Consumer complaint received 2025-07-24 00:00:00
Product: Mortgage — Conventional home mortgage
Issue: Struggling to pay mortgage — Applying for or obtaining a modification, forbearance plan, short sale, or deed-in-lieu
Company: Ocwen Financial Corporation
State: CA

Complaint narrative:
My mortgage is with PHH Mortgage. I recently got a call from a fellow named XXXX XXXX, phone number ( XXXX ) XXXX representing himself with the PHH Mortgage lending department. The call came in to my house phone XX/XX/year> at XXXX am. I called him back at XXXX am, Wednesday ; XX/XX/year>. 

They were offering me a new loan modification using a government program I was told and asked if I was interested. I said " yes ''. He then transferred me to another gentleman named XXXX XXXX. XXXX XXXX wanted me to fill out an online hardship form to help them make the application for the loan modification, coupled into a government program they said I would qualify for. 

I filled out the form online with XXXX XXXX on the phone as I did so. I also revealed my date of birth and my social security number. I further revealed my loan number and other pertinent information. The form also asked if I wanted equity from my home. I stated yes and gave the amount. I printed the form, after I submitted my answers, just to have a hard copy of the form, without my answers. I should have printed it out after I wrote out my answers I realize now, but I didn't. 

Anyway, XXXX XXXX XXXX got my form, he spent a little time to do some calculations he said and told me they could offer me a loan modification with a fixed rate of 2.75 % and they could also lower my mortgage payment of {$3100.00} per month, down to {$1600.00} per month. I have decent equity still in my home at this time, if the house were ever to be sold, but I'm behind on my payments due to a long term serious XXXX these past 30 years, as I approach the beginning of my XXXX year. 

The stipulation was I had to bring my escrow account current. So they were asking I pay them, as of yesterday as we talked by phone, the sum of {$2900.00}. I told them I didn't have that kind of money on hand, but stated I did have some money left in my safe I had been setting aside for emergencies and would have to get the rest out of XXXX of my credit cards. They were not too happy that I could not pay them right then and there, which alarmed me a bit. 

After some haggling, we agreed I would call them tomorrow, Friday, to do the payment they wanted on the escrow account, so I could qualify for the loan modification, new payment arrangement, and equity from the home I needed to help me with the mortgage payments and help me with an online business I had been building over the years to help with my debts. 

This did not seem suspicious, at first, given I had been given some loan modification offers successfully through PHH Mortgage last year, to help buy me time in building my online business. I still need more time to make the business fully become cash flow consistent and so this seemed like an answer to a prayer. 

Anyway, after I was done putting the money in the bank, I came home and needed a nap, like seniors at my age need each day. I was too sleepy to do anything else. I also usually do my best thinking when I sleep. Been that way all my life. 

When I woke up, several things came into my mind the moment I opened my eyes concerning these people I talked to, who said they were PHH Mortgage. These were all small red flags to me but they disturbed me now : XXXX ) They could not properly define the government program they were tied into they said would help me when I asked, XXXX ) They were a bit too pushy trying to get the money from me even though XXXX XXXX agreed for us to talk again tomorrow Friday. I then noted on the PHH website that it is customary to allow a customer 14 days to consider a loan modification proposal, which they didn't seem all that ready to do even for the XXXX days they gave me, if I were to call them back tomorrow Friday. XXXX ) The email sent to me, which gave the link to fill out the Hardship form said on it " PHH Mortgage '' XXXX. I checked out the PHH Mortgage website to see if this is how their emails should be marked. I had remembered that this did not look right when I woke from my nap. What triggered my suspicion was the name " markmiller ''. My memory is slow at times at my age, but when I looked this up on their website, I learned this is not the way PHH Mortgage sends out their emails. 

This had me worried. I had just given them my XXXX and my Social Security number on their Hardship form. XXXX! This was slick the way these people operated. So I called PHH mortgage using the phone number on my bank statements and talked to a gal named XXXX. I shared all of this with her I'm sharing with you. XXXX told me these people, who I was dealing with, were not PHH Mortgage. She stated they just got a call from another customer with PHH Mortgage, who lost money to these people, who promised a government approved loan modification. I'm glad I do my best thinking when I sleep and caught the subtle discrepancies that I caught upon waking up, while taking action today as I write this. 

XXXX started to outline what I needed to do, to report identity theft of my XXXX and Social Security XXXX. XXXX told me to contact Identitytheft.gov and that lead me to your form today, which I'm filling out. XXXX also told me to go to my bank and tell them what I just encountered, to see what they could do to protect my bank accounts. I'll be doing that next, as of tomorrow. 

Careful when calling these fake PHH Mortgage people, using the phone number I used. I called the number after hours late last night to see what their outgoing message says. It says they are " Mortgage Assistance '' in their outgoing message and will ask for your loan number of Social Security number, when you call to even leave a message. Don't do it! That is how they are collecting personal information I suspect. Also, do not fill out their " Hardship Form ''. They will ask for all your personal information that way, which you do not want to give them. These people are as subtle as the XXXX himself.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation