My house flooded on January 31. I filed a claim with my insurance company and moved into a hotel. I really did not have any problems dealing with my mortgage company until all of my repairs were done.
On 3/1 I mailed the first check I received to the mortgage company for their endorsement. I was instructed not to endorse the check before I sent it. They endorsed the check and returned it on 3/7, but I did not receive it until 3/12. The check was for an amount less than $3,000.00.
On 3/3 I received another check from my insurance company, and again I mailed it to my mortgage company the same day, following exactly the same procedure as with the earlier check. The mortgage company endorsed it and returned it to me on 3/10, and I received it on 3/16. This check was for around $10,000. This is when the problems began. On 3/10 I received a letter stating that because the amount of the previous checks exceeded a certain amount, the procedure would now change.
They sent me a packet of forms, and in the letter they requested the adjuster's worksheet and the contractor's signed contract. I called the number on the letter and told them that we would be acting as our own contractor and that all of the work was in fact completed. They then told me all they needed was the adjuster's worksheet and one of the forms in the packet, titled Certification of Completion of Repairs.
They also stated the form would need to be signed by myself and my husband. I told them my husband was in Afghanistan and I would need to mail it to him. I then recalled that I could sign the form with a Power of Attorney, so I signed his name and mine to the form and faxed it along with a copy of the Power of Attorney and the adjuster's worksheet, all 33 pages, for a total of 55 pages. This was faxed on 3/17.
I had no reason to believe there would be a problem, as everything had gone smoothly up to that point. I stupidly did not keep a copy of the fax confirmation. After all, I had my checks and they had the requested documents.
Now comes the big problem. After about five months back and forth with the insurance company, I finally received a check for the holdback, which was about $5900.00. This is basically the difference between the actual value of the repairs and the replacement cost of the repairs, which the insurance company holds until they receive copies of all the paid receipts.
On 8/9 I forwarded the check to the mortgage company, explained what it was for, and mailed it unendorsed as per the previous procedure. I received the unendorsed check back from the mortgage company on 8/23 with a letter dated 8/17 saying they were returning the check because my husband and I had not endorsed it. Again I was on the phone with them, explaining that per their previous correspondence I was not to endorse the check prior to mailing. Again I explained that my husband was in Afghanistan and I would have to endorse it for him, which should be OK because they had a copy of the POA.
Guess what: they had no record of receiving anything from me. No POA, no forms, nothing except the checks. Now they wanted a Certification of Intent to Repair/Homeowner Completed Repairs, a copy of the POA, proof of payments, and a loss summary worksheet to be completed by me, plus the adjuster's worksheet. I faxed all of that back along with the letters to the claims adjuster detailing the receipts that were attached to each one, and a copy of my check register.
This was all returned with the check endorsed by me on 8/24, along with the amended adjuster's worksheet. I explained that I was expecting a prompt reply, as I had materials that were charged to my credit card at no interest, and that if I did not pay them by 9/12, all of the deferred interest would be due and they would be paying that interest if the check were not promptly endorsed and returned. As a follow-up, I faxed everything I was mailing, just in case they "lost" it again. This time I kept the fax confirmation showing 57 pages faxed.
On 8/29 I received a message from Kim saying they had what they needed and would be requesting an inspection. I called back on 8/30 and told Jonathon that the timeline given in the message would not be adequate. Now they also wanted to deposit the check and reissue one to me when they had received the inspection report. I explained to Jonathon the importance of completing this by 9/12, as I stated before. He assured me they would try to expedite this by sending it to a manager for approval.
I also explained to Jonathon that I had not received a call from the inspector. This is where he gets his script out and states it takes 5 days to schedule an inspection, 2 days for the inspector to file the report, 2-10 days to request a draft, and then 2 days to send it to me by FedEx. I hung up on Jonathon.
On 9/3, the Saturday of Labor Day weekend, the inspector called around 6:30 PM saying he would be here in 20-30 minutes. When he came, he did not have the adjuster's worksheet that the mortgage company said he would need so he would know what to inspect. He took 2 or maybe 3 pictures. I explained to him that the kitchen floor tile was being replaced and was not completed, but that this should not be a problem, as the insurance company was not paying for that; we were. I signed a form saying that he was there, and he left. The whole process took less than 15 minutes.
Today, 9/7, I received a message from Mary Ellen saying they can only release 90% of the funds because the tile in the kitchen was not done. Now I am furious. I don't remember who I spoke to when I called back, but I told him that the tile in the kitchen had nothing to do with the claim, as I had explained to them and to the adjuster, and that the check had better be in FedEx to me tomorrow because I had to pay the credit card company by 9/12.
Out comes the script, and he tells me it will take 3-5 days to get the draft approved and released and 2 days by FedEx. I told him they could just go ahead and add in the interest of $400-something while they were at it, and hung up.
At this point, if I do not receive a check by Friday, I am ready to sue them for my lost time and the expenses incurred for the many faxes and mailings, plus the interest, plus the amount of the draft that they deposited. They can also pay me interest for the amount of time they held my money in their account. If I weren't so close to the end of my mortgage, I would refinance. It is bad enough to have to remove basically everything on the ground floor, live in a hotel for 4 months, and try to hire someone to do the repairs, which was hard because of all the freeze claims that occurred the week after my claim, all while my husband is serving in Afghanistan, so that stupid people like this can keep a job!
By the way, all of their correspondence says they will respond within 3-5 business days. They must have longer days in Ohio than everyone else in the country.
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