Complaint Review: Countrywide Home Loans

Today's AM phone call to Countrywide is the latest installment in over 8 years of horror having a mortgage with COUNTRYWIDE HOME LOANS. Every report I've read here rings true: Lying/deceptive "Customer Service" people (supervisors are even better at it); fraudulent fees based on fraudulent claims that payments or required paperwork were never received; multiple forclosure attempts resulting in mysteriously multiplying fees resulting in more forclosure etc...

My experience today involves trying to get my escrow balance refund check--a minor issue compared to some, but only after years of almost losing my mind and home to Countrywide. They are using the same tactics to delay my refund that they do when they are collecting/forclosing on you/us: they never received the paperwork they requested (I mailed it over a month ago), although a customer service person 1 week ago told me it had been received and he would "make sure the check was cut and sent overnight."

When I asked the supervisor to speak with that person, I was told, "he's not answering his phone." When I asked to speak with the Payoff Department (to whom the paperwork was sent), she (Angela Spiekermann, supervisor) said, after putting me on hold to speak with said department, "No one can talk to the Payoff Department..even I can't talk to them." You just said you talked to them. I talked to someone who does business with them. etc. But it gets worse: at one point she said that she would record in my file that I was refusing to send the requested paperwork and that the file reads that I "demanded" that a check be sent overnight. It goes on from there, but the

BIG ISSUE: I was pushing forclosure (not the first time) because they kept deducting late and misc. fees from my payments making me behind. Most recently: Jan, 2004, I made a large payment making up behind payments plus late fees, only to find out (yes, they send them back) that I was still a month behind because my escrow had changed by $4.19 and since I wasn't sending the total amount I had been late since JUNE! Checking my statements, I can't see anywhere that my escrow amount changed. And so on.....

I have more examples. Also, to Vicky in Silverdale WA and other locals. COUNTRYWIDE AND FULL SPECTRUM LENDING (same thing) are marketing heavily here. Do not use this company for your home or other loan needs.


Cindy
Poulsbo, Washington
U.S.A.