I am a long time customer of Countrywide Home Loans only because I obtained the loan from the Quicken online company and they immediately sold the loan to Countrywide. I am also a long time customer of Wachovia Bank where I have had an account for over thirty years.
In January, Wacovia sent Countrywide my mortgage payment as usual. The amount, however, was $1231.82, which was incorrect. The correct amount is $1405.46. I contacted Countrywide on January 16 after receiving a letter from them dated January 11 saying that my bank only sent the $1231.82 and "At this time, Countrywide has decided not to accept payments from you that less that the total amount due. Accordingly, we are returning your latest payment.
In the letter Countrywide also said they had previously accepted a short payment, but would not do so again. The letter threatened that the might refer my loan to credit bureaus and my credit history might be affected. They went on to say that "More importently your loan may even be referred to Foreclosure Department."
This type of threatening letter they sent to me, a long time customer with an excellent record of payments until this recent period. I immediately tried to contact the company as they claim to be open around the clock, seven days a week. Unfortunatgely, they are not and the telephone answering machine just stated that. On January 16, after a three day holiday weakend.
In this call I was able to arrange, I thought, a payment by telephone that would pay my January payment on time. With the Countrywide representative listening, I provided my Wacovia Bank checking account routing slip and account number. I received a confirmation number. I thought my January payment had been made successfully. I was also told that a payment of $15.00 would be added to use the telephone service.
Later in January, while checking to be sure my February payment, I noticed that the funds for January had not been withdrawn from my account. Since Countrywide did not contact me by mail, e-mail or telephone, I had to call them.
When I called I was told they tried unsuccessfully, to contact me by phone, but not by e-mail or letter. The representative said that the Wacovia Bank rejected Countrywide's request for funds from my account since they could not match the number given to Wacovia with any account. Why Countrywide did not tell me this shortly after January 17 could not be explained by the representative, except to claim they had called me. I told them that if they used block numbers I never answer the calls because there are too many telemarketers calling.
Again I went through the payment process, using the phone payment. After doing so the representive said they had already reported me as delinquint. I argued that I was not, as I paid on time and that they most likely sent the wrong data to Wacovia Bank and had themselves to blame for not receiving the money in a timely manner.
No amount of talk could rectify this and I suppose my credit reports will show that I was seriously delinquent in paying my mortgage for two months. This will cost me because interest rates will now be higher for me, as will even getting a credit card or loan.
Since the January payment still has not posted, I cannot close this matter now. The payment should have posted on my checking account, yet it still is not posted.
Due to the unusually long record of Countrywide causing problems with payments and then blaming everything on the consumer, I felt that it is important to report another case.
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