I am going to try and keep our three year nightmare as short as possible:
We purshased a home a few years ago. The sewer system needed replacing and as part of our purchase agreement - the seller was responsible for putting this money in escrow. We agreed to have National City Mortgage (NCM) hold the escrow as they were our mortgage company and we believed they would be looking our for our interests.
We closed on the home before the work was started. At closing NCM informed us that more than enough money was put into escrow just in case there were any damages or unfinished work that may need to be fixed or covered with this money. We belived them and signed the agreement allowing them to be in charge of the escrow.
The contractor - Lafferty Enterprises of Harwinton, CT - was hired by the seller. We did not have a contract with this contractor. NCM dealt with the contractor and seller on our behalf. This contractor proceeded to cause thousands of dollars worth of damages to our property. When he was finished our driveway was torn up and we literally had to pick our trees up from our neighbors yard. This contractor - Brent Lafferty - laughed as he walked away from the job.
We contacted NCM before he was even off of our property to tell them - NOT to pay this contractor. NCM agreed. Under direction of NCM we got estimates from other companies. NCM as well sent someone to our home to estimate the damages. Everyone agreed - the damanges were estiamted at almost $7,000. NCM promised we would have our property fixed. Because this was the beginning of winter - it was agreed between us & NCM that when spring came everything would be setteled and until then NCM would withhold payment from Brent Lafferty.
When spring came we contacted NCM for the next step - we were then informed that NCM accepted a $500 offer from the contractor for damages and in fact already paid him. WHAT? We could not believe our own mortgage company screwed us. We then requested the remaining money in escrow to fix the damanges. We were told to fight it out with the seller. Of course the seller wanted the remaining just as we did. After months of back and fourth with the seller and NCM - NCM gave in and gave the money to the seller - WITHOUT telling us until after the fact.
NCM did not even have the decensy to give us the laughable $500 they accepted from the contractor. All they have said to us - is that the are "not responsible". They state that because we signed for them to be in charge of the escrow - they could do what they wanted with the money. We signed to give them the power to protect us - THEIR CUSTOMER - as they promised they would before we signed anything! They should have either not paid this contractor until the damages were fixed or paid for another contractor to come in and fix them. There is no excuse for what they have done to us.
We did get a small settlement from the contractor - no were near the estimated damanges. Because NCM did nothing for us - their customer - we are basially left with fixing these damages ourselves. I am a little curious who ended up with that payoff from the contractor...???
Everyone should avoid using this company for their mortgages. They completly turned their backs on us as soon as the closing papers were signed. The do not care about their customers. As they did to us - smile, make promises they never intend to keep and once they get that contact signed the only thing you will see from them is their back along with their bill.
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