Consumer complaint received 2026-01-22 00:00:00
Product: Mortgage — VA mortgage
Issue: Trouble during payment process — Escrow, taxes, or insurance
Company: Freedom Mortgage Company
State: PA

Complaint narrative:
I am writing to file a formal complaint against my mortgage servicer, Freedom Mortgage. I believe they have made serious errors in handling my escrow account, failed to properly apply my state-approved XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX , and have engaged in communication practices that are hindering the resolution of this critical issue. 

1. Personal and Financial Hardship Background I am a XXXX veteran. In [ Month, Year ], I suffered a significant injury at work that severely disrupted my income, causing me to fall behind on my mortgage payments. I entered into a forbearance agreement with Freedom Mortgage to save my home. I worked diligently to fulfill my obligations under that agreement and made a substantial lump-sum payment to bring my account current by the end of the forbearance period. Despite this good-faith effort to comply, I am now facing a new, severe financial burden due to their miscalculations. 

2. The Core Issue : Improper Escrow Account Analysis and Tax Exemption I qualify for and have been approved by the state of California for the XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, which provides a significant exemption on the property tax for my principal residence. I provided this documentation to Freedom Mortgage. 

Prior Payment : Before my tax exemption, my total monthly mortgage payment ( including principal, interest, taxes, and insurance ) was approximately {$950.00}. 

Current Erroneous Payment : After the exemption was granted, my payment has inexplicably jumped to approximately {$1500.00} per month. This is nearly double what I was paying for over XXXX years and far exceeds my original payment even with taxes included. 

The Problem : My payment should have decreased, not increased. The servicer appears to have failed to correctly adjust my escrow account analysis to reflect the removal of property tax liabilities. By law, servicers must conduct an escrow analysis to determine the correct monthly payment, which includes estimating disbursements for taxes and insurance. They have clearly failed to use the correct ( i.e., {$0.00} ) tax amount for my property. 

Payment History Summary Period Status Approx. XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX ~ {$950.00} Included property taxes before exemption. 
XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX at work disrupted income. 
Early XXXX Account Current Lump Sum Made full payment to satisfy forbearance agreement. 
Current ( XXXX ) Active ~ {$1500.00} After state tax exemption approved. Payment is erroneous. 
3. Specific Violations and Unfair Practices Based on the CFPB 's own guidelines and enforcement actions, I believe the following violations are occurring : Escrow Account Errors : The servicer is requiring me to deposit amounts into escrow for property taxes that I do not owe, violating rules that limit payments to anticipated disbursements.

Charging Unauthorized Amounts : This constitutes charging a fee or amount outside of my loan terms, a practice the CFPB has cited as a violation in recent supervisory reviews.

Failure to Make Timely Corrections : Despite my repeated notifications, the servicer has not corrected this error, which could also be a failure to respond properly to a notice of error.

Obstructive Communication : My attempts to resolve this directly have been futile. Every time I receive a call from Freedom Mortgage and answer, the line is hung up on me immediately. This prevents me from exercising my right to work with my servicer and leaves me with no recourse but to seek regulatory assistance.

4. Requested Resolution I am struggling to maintain this inflated and incorrect payment. To rectify this situation, I urgently request that the CFPB ensure Freedom Mortgage : Immediately conducts a correct escrow account analysis that incorporates my XXXX Veterans Property Tax Exemption, reducing my property tax liability to {$0.00}. 

Issues a corrected annual escrow statement and adjusts my monthly payment to the proper amount, effective immediately. 

Provides a full accounting and refund for any overpayments I have made since the tax exemption was approved, including any improperly held " cushion '' that exceeds the legal limit of one-sixth of my annual disbursements. 

Stops all obstructive communication practices and establishes a reliable point of contact to resolve this issue. 

I am committed to paying my mortgage, including my principal, interest, and valid insurance premiums. I have proven this by catching up after a legitimate hardship. I should not be penalized with a doubled payment for properly securing a benefit I earned through my service. 

Thank you for your assistance. The stress of potentially losing my home after fighting so hard to keep it is immense. I trust you will help ensure my servicer complies with the law.

Company public response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation