I have owned my own home since 1988 and never missed a payment. I have asthma and a sensitivity to perfumes and chemicals and other toxins. In 2003, my then employer ignored my needs. As a result, I breathed in some toxins sprayed at work. I could not breathe and catch my breath. I was left writhing in pain on the floor for 45 minutes in front of a room full of people before an ambulance was called. By the time I got to the hospital, my stomach had perforated resulting in emergency surgery and a $15,000 bill, which the employer or its insurance company refused to pay. I also lost my job for reporting the situation and tried to obtain worker's compensation to cover the income losses and get help with the bills. As a result of the outstanding hospital bills, I could not get treatment to be able to heal from my surgery properly. My former employee threatened me for reporting them.
I was deep in debt from the medical bills and credit card debt. At the same time, I became fodder for identity theft. While I was on pain killers. A telemarketer from a software company, Smart Certify billed me for $3,000 for a web design course I did not authorize on an MBNA credit card. Smart Certify and MBNA would not remove the debt and it went on my credit report. Before the surgery, my FICO score was 710.
To avoid bankruptcy, I attended a seminar with others in Cedar Rapids, sponsored by Financial Rescue Services and the National Consumer Council for debt settlement. My debts were settled for pennies on the dollar. I filed for financial assistance for payment of the hospital bills. I was told the application was approved and the debt was cleared. Yet, the 3 credit reports (Experian, TransUnion and Equifax) and still are reporting the medical as collection accounts, when they are not and the MBNA does not have the fraud disclaimer I requested. I was trying to heal from my surgery and the terminal illness of my mother from colon cancer.
Household Finance was paid off as part of the settlement, yet I am still hounded and harassed by collectors. My home mortgage was refinanced to clear off the debt by Financial Rescue Services. My mortgage loan was sold in 2005. I was living on income from bonds I had inherited. An ex-friend, which a substance abuse problem broke into my home and stole the bonds. Even though he couldn't cash the bonds, it took 2 months to replace them. I was never notified that they were taking over my loan.
At the same time, my youngest brother was injured in a fall down some stairs, sustaining a serious brain injury. I explained the situation to Homeq Servicing Corporation, the company who took over my loan. They seemed to understand, yet many things happened. They took advantage of my situation and that's when the hassle began.
Thanks to Homeq:
1. They canceled my home owner's insurance (which I had had since 1988) for $500/year and replaced it with a policy for $989/year and told me I couldn't have other insurance. (this is a practice called “forced insurance.
2. My payments were increased from $500 to $800/mo which violates my mortgage, without legal notification.
3. Payments have not been applied even though I have shown proof of payment of checks cleared through my bank. So I am being told I am behind and in breach, when I am not. It is now on my credit report and I have been accessed late fees. They have destroyed my credit by reporting late payments, which have been made.
4. Still continue to charge me for an escrow account, when my interest and taxes are included in my mortgage payments, according to my mortgage deed.
5. I have been called a deadbeat and profane names by collectors even at 10:00 pm as well as “f—ing sh*t” and that because I am a low-life deadbeat, I do not deserve to be treated fairly and that they can do as they please and there's nothing I can do about the situation. I even sent Homeq a cease and desist letter and they still call.
6. An "attorney" called telling me that if I didn't make payment and if I reported them to anyone-I wouldn't have my home and job and I needed to pay in full by July 1st or face foreclosure. He wasn't an attorney but posing as one, which is illegal.
In my research on predatory lending, I learned that my current mortgage which was financed by Financial Rescue Services through their bank, First Financial Bank NLC in California contains illegal items:
1. The HUD settlement statement has illegal fees charged by the bank they cannot charge.
2. I was promised a fixed rate but got an adjustable rate mortgage.
3. My truth in lending and good faith estimates have 2 different rates, which is illegal.
4. My interest and taxes were financed as part of the loan and yet appear not to be part of the loan, which is illegal.
5. Did the loan you got at closing turn out to be very different from what you were promised? Is the rate much higher than the lender led you to expect? Did you think you were getting a fixed rate loan, and end up with a variable rate loan which can only go up from where it started? Were large fees financed into the loan? Were you looking for lower payments only to find that you now have to pay your taxes and insurance on your own, outside of the loan? Yes
I learned that in 2004, Financial Rescue Services and the National Consumer Council were shut down by the FTC for fraud and failure of full disclosure. (Court Closes National Consumer Council )
Because I don't have the money, I cannot obtain adequate legal representation. The Iowa Attorney General has referred my case to the Office of the US Currency, who are slow to act even after 2 referrals by the Attorney General's office. People are losing their homes because of this fraud and I don't want to lose mine. I have home repairs that need to be made (leaky faucets and gutter cleaning to clear out trees that have grown) and haven't the money to do so. The stress has been ungodly because of the harassment and red tape. My loan is owned by Wells Fargo who is known for predatory lending practices (Links and Information. )
I am asking for help in stopping the practices by Homeq and that my credit report is cleared of all negative information, restoring my FICO score and the negation of my mortgage and being paid in full due to fraud. Just because I am lower-income, does not mean I am beneath anyone and deserve to be treated fairly.
Cynthia J Koehler
1119B Avenue NW
CedarRapids, Iowa 52405
Phone:(319)-364-0385 Cell Phone: (319) 431-7524
Email:
[email protected]
