There are multiple locations of Heartland Home Finance. Which one I have been dealing with over many months, at any given time, is unknown. However, when I need information on my loan and problems associated with it, I get no response, and cannot get through to the loan officer I dealt with originally.
When I refinanced my 1st and 2nd mortgages with them in May, my property taxes and insurance were to be done by escrow. Heartland (Mary Nugent) said that Allstate demanded one-year's premium to be done at closing ($1,240), and the monthly amount would be escrowed, as well, because the year's premium was "required" by Allstate on any refinance — up front.
My first payment on the new loan is due July 15. I received a notice from Allstate that my June 17 payment on the insurance has not been paid and is overdue. I contacted them and let them know that it was escrowed with Heartland as part of the refinance, and that I had paid their year's premium upfront, as Heartland said Allstate required. Allstate said they never require that, especially since my policy ends in November this year and it may or may not be renewed by me or by them. That is not S.O.P.
Allstate called Heartland who told them they had been trying to get in touch with me for days, but with no success. I have been calling them for days, without any response and I have the numbers and proof of those calls. When Allstate told me this, I called Heartland and a man, Wayne, answered the phone and said that "Andrea from the banking dept. Would be calling me that afternoon." I have never spoken with her in the history of this loan, and she did not call that afternoon — big surprise.
Mary Nugent left a message on my cell phone two days ago, which I saved, telling me that my year's premium would not start being paid out until December 17, the month after my policy ends, and that I need to pay my own insurance until then. I have tried to call back, with no success. My taxes and insurance are part of my monthly payments, and the $1,240 was paid out all in one lump sum as part of the closing.
Further, Mary Nugent tells me that a former home equity loan with American General, from a prior refinance with Ameriquest (2003?), has no release showing at the County Clerk's office and she wants me to get the release from American General Finance. How did they close this loan and pay off the most recent equity loan with American General without checking for this release from 2003? American General would not have the original release from that former loan as releases are sent to the new Mortgage Co. Heartland needs to contact Ameriquest, or the co. Who bought that loan, HSBC.
It seems that Heartland is not doing title searches before they close on a new loan. It seems that Heartland is taking funds upfront, under false pretenses, not sending out escrow documents to the insurance companies, but telling consumers to pay it, again, out of pocket. Then they won't return calls to people who have already closed on the loan (money is already in their pocket and they're getting ready to sell off your loan), because they cannot explain how they messed your loan up and where the money is.
I want to know how I can correct this, or at least demand that they take care of these items with the money I am paying and have already paid. They should be using the $1,240 that is in escrow right now, and paying the insurance premium each month — if I change insurance providers in November, then I get a rebate of whatever amount has not been used to that date. I want proof that they have set up an escrow account for my taxes and insurance, before I pay one-red-dime on this new loan when it comes due.
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