Consumer complaint received 2025-03-10 00:00:00
Product: Mortgage — Conventional home mortgage
Issue: Trouble during payment process — Escrow, taxes, or insurance
Company: AmeriHome Mortgage Company, LLC
State: TX

Complaint narrative:
I had an incredibly difficult time getting Amerihome to pay our taxes from our escrow account, and now I have a penalty from the state of Texas as a result. I was told directly by Amerihome, in writing that I would not be charged a penalty fee and, if there was a penalty fee, they would pay for it. They in fact did not pay for the penalty fee but rather deducted it from my escrow account without my knowledge or consent. 

Taxes were due XX/XX/XXXX. 

With Texas, our property address has two accounts that need to be paid. One of the accounts was paid for and processed correctly. The second account was not. I discovered this in early XXXX. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I emailed Amerihome with a tax bill PDF that showed our balance of {$5400.00} owed to Texas from our second account, due XX/XX/XXXX. I made clear in the email to " please pay this amount in addition to what has been paid. '' This email was generated per the recommendation of a representative from Amerihome that I was talking to via their chat portal. Also, just to be clear, there was plenty of funds inside the escrow account to cover this payment. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I received a verification email back from Amerihome that they had received the email and that it had been forwarded to their Tax Department for processing and review. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I emailed them again to ask if this request had been processed yet, with a reminder that the payment would be delinquent by the end of the month. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I received an email back saying " our inquiry has been acknowledged and is being researched at this time. '' This didn't sound assuring to me, so I got on another chat with customer service to explain ( again ) the urgency of this situation. They encouraged me to resubmit the tax bill PDF via email, and I did so. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I received an email back saying " Thank you for your recent email inquiry regarding your loan. This is to acknowledge receipt of your recent tax documents. They have been forwarded for review. '' On XX/XX/XXXX, I emailed back. " Hello, I am following up here to make sure this tax bill is paid ( attached in email sent on XX/XX/XXXX and XX/XX/XXXX ). It will be delinquent after XX/XX/XXXX. '' On XX/XX/XXXX, I started a chat with Amerihome after not hearing back. I expressed my concern regarding this being delinquent and penalties/fees that I may have to pay. They said " Based on the situation and the county 's response times, it is taking a bit longer than originally anticipated. You wouldn't have to worry about any penalty or fee .... if it is late for any reason, we would be the ones to pay the fees/penalties, not you. '' I then asked if they could guarantee that I will not have to pay penalties or fees. The agent replied " Correct. You aren't responsible for fees related to tax bills covered by the escrow account. I will make sure this conversation is saved to your account for future reference as well. '' On XX/XX/XXXX, I received this email. " Dear customer, Thank you for your follow up. The tax department is aware of the dates. The work order is still processing. Your taxes are escrowed. You have certain protections because of this and we thank you for your patience as it is being processed. The county is aware of our communication. I have also escalated the matter today. You can expect an update by XX/XX/XXXX. Thank you for the opportunity to assist you and have a great day. '' My taxes were paid late. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, Amerhome withdrew {$380.00} from my account to pay for the penalty. This was done without my consent or knowledge. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I emailed a complaint to Amerihome that they did indeed withdraw the late penalty from my escrow account, in spite of what they promised and that I needed those funds to be reimbursed. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I received an email back. " The notes indicate this is a UDI Property. Meaning the dwelling is unauthorized. This tax invoice is your responsibility to pay. It is not escrowed... I'm sorry, you were misinformed. '' I let Amerihome know that this is not how people ought to be treated.

Company response to consumer: Closed with monetary relief