Aug. 2007: Purchased home in Culver City, CA using two Countrywide loans (30 year fixed interest only and 7.25% interest rate and interest only 3.25% interest rate.) Both loans added up to 10% down. I always paid monthly mortgage on time.
Sept. 2008: Mother diagnosed with bladder cancer that had metastasized to her colon.
Jan. 2009: I suffered spontaneous perforated retina. Had emergency surgery and have permanently lost half vision in one eye.
Sept. 2010 Mother passed away.
April 2011: I assumed the full title on property. Applied for Making Home Affordable program.
I was repeatedly told to resend and that bank had not received my documents. I sent at least three times from my brother’s fax and local Bank of America fax at two branches.
May-June 2011: Assigned to work with RC who said my package was accepted, though not approved. I asked him how long it would take and he said about ten weeks maximum before I heard.
July 2011: I still hadn’t heard and called. RC said to wait.
Oct. 2011: I still hadn’t heard. I called RC who told me that my application had been summarily rejected because, due to the death of my mother, the mortgagor of my loan was now an ”estate of” property. This type of property was not entitled to modification under the Making Home Affordable program but I had not been informed of this. RC told me to wait until I got a final rejection from the bank to move to the next step and assured me there WAS a next step and that someone would be assigned to my case to help me with it.
Late Oct. 2011: Called back. RC was out of town. I emailed him but he didn’t respond.
Nov. 2011: Called for clarification about my situation. The customer service representative told me no one was able to help me. I asked for a supervisor. She told me, “You do not own the house. It is in your mom’s name and she’s dead.” (Direct quote). Our conversation escalated to raised voices. I asked to speak to someone else and she again told me there was no one else to speak to. I insisted and she put me on hold. Finally, not having any response, I hung up distraught and crying. Her rudeness was inexcusable, not to mention that she was wrong—although the mortgagor of the loan is now in the form of an estate of, the title of the house is fully in my name as sole survivor of the Joint Tenancy.
I have never been treated so badly by anyone in customer service in my life.
Nov. 2011: Called RC again but he no longer had a direct contact number. The customer service person this time said that he did not know who R. was or how to reach him. Finally I was able to have the customer service person email him. RC called me back and I found out that even though I still didn’t have final word from BofA I could try a traditional or in-house type of modification and he gave me a customer service number to call and try to work with them to get this.
A few days later I called to speak to someone about this. I spent two hours on the phone being rerouted to different people. One man said there were no other type of mod programs besides the Making Home Affordable mod. Also, he had “never heard of” an in house or traditional mod. Someone else said that this wasn’t true, there was a modification that came along with assuming the loan but at a fair rate for the loss in value. She sent me to another dept. but it turned out to be customer service again. I went round and round all morning. In the afternoon I spent an hour trying to reach RC, asking two different people to email him for me, which I did, but he never responded.
11/9/2011, 2:15 PM: Having been advised by an attorney to keep track of all my exchanges going forward, I called Customer Service and spoke to J who tried to put me through to Modifications. He said, “They are not available, call back.” I asked to speak to the president’s office. He tried to put me through to Modifications again. The phone disconnected at 2:36. At 2:41 I called again. M answered. I asked for the president’s office and told her my story. She said she could not put me through and finally gave me this address and fax.
11/22/11, 9 AM: Called office of President and complained, threatened to go to press. I had written attached letter* but didn’t send it since I was able to speak to someone on the phone and convey my concerns. Was put through to LA who said he could help me and asked for relevant paperwork, which I sent. PD was assigned to my case. The plan was to assume the loan and then modify it.
11/30 Phone tag with PD
12/12 Left message for PD and called his supervisor and left word.
12/13 Called PD and supervisor, BW.
12/14 Called PW and BW and left word. Called AB. Left word.
12/15 PD called me and said he was no longer my point person but it had been assigned to JA.
12/20 Mailed package to bank to try to assume loan.
12/21 spoke to JA who asked where I had sent package.
12/21 Charged two times for mortgage because I had sent an unsigned check that was sent back to me so I replaced it with a signed check. The unsigned check was returned but also deducted and replacement check was also deducted.
1/3/12 S in Accounting explained I was paid up. They had applied unsigned check that they sent back to me to next month’s mortgage
January ? Received notification packet had been received by bank with paperwork to try to assume loan. Was advised by attorney, realtor, broker and friends not to assume loan at current high, interest only rate but request modification to fair market rate to avoid future foreclosure.
1/4 Called JA.
1/5 Called JA.
1/8 Called JA
1/9 Missed JA’s call and called back, left word
1/10 spoke to LA and asked, as a customer in good standing who is trying to avoid the eventual loss of the property, to assume loan at modified, market rate. We spoke for twenty minutes and I explained the complex nature of my situation. He denied my request. He told me I should try refinancing. I did not think I would qualify due to underwater nature of property. He assured me I could and gave me number of someone in refinancing, MP. I called MP who told me I would need about 150,000 to refinance and over the next few days did not return my calls to check on any other options. JA did try to call me back a few times on this day but after speaking to LA I realized any discussion with JA would be useless.
Feb ?? Called to speak to someone about Obama program. Put through to my account supervisor and then disconnected
Feb. 29th, 2012 Received call from W at Bank of America Qualified Assumptions to see if I wanted to go through with assumption. Was told I would have to qualify for original loans with very high income and 12 months mortgage set aside if I wanted to assume the loan. He didn’t think I would qualify based on my income and I do not have 12 months mortgage set aside after being hit with a huge tax bill this year.
March 7: In last ditch attempt, called office of president and complained, threatened to go public with this. Was put through to AR and told her the story. She promised to get back to me Friday, March 9th at @2:15 PM and told me to continue to pay my mortgage.
March 9: Called AR At 2:15. No answer. Called again at 3:09. No answer. Left word both times.
