Consumer complaint received 2025-07-31 00:00:00
Product: Mortgage — Conventional home 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: FIFTH THIRD FINANCIAL CORPORATION
State: OH

Complaint narrative:
My daughter and I hold a joint mortgage through Fifth Third Bank. 

Due to a loss of job and income ( me ) resulting from health issues, on XX/XX/XXXX, XXXX, I sought assistance through the Fifth Third XXXX XXXX XXXX . 

The loan was established XX/XX/XXXX and has always been in good standing. We were not delinquent in XXXX, and we made a full and timely payment in XXXX, but we were worried about XXXX. 

The goal in working with the XXXX XXXX XXXX was to proactively seek a solution to buy ourselves a cushion to resolve the employment issue and protect our credit. 

Right away we began receiving paperwork that did not correspond to our situation. It appeared to be a template that was not properly modified to reflect our status, and referred to the account as if it was delinquent in multiple communications. 

The application contained an option to make reduced payments. We selected this option. There was no option for a specific amount for the reduced payment. 

We completed all the application requirements and received a XXXX  delivery on XX/XX/XXXX containing the agreement ( see attachments ) which is for a 3-month Forbearance. We immediately read the document and complied with the instructions to send the " first reduced payment '' by XX/XX/XXXX. 

The agreement makes reference to avoiding " foreclosure '' on pg 2 of the document when instructing us to send the first reduced payment. The account was in good standing. We weren't and aren't in danger of foreclosure. The verbiage in the document is clearly wrong. Fifth Third has thus far on multiple occasions refused to acknowledge this. 

A reduced payment, per Fifth Third instructions, was posted to the account on XX/XX/XXXX. Please note that reduced payment in this case does not have a set amount and can be a little as {$0.00} according to their own document. 

On XX/XX/XXXX we received a Fifth Third letter dated XX/XX/XXXX from " XXXX  XXXX '' saying [ paraphrasing ] 'we received this money and it's not a full payment and don't know what to do with it. ' The document contained instructions to contact XXXX. 

An email was sent the same day explaining that the payment ( {$1100.00} ) was sent as per Fifth Third instructions in the Forbearance agreement and was to be applied to the mortgage. We did not receive an acknowledgement of the correspondence or a reply. Routinely late payments are assessed if a payment is not due by the XXXX of the month in which it is due ( we have never had a late payment ). By not responding to the email, Fifth Third took any chance we might have made to avoid a late charge. 

We heard nothing from Fifth Third until XXXX days later on XX/XX/XXXX, we received another letter in the mail stating the account is delinquent, a penalty is assessed ( {$64.00} ) and if not paid by XX/XX/XXXX would be reported to credit reporting agencies. 

Immediately an email was sent to XXXX XXXX and a message posted to the XXXX XXXX XXXX. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I was on the phone with a Rep ( XXXX ) for over an hour. He first tried to convince me that the Forbearance wasn't valid for XXXX because there was no stated reduced payment amount. If what he stated was true, it would render the entire agreement invalid. 

XXXXXXXX XXXX  supervisor ( XXXX ) was narrating in the background. When I asked to speak to the person above XXXX ( as I was already hearing from XXXX ) XXXX claimed not to know who that person is or have any contact info. I let XXXX know I'm aware of Corporate directories and how they work, so I knew he wasn't being forthcoming. 

After multiple requests for escalation, I spoke to XXXX the department manager for another hour in which he spent attempting to make the agreement say things it doesn't say to justify their assertion that the agreement is effective XX/XX/XXXX ; and stated we are expected to make a full payment for XXXX or be reported to credit agencies on XX/XX/XXXX. 

Again, the agreement instructions state : 'Indicate your agreement with these terms by signing the agreement or sending your " first reduced payment '' by XX/XX/XXXX. No later than XX/XX/XXXX. Please note that nothing above the dates at the very bottom of page 2 supports those dates. Instead, there are multiple references to the termination date of the Forbearance as " XX/XX/XXXX '' at which time the account is to be brought current or other stated options pursued -- under regular monthly payment terms ( due XX/XX/XXXX, late after XX/XX/XXXX, and reported to credit agency XX/XX/XXXX or XX/XX/XXXX ). 

At best, the document is poorly constructed and confusing. We believe that we have and continue to act in good faith. We were instructed to send the " first reduced payment '' by XXXX/XXXX and we did. 

Despite our fervent due diligence efforts to be responsible and avoid damage to our credit and incurring additional fees we can't afford, we find ourselves facing just that with an institution unwilling to acknowledge their error as they know we have little power to do anything about it. 

We have asked Fifth Third to remove the late charge and honor the dates the document overwhelmingly implies, XX/XX/XXXX - XX/XX/XXXX. They consistently refused. I say implies because the department manager 's argument is that the agreement does not specifically state XX/XX/XXXX. He also said in a subsequent phone call on XXXX that he had spoken with loan solutions and they told him the agreement was supposed to be effective XX/XX/XXXX, but we didn't get our paperwork done in time. We followed the timeframe for accepting the agreement to the letter. No where is it stated or implied in the agreement that a full regular payment for XXXX is required or expected. 

As of the time of this communication, in order to avoid a hit to our credit, we have submitted full payment plus the late charge. This is in no way to be construed as an admission of fault. We are simply attempting to ensure that all of our efforts to avoid a hit to our credit are not in vain. We have continued to request the late charge be erased from the account ( and refunded as we have now paid it because the bank refused to process the XXXX payment unless we included the late fees ). 

I'm not in the best of health, XXXX XXXX XXXX, depleted of resources, and having a tough time regaining suitable employment. 

We were just trying to buy ourselves some time to dig out of an untenable situation and do what's right. Fifth Third 's refusal to act in good faith is both disheartening and distressing. 

A complaint was filed with XXXX on or about XX/XX/XXXX. " XXXX '' who had no questions for us during her initial contact on XX/XX/XXXX has not responded to multiple attempts this week to speak with her as of the time of this communication, she has failed to respond to phone requests for follow up.

Company response to consumer: Closed with monetary relief