrounding this phone number makes it extremely difficult for consumers to distinguish legitimate contact from actual fraud, which increases both financial and security risks. 

Given how much revenue financial institutions generate from late fees, it is difficult not to question whether this confusing setup misinformation about valid numbers and refusal to apply near-full payments could create conditions that disproportionately benefit the bank at the consumers expense. 

I am not claiming a proven intention, but the pattern is highly suspicious and warrants investigation. 

What I Am Requesting An investigation into why a legitimate Fifth Third collections number is publicly flagged as fraudulent, including by Fifth Thirds own fraud-alert resources. 

An explanation of why I was explicitly told by Fifth Third that the number was fraudulent when evidence indicates it is in their system. 

A review of the banks escrow recalculation notifications, short-payment handling, and late fee practices. 

Removal of the late fee and proper application of my payment. 

Assurance that consumers are not being misled or placed at financial risk due to contradictory or false information provided by the bank.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation