Wells Fargo review: home modification ( 7 comments)

I am currently experincing issues wtih Wells Fargo. I was experiencing issues with Wachovia after filing my Modifification oan in July of 2009 ( my loan was transfered October 2009 to Wells Fargo) after I applied for home modification). Now my issues are with Wells Fargo. I check once a week to reviewed my Home Affordability status online or by phone. I called the listed number and spoke with and operator. She said that my application for a workout agreement was denied because of failure to provide my financial data in the necessary format per the worksheet that I was sent on 2009. This statement is in error in several ways:
1. I was not sent a worksheet 2009. I had pro-actively contacted Wachovia and now dealing with Wells Fargo since October, 2009. Information obtained by telephone communication and online I submitted all information that I needed to submit: Proof of income for the last 30 days, a hardship letter explaining the situation, and a monthly expense report.
2. I faxed the above documents to Wells Fargo Home Modification Program.
3. Once again I contacted Wells Fargo by telephone. I gave a consolidated list of my monthly expenses.
4. I still have not been approved and Wells Fargo have yet to move forward with my application.
I've been been getting the run around for five months now and nothing has been resolved.

Contact branden.townsend@wellsfargo.com and he can help you

neutral

I have been working with Wells Fargo since about July 2009 to get a Home Loan Modification, as outlined in the federal program (www.makinghomesaffordable.gov). I finally received my paperwork this week, and it is as if they "rewrote" the modification the way THEY WANTED TO, not following the federal guidelines, which are clearly written in a 17-page memo to lenders.

Also, they did not offer me the $1000 per year "incentive" that i am eligible for, for up to 5 years, if I enter into the agreement and make my payments on time. This helps "pay down" part of your principal... they totally ignored that ... probably since the guidelines (to lenders), states, "borrowers are eligible for (the $1000 a year incentive) ..." instead of saying "(Lenders), you MUST include this in your loan modification agreement."

Here is what has happened with my loan modification, so right now I am wondering whether to sign or not to sign... and they gave me only 10 days to sign and return... while it took them almost 8 months to get my loan modification through a trial period. !
But here is what happened with my modification:
my mortgage should have been reduced by about $250 - $280 ... but was only reduced by about $98! Borrowers are supposed to bring your payment down to 31% of your Gross Income, and are supposed to reduce your interest rate (as a first step in something the Gov.'t calls the "Waterfall Procedures", which are specific steps Lenders are to take to reduce the mortgage so the CORRECT AMOUNT OF modification agreement can be determined... This is NOT what was offered in my case.

I have been trying to get my home loan modification with them for about 6-7 months... I did EVERYTHING THEY ASKED, sent all forms, resent forms, resent proof of income, the signed affidavit. about 4 months ago, they sent the amount of my trial payments, which was encouraging because the payment dropped from about $1250 (which I can no longer afford, due to a sharp decrease in my income.; my payment for the trial period was reduced to about $980.

I also want to note that i did not have a sub-prime mortgage, that i have always been current on the mortgage, and that my home in Austin TX is worth about what I owe on it. Also, I do pay Private mortgage insurance (PMI), and I'm reading from many with problems, that some banks are not working with them... preferring their home to go into foreclosure, since the home has PMI.

The "making home affordable" gov. website calculators show that I'm eligible, and that $980 (trial payment) was actually somewhat more than the 31% of my income. I thought i was "good to go..." and made every trial payment.
Now... this week, i get a letter from Wells Fargo that offers me something they call a "Home Affordable Modification Agreement", and they only gave me until 3/23/10 (less than 10 days), to sign and return it to them. THE TERMS ARE NOT AS outlined on the Gov't site at ALL! To reduce my mortgage, they offer to EXTEND THE TERM OF THE MORTGAGE, and only to lower the interest rate by about one-half percent. This is NOT how the Gov't site said as to mortgages being modified. My total monthly payment only went down $98, if I sign this, and again... this payment is MUCH more than the approx. $960 that my loan modification should be (according to the calculator on the fedeeral "making homes affordable.gov" site and other federal web sites.). Do they think we don't read or multiply ? Also... they didn't make my escrow payment with my trial payments, and so they informed me i now owe escrow of $1876 ! (this is something the government guidelines to lenders ALSO tells lenders, that they MUST make the escrow, if the funds are there ... which mine were, as part of my $980 trial period payment.!

They did write in something they call a "borrower incentive" that if i make payments on time, i will "accrue " a "benefit" equal to $54.58, which is 1/2 of the reduction in the monthly mortgage payment. There is nothing that i can find about this being in the government program -- it reads that with a home modification you no longer have to pay the PMI. (because the government is in effect insuring your mortgage, at least that is my understanding of why you no longer have to pay PMI).
I feel WFargo has "rewritten" that program benefit more to THEIR benefit, in their legal terms ... saying, "if your modified mortgage loan ever becomes 90 days delinquent, you will lose all accrued but unapplied principal reduction benefits (the $54.58)... and will no longer be eligible to accrue additional principal reduction benefits..." THAT is NOT in the government guidelines at all.

I don't know what i am going to do at this point, because it seems as if WFargo is really trying to screw me. That is not a word I ever use, but it fits with this situation. In my opinion, they are purposefully ignoring the government guidelines on how the FEDERAL home loan modification program was written, and have written their terms... much more favorable to them.

LSB / Austin TX

I am completely stressed out with Wells Fargo. They just keep asking me to fax the same documents over and over again. Who monitors their actions? I spoke to one of their operators today and she was so rude to me.

I too have been dealing with them for 10 months on the Home Modification program and they keep saying you need to send in the info every 3o days, but they never make decisions, but now starting the foreclosure process. I don't even know what to do as I find this very illegal on their part, but they have more money to fight this than i do. They should be checked on by the federal government.

I started a loan modification with Wells July 2010- sent everything they requested- several times- went through 6 processors during this time- with feed back from the processors everything was in order- i was 4.8 months behind for several reasons- death of my husband and layoffs etc- all of a sudden my automatic payments were stopped and i get a notice of foreclosure- so i called them immediately and my processor knew nothing about it and suddenly became a ill tempered person- i was transferred to several people with no help- sale date of my home was Feb 1, 2011- i filed for bankruptcy two days ago to save my home where my husband is buried- all i can say is if anyone reads this Wells fargo has no intent to modify- and their reason for the long process is that they are to busy! Would any one take that reason as a good reason- and the thing is is that I am employed there! So if i cant get good service who can!