Greentree Greentree Financial Corporation, Greentree Servicing Ripoff St. Paul Minnesota
I was researching some comments made by others about Greentrees collection tactics. I was actually a few payments behind due to unemployment, and as soon as I got another job, I contacted Greentree to set up payments every other week (each pay day) which was automatically deducted from my account until the payments were current.
During that time the payments were set up, they changed the amount that was due, apparrently because of some taxes that they paid on the house that I did not authorize them to pay. I was told that the payments were being split into 15 equal payments, and that they had already applied one of those payments to a monthly statement that I had already made arrangements in advance to be paid. They never contacted me about this until the payment on the "extra" charge was late, then wanted paid immediately.
I received all kinds of conflicting statements after that which showed all different amounts that were due, and after 30 days of this "extra" charge being late, which I didn't know about until after it was 30 days late, I was sent a notice saying that my account was "seriously past due" and that the house that secures the loan may have action taken against it to protect their interests.
I have had this house for ten years and it has been "owned" by three or four different companies, which I found out were the same company that changed their names over the years to avoid different lawsuits about "sketchy" and improper financial reporting in order to foreclose on properties prematurely (most of them after an eight to ten year period, when they made almost 85% of the payments on interest and the principle of the loans were the same or exceeded the original loan amount).
I have gotten phone calls, after speaking with them and trying to sort out matters, up to six times in the same day. When you tell them you don't have the money today, calling you constantly that same day is not going to make you have the money that day. I have resorted to "tracing" the nuisance calls with my phone company so that they can see how many times I am being called. They are also not recording the calls, apparently, because they do not give the disclaimer about an attempt to collect a debt and the call may be recorded or monitored....Representative "Matt" and his manager "Jeanine" start the calls by saying "So, have you decided what you are going to do??"
They have sent notices the next day after setting up arrangements with them that they are going to take the house if I do not send in these "extra" past due charges immediately. They ask personal questions of my girlfriend when I am not home, like "what time did he get in last night?" and "what time does he wake up in the morning?" and "why was he up late last night?", and then when I ask them why they need to ask such personal questions, they tell me that she is lying to me (yet they ask the same things of me when I talk to them...such as "why do you keep getting different jobs?", "why can't you find a job that pays you more?", "where are you going to live when we take your house?", etc.)
When I told them that I was going to contact an attorney about the questionable billing statements and harrassment, they waited two hours then tried to have yet another person call me (after I talked with them 3 times already that day). The high pressure tactics and constant harrassment has to be illegal, and the fact that they send conflicting financial information about my account and the amounts due, then change the story when I go over the account on the phone, has got to be illegal.
These people have a long history of lawsuits and class actions, and I wish I had the chance all over again to not buy this house, because they do nothing but invade your private and personal life, lie about your account, and threaten to take what you have if you don't give in to their tactics. I wish that someone would stand up to these guys..I know that I will be.
Scotty
Small town, Pennsylvania
U.S.A.
10 Updates & Rebuttals
Kathy
Huntsville,Alabama,
United States of America
How do I contact you
#11Consumer Comment
Sun, December 06, 2009
Georgia Peach,
How do we contact each other? I need help and would like to help with this war against Greentree
Thanks,
Kathy
Laurie
Haslet,Texas,
U.S.A.
When having unresolved issues with Finance Companies
#11Consumer Comment
Fri, November 14, 2008
File complaints with the Federal Trade Commission and Office of Thrift Supervision
FTC compiles complaints and OTS works to get them resolved. You would be very surprised how quickly Finance companies respond to complaints made to the OTS.
While on the FTC website - look at Fair Credit Billing Act and Electronic Funds Transfer Act.
Georgia Peach
Soperton,Georgia,
U.S.A.
Ready for the Good Fight!
#11Consumer Suggestion
Fri, November 14, 2008
Our mortgage was bought by GreenTree, LLC about 4 years ago and it has been pure HECK ever since. I have documented most all of it beginning with the very first notification from them that they were taking our home even though we were not in default...very long story.
Our Attorneys have suggested we find several others to stand in agreement with us and file suit for the bad business and other things that GreenTree is doing.
Please contact me if you will be strong and stand with us to get this lawsuit going. The entire nation needs to put this so-called business to an end.
David
East Berlin,Pennsylvania,
U.S.A.
I am the original poster...
#11Author of original report
Wed, August 06, 2008
"Jim" in New York, who posted the response to this, is one of the "managers" that spoke with me after Jeanine...posed himself as a company lawyer on the phone. It is sad when this company actually monitors this site and puts in rebuttals, but posts as someone other than company employees (and the grammar and spelling could be better for someone with such 'sound' advice). This looks like Damage Control to me! By the way, just an update...they have since sold my house to someone else, and after trying to take me to court and not having the right information (they changed the dates on the original contracts when they submitted them, and when I filed a complaint, they couldn't produce original documents that the court would accept), they sold my "debt" to a third party who tried to collect, and when I told them of the status of the situation, they confirmed that they had no legal recourse to collect the debt, and haven't contacted me since. They knew that they also were "taken" by GreenTree. It is still a HUGE black mark on my credit, and I may never fully get out from under it. Sad thing is that they sold the house for much more than they showed on my credit documents (I stopped by and spoke to the people that bought it, only one month after I moved out). This company will one day get what they deserve....
Angel241989
Terre Haute,Indiana,
U.S.A.
It was a nightmare...
#11Consumer Comment
Thu, August 02, 2007
After dealing with GT for 5 of the longest years of my life in being in ill health at the time of foreclosure, the doctor's thought I may have had cancer at the time the foreclosure started, thankfully I did not, but I was still in no good health to take on fighting for my home and health at the same time.
Trust me, I would have fought them with all I had, but that would have only prolonged my nightmare with them. As it turned out, I am actually in a better place now, financed with a local bank who is absolutely wonderful, I can't say enough good things about them, I have been with them for years and they know me as a good paying customer.
GT still has a 'mark' in my life though. But unfortunately, now that my health is stabilizing, it is sadly too late to pursue GT for the payments they claimed I never made even though I know I did and still have the proof.
The house is sold and I am trying to move on, learning a valuable lesson in the process, even though I am now facing chapter 7 to get their 'mark' off of me. I hope that ch. 7 is it with them though.
A few on here have said that even after 5 years of being adjudicated bankrupt GT still appears on their credit report as a current loan in default. We all know that's a federal offense, but apparently it was still reported to credit reporting agencies. Again, local attorney's here only have a limited spectrum of practice and resources and have repeatedly said that it is best to just cut GT loose and file ch. 7. A sad realization but still true.
Thank you for your comments regarding my situation though. If things had been better for me at that time, I would have fought them, but I would still be arguing with them to this day then about the same things, and that's a headache I'm very thankful I don't have to live with now.
Sometimes you need a jolt in your life to realize a losing situation and just move on and 'cut your losses', I'm so glad I did, but feel sorry for everyone else on here who still has to deal with GT and their antics. I can take care of the 'mark' GT has on me at this point by ch. 7 and then it's done, still feel sorry for everyone else though, my nightmare is almost over, their's is just beginning.
Robert
Buffalo,New York,
U.S.A.
Odd..
#11Consumer Comment
Thu, August 02, 2007
Angel. Your rebuttal seems odd to me.
If what you claim is true, why wouldn't you go to the foreclosure HEARING and show the court your payment records? You could also have shown the court your written request for a payment history from GT and how theu DIDN'T provide their records to you for comparison. The court would have looked on their refusal to provide access to their records unfavorably and most likely would have ordered them to furnish you with a copy of their payment history.
I know enough about forclosures to know that you were given notice of a HEARING date - that would have been the time to show the court your records, and if your records (notes, checks, bank statements and such) didn't agree with GT's records, at the very least the court would have issued a continuance (post-poned the foreclosure) to allow you time to determine why there was a dispartiy between your records and GT's and work out some type of resolution other than foreclosure.
Most lenders do not want to reposses or forclose on property (collateral) securing the loan if they believe they will get the money.
Angel241989
Terre Haute,Indiana,
U.S.A.
Let me guess...
#11Consumer Suggestion
Thu, August 02, 2007
To the poster before me, have you EVER dealt with this 'company' before? If not, then don't judge until you have! Also, please, please, please use spell check or a dictionary before posting anymore judgmental non-sincere comments. If you have never done business with this 'company' or fallen on hard times then you would not understand the situation here. If this person seems like they are 'falsifying' their complaint to you, then feel free to check the other 207 complaints about GreenTree or the additional 190 complaints on here under Green Tree!
They are BOTH the same company in this case, neither have been previously sold, except recently when Cerberus purchased them about 2 weeks or so ago, some people just have spelled the name differently. It really has no relevance who owns or who bought or even who sold this 'company' the fact remains that they still have bad business practices and need to be stopped. As far as spending money on attorney's instead of the mortgage payment, that's really no one's business except the individual, I guess maybe they should quit spending their money to buy food or medicine for their kids too so they can pay the mortgage, this was an actual comment made by one of GT's reps to another individual on here, they were also told to get better jobs also, I could go on and on but will let you take your time to read them if you so choose. EVERYONE will have a hardship at some time in their life, it's part of human nature.
GreenTree is only out for themselves, no one else. They are more than willing and eager to take their house back, even if at a loss. If they DIDN'T want the house back then they would have better business practices as well as better educated and better mannered representatives working for them also. But the fact remains that even someone who works for GreenTree, not myself mind you, gave the advice on another complaint to NEVER finance with GreenTree again! That speaks volumes of the company right there when their own employee gives that advice out freely.
I have been in this person's situation. I made my payments to them and kept them current until they started sending me letters saying I was behind and refused to send me a statement of my payment history so that I could reconcile the records and see where the discrepency was and get it resolved. To this day I feel that my account was never in default, but for my own health and sanity, the harassment was pure hell from them, I let my house go into foreclosure. The last 3 or 4 payments were the only ones I was behind on. Attorneys do NOT want to handle litigation with GT because they say GT will draw it out forever, they only recommend Chapter 7, therefore attorneys are no help.
I am telling EVERYONE who has ever dealt with GT to call, write, and email all your state and local elected officials, as well as the Attorney General of your state and the United States Attorney General, and the Federal Trade Commission. I am doing this also. They took my house and sold it for $19,000 when my loan was for $53,000 and then sent me a bill for $34,000 and put a lien on my mother's house, which unfortunately carries my name on the deed, for $50,000. No one knows which amount is correct for me to file bankruptcy on, which is my only alternative now.
Also when contacting everyone mentioned above, be sure to give them this web site and the different spelling that the company is under, GreenTree and Green Tree so that they can do their own research and see that the complaints are real and numerous. Good luck to everyone out there.
Jim
New York,New York,
U.S.A.
Please make educated complaints people
#11Consumer Comment
Fri, May 25, 2007
Ok let me begin with your tax situation. Please read the deed of trust you signed pacing a mortgage on this home. It clearly states if you do not pay your own property taxes, the lender WILL pay then before YOU lose your home. This protects the lender from losing the collateral securing the money they lent you. Please be advised you DID authorize the taxes to be paid and remember when you got the loan you PROMISED to keep the taxes up to date.
Next, you claim to have all kinfd of different "extra" charges on your statements. Well, delinquant taxes, late fees, delinquent payments. Doesnt sound like the lender's fault to me. Pay your bills BY THE DUE DATE and there will be no extra fees.
Next this company was sold 2 times. 3 separate companies with 3 separate owners. Unless you were privy to the decisions being made, maybe need to stop accusing a company of investing/selling interest for a reason you do NOT KNOW.
Finally the only must disclose they are a debt collector in PA if they purchased your loan after it defaulted, which they did NOT. PLEASE PLEASE people, get your facts straight before mindlessly spouting off here. I know you are frusrated if your bills are behid and you are charged extra (although legitimate fees or interest) but cant blame the bank for your not making payment.
As a side note to the posters who may read this that claim a bank would rather have the collateral back vs the money...THEY DO NOT. No finance company is in the business of taking back property and selling it for a LOSS. They need to take it back if you dont hold up your end of the contract to PROTECT the collateral.
Thank you for reading and dont waste your money taking frivelous issues to attorneys. Use they money to pay your bills on time.
Linda
Ovid,Michigan,
U.S.A.
possible help but will take time
#11Consumer Suggestion
Fri, March 02, 2007
contact the Federal trade comission and also contact an organization called Acorn. Greentree was bought out by conseco who already has been in federal courts for this type of stuff. Acorn has had them there in federal courts if i remember early part of 2000 we need to keep fighting and i am trying to find a lawyer that deals with this
Pamela
Jacksonville,Florida,
U.S.A.
I lost my home to these blood sucking harrasing liars
#11Consumer Suggestion
Thu, March 01, 2007
My story is the one in Jacksonville Fl and i have tried to get others to help me to start a class action lawsuit against them. I have suffered allot since i lost my home, mentally and physically. I am ready to take these people out, anyone ready to follow me? They will only get worse and will never stop until they are Legally stopped! Please respond back to this as we are not allowed to give our emails out. Thanks and good luck, PF In Jville Fl