Consumer complaint received 2025-01-20 00:00:00
Product: Mortgage — VA mortgage
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: NEW YORK COMMUNITY BANCORP INC
State: OH

Complaint narrative:
Summary for Consumer Complaint Submission Issue : Persistent mishandling of loan modification applications, unjust foreclosure actions, lack of communication, and misleading practices by XXXX XXXX 
1. Overview of the Case : After my father passed away in XX/XX/XXXX, I began a XXXX-year battle with XXXX XXXX to save my home, which was left to me via a Transfer on Death ( TOD ) deed filed in XXXX. XXXX refused to speak with me about the loan until I became the successor of interest, forcing me to undergo a lengthy and costly process that involved hiring a lawyer to prepare and file an affidavit affirming the TOD deed in XXXX XXXX XXXX. This process incurred significant expenses, time, and stress, all of which could have been avoided had XXXX communicated effectively and acted in good faith. 
Despite my continuous efforts to resolve the matter, XXXX delays, mismanagement, and misleading actions have now left me with an escalated delinquency of {$47000.00}, a recent denial for loss mitigation, and ongoing foreclosure actions. 
2. Timeline of Events and Key Details : XX/XX/XXXX : My father passed away, leaving me the property via a Transfer on Death deed filed in XXXX. I immediately contacted XXXX to address the mortgage, but they refused to communicate with me until I became the successor of interest. 
XXXX : The successor of interest process took over a year to complete, during which I had to file the necessary affidavit in county court, incurring legal expenses and significant delays. Despite my proactive efforts, XXXX repeatedly failed to process the paperwork in a timely manner and delayed recognizing me as the successor of interest until I escalated the matter to a higher-level representative. 
Grant Assistance : During this time, I independently secured a grant from the State of Ohios Save the Dream program, which paid approximately {$14000.00} {$15000.00} to XXXX to cure the delinquency and covered six months of mortgage payments. Despite curing the delinquency and staying current, XXXX continued to mishandle my case, creating further delays and obstacles. 
XX/XX/XXXX : I submitted a loss mitigation application and sent a {$600.00} payment toward the mortgage, with the intent to pay the remaining balance by the end of the week. XXXX returned my payment without explanation and placed my loan into foreclosure. 
Foreclosure Actions : This foreclosure process lasted for months, making it impossible for me to pay the mortgage because I was now paying a lawyer to fight the very mortgage company that was supposed to be helping me save my home. 
XXXX attempted to accelerate the foreclosure by falsely claiming I had missed the deadline to file my response with the court. Thankfully, my lawyer proved this was incorrect, forcing XXXX to withdraw their default judgment. 
The VA later intervened, pulling the loan out of foreclosure and placing a stay on all VA loans. However, this did not lead to a resolution, as XXXX continued to mishandle my case, resulting in further delays and repeated loss mitigation denials. 
XXXX. Primary Complaints : Mishandling of Successor of Interest Process : XXXX required me to complete the successor of interest process before they would communicate with me about the loan, forcing me to incur unnecessary legal expenses and delays. 
This prolonged process caused immense stress and contributed to the growing delinquency. 
Repeated Denials and Delays : Over XXXX years, I submitted XXXX loss mitigation applications, all of which were closed for baseless reasons, such as missing documents, even when the documents were confirmed submitted. 
XXXX provided no consistent point of contact for my case. While I was given a name and number, it was the same general customer service line, and I was never able to speak to my supposed point of contact. 
Unreasonable Denial Reasons : The most recent denial cited the loans VA designation as a barrier to loss mitigation. If this was a known issue, why was it not disclosed at the outset of the process? 
XXXX also claimed that I could not cure the {$47000.00} delinquency within XXXX months. This is an unreasonable expectation, as the delinquency grew to this amount only because of XXXX delays, mishandling of my case, and the foreclosure process that prevented me from making regular payments. 
Misleading Communication and Broken Promises : Throughout this process, I received letters from XXXX stating that they were committed to helping me stay in my home. These promises were contradicted by their actions, including placing my loan into foreclosure and attempting to accelerate the process unnecessarily. 
Despite my persistence, XXXX lack of transparency, accountability, and effective communication has caused significant emotional and financial harm. 
4. Final Impact : This entire ordeal has caused unimaginable stress and financial devastation. Losing my father during the XXXX lockdown, being denied access to him in his final days, and facing the fallout of his passing left me in the worst financial position of my life. I was unprepared for the financial disaster that followed due to his lack of a will, no insurance, and my dependence on his income after years of being his full-time caregiver. 
Since his passing, I have lost everythingmy vehicles, my stability, and nearly my home. I fought tirelessly to hold onto this home, reaching out to legal aid, pro bono lawyers, and even sending letters to the governor, which lead me nowhere but at the mercy of XXXX. Legal aid denied my pleas for assistance, lawyers wouldnt call me back after consultation and of course the governor didnt respond, all while trying to comply with XXXX requirements. The only assistance I received was the Save the Dream grant from the State of Ohio. 
The foreclosure process and XXXX delays made it impossible for me to pay my mortgage because I had to allocate my limited resources toward hiring legal representation to save my home. This entire situation was preventable had XXXX worked with me when the loan was current, the delinquency was cured, and I was actively trying to resolve the matter. But with their constant reassurance and letters telling me theyre gon na do everything that they can to help me save my home I decided to in good faith trust in this system, instead of going ahead and selling my HOME years ago and taking the equity with the sale of my home and doing it in a timely manner without the stress of being forced out of my home, I did not take the othe options that I was looking into because I was being reassured by XXXX that there are ways to keep me in My Home only its now XXXX years later I stand at this end results of the final denial of any form of assistance of loss, mitigation or modifications Due to reasons that have been known and the acceleration is due to again I believe, misleading, and mis handling of my case, entirely from the beginning, another reason stated for denial is that this is not a short term issue when in fact, I am in the same position today as I was XXXX years ago, I have been in a pending XXXX XXXX XXXX case for XXXX years Ive rented my basement out as income and I do XXXX XXXX that is still the same today as it was XXXX years agoI believe I have been misled and treated unfairly by XXXX XXXX I would like to state that there are many more documents pertaining to this case much of them are too large to send. They were rejected and those were mostly the complete loss mitigation applications along with all relevant information that was requested multiple times. I am more than willing to provide all the information as I do have extensive records of all communications, including My emails during the process of becoming a successor of interest to XXXX requesting a response over months time with no response. Hopefully I have provided you with enough information to grasp the severity. The last XXXX years has taken. Its toll on my already fragile mental stability since the passing of my father.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation