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COUNTRYWIDE HOME LOAN SUCKS!!

All of the following stories I have received from people who have had similar trouble with Countrywide Home Loan or, in some cases have helped to avoid trouble...or in some cases actually like Countrywide...

*MUST SEE ARTICLE*: Countrywide sweatshop article http://www.gdblegal.com/news/news_countrywide.php

 

File your complaint for JUSTICE:

bulletwww.bigclassaction.com   
bulletwww.schneiderwallace.com    
bulletwww.myclassactionlawsuit.com
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*NUMBERS TO CONTACT REPS IN CALIFORNIA:

Attorney General - (800) 952-5225
 

Dept. of Corp (which oversees Countrywide) 

(800) 347-6995

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Department of Justice Email

To Complain - mail to: Jwolhar@ncdoj.com

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To write the Justice Coalition Email: www.justicecoalitionbarrencounty.com

 

NOTE: 

JD POWERS & ASSOCIATES is not to be trusted. Complaints about missing payments have NEVER been investigated.

 

- A concerned citizen writes... Hi, great website. I'm glad to see people are taking more proactive stances. I have two sets of issues with CHL. Firstly, I have sold my home of which there should be one mortgage of record and come to find that there are 3 mortgages of record. The other 2 (surprise) are CHL mortgages which were paid off 1.5 years ago. I thought that I had taken care of this a year ago but, as usual CHL protocol would show, not a single person got up off of their ass to get the job done. I'm now locked in that CHL hell that I read so much about. Secondly, CHL pads their fees. I speak from experience. The cost of my appraisal was $350.00 from CHL, the actual cost of the appraisal was $225.00. That is only one closing and one fee. I owned and operated a Title Agency and performed many closings for countrywide. Every customer was ripped off in one way or another by the padding of fees. This company should receive cease & desist orders and pay back all of their monies owed to each and every individual. Problem being they have ripped off enough money to make their pockets deep enough to persuade lawmakers take a back seat and set aside any class action suits. Even HUD seems to stay away from all of this fraudulent padding of fees. In any case the best idea is to avoid CHL like the plague. Word of mouth is a powerful marketing tool. I only hope that someday I have an opportunity to audit this rip-off company and get them out of our backyard. HUD needs to take a good look at CHL files and so does respa. Let's get these freaks out of our life.

- A former employees story... I just wanted to tell you my story...first I'd like to state COUNTRYWIDE SUCKS!!

I was a former employee, and they fired me because of a personal email that I had sent to another friend of mine that worked there.  YET, most all of the employee's are smoking marijuana, and doing drug deals within the building.  The employee's have no interest in their work, and do not care
about the customers because they are either stoned, or to concerned with their own business to care about the needs of the customers.  DO NOT work for countrywide, it is a bunch of bullshit there, and DO NOT get a home loan or any type of loan through this corporation as they will not take care of you the way that CHASE or WASHINGTON MUTUAL will.  I worked in the Human Resources Recruiting department, and let me tell you that everyone in that particular department does not care who they recruit to the company as long as they make their monthly commission.  WHY would you want a company like this handling your "American Dream."

AGAIN COUNTRYWIDE IS A HORRIBLE COMPANY, not only because they do not know
how to handle mortgages but because the employees there are only interested in making money for themselves.
 

- A mortgage broker writes...

I’ve owned a mortgage company for 9 years and Countrywide is the worst I have worked with.  Regardless of all the business I sent them, they were dishonest with meThey always tried to short my checks, and keep more money for themselves.  Every quarter I had to call for my quarterly bonus check for the loans I closed in the past, and bug them for months, until I finally gave up and haven’t received a check in years.   They treat me bad and have an “invincible” approach to business. They do not seem to care of be concerned with how they treat people from my experience. 

They were very arrogant and unprofessional and they are 1 of only 2 lenders I will not ever work with.. The other is Washington Mutual – another too big to tie it’s shoes company.   Both of these have poor attitudes and poor service.

- kelleyludwig@sbcglobal.net writes...

Let me first begin by saying that my former husband and I used Countrywide for our home loan. It was a VA loan and NOT our choice to use them but the real estate ladies...  after several years of having never missed or been late on a payment.. my husband and I divorced.. until the divorce was final he was living in the house and I was depositing the money for him to make payment.. needless to say I later found out that he had not.. I contacted Countrywide and explained the situation to they and tried to find out how may payment he has missed...only 4 payments.. I understand that may sound like a lot but over the course of a 30 year note...not to bad... I wanted them to either add to then end of the note and let me start from current or offer me some other alternative to get caught up... After several rude phone calls from countrywide I was told my countrywide all that was left was for me to file chapter 13 in hopes of saving my home...(I had no other outstanding credit...only a car loan and vet bill) they even told me the name of an attorney.. I met with him & he convinced me to file the chapter 13... My attorney ( and I use that term loosely) never explained or even bothered to show up for the court hearing... as it turned out Countrywide didn't even make a claim on the back payments...so basically they had me file chapter 13,,,, ruin my credit for 7 years... and continue of make payments to the courts and my attorney for the next seven years.. all for what finally totaled to a debt of under $1,000 dollars... gee do you think that countrywide has something on the side with that attorney..,.  kind of makes you think doesn't it.....

*- A watchful consumer submits a must read article... (MUST SEE)

I found an interesting class action lawsuit.
Check this web site address out.

- A Lawyer writes in...

I am an attorney practicing in Birmingham, Alabama, and would be very interested in speaking with anyone who has a complaint about Countrywide from Alabama.
 
Do you know of anyone who may fall in that category?
 
After I speak with any from Alabama, I may also wish to speak with others outside the state, but first I'd like to speak with Alabama residents.
 
Nice website.  I'm sorry for your story.
 
Darrell L. Cartwright, Esq.
Cartwright Law Corporation
4000 Eagle Point Corporate Drive - Suite 100
Birmingham, AL  35242
Phone: 205-969-5900
Fax: 205-314-5799
email: dcartwright@lawyermail.com
 

- Legal Council Writes... I am consumer class action lawyer and have pending class case against
Countrywide for customer in Oregon who was charged for PMI insurance even though no PMI payment was disclosed on her truth in lending statement at closing.  Countrywide is refusing access to their files to get information about others who might have had this problem.  Could you forward my e mail hbp113@aol.com to anyone who has complained about this or alternatively
please post this announcement:

"Anyone wishing to discuss a class action against Countrywide, please contact:

Consumer attorney Howard B. Prossnitz

 200 West Madison, Ste 2040,  Chicago, IL 60606

hbp113@aol.com

   webpage:  www.prossnitzlaw.com 
No charge for inquiry.  All fees are contingent on success.  This is legal
advertisement."
 

- A grateful consumer writes... Thank you for your site on Countrywide.  I have been considering a home loan and had e-mailed them.  I will not be returning their call now.  I know it's
not much consolation after all you and so many have been through, but after
seeing your site, I sure won't be getting my loan through Countrywide! Thanks again.

- A former customer writes... I wrote to you several months ago, and I thought I would send you an update.

I decided to take a different approach to dealing with these idiots.  Since my credit has been ruined by them to such a point that refinancing is out of the question, I have resorted to selling my house.  However, I decided that if I am going out, I was going out with a bang!

As I read your site, I see that several fellow victims suffer from the harassing phone calls from Countrywide.  There is a way to make them stop (takes some time but can prove to be quite worthwhile).

According the the Federal Fair Debts Collection Act, you can request (in writing and SEND IT CERTIFIED MAIL WITH A RETURN RECEIPT!!!!) that a lender no longer contact you.  This means that they may no longer call and the only time that they may contact you is either at your request, or if they plan to take legal action against you.

Now, the important thing to know is that Countrywide will continue to call.  It is imperative that you log EACH call.  Under this Federal law, you can sue Countrywide for damages ($1,000 per occurrence) plus court costs and legal fees.  I currently have 35 violations and have just received a very apologetic letter from the chief counsel for Countrywide who has acknowledged that they are in the wrong.

Be persist and log each call and letter they send.  Lets all put a stop to this company.  Just think, if everyone skipped just ONE payment... Countrywide would financially hemorrhage  =)

I will keep you posted with the progress on this case.  If there are any attorneys that can help organize a larger scale law suit in regards to this harassment, please post something on this site!

- A disgusted customer writes...

Unfortunately we are current customers and I absolutely would not recommend them to anyone. As a matter of fact we are selling some of our properties just to get rid of them.
 
Could I ever tell you some stories since 1997. We have six rental homes which were purchased between 1997 & 1998. We received notices that Countrywide Home loans would be the new company to pay the mortgages to. Of course their customer service, loan contacts and all else will tell you they only service the loans for other investors! RIGHT!
 
That's because no one seems to know anything about anything. Not one department can help you when you call because they shift you around and around and around until you get tired of telling your story and finally hang up.
 
The most recent episode was on a piece of property which we own and was in regards to Mortgage insurance on the home. We have a commercial policy which insures all of our homes under one umbrella which we have had from day one. The insurance is paid out of escrow each year and countrywide gets a copy of the binder. Most of these renew each year around April and was paid out of escrow at that time. In October of same year Countrywide claimed we had no insurance on the property and took the liberty to place a policy on the property in the amount of $1300.00. No one even tried to contact us nor did they send any notice regarding the issue. They also did not look up the previous records or they would have known insurance existed. Wow were we upset since our regular policy costs only $474.00.
 
When the statement came I immediately noticed a large debit on the escrow account which was for an insurance premium and the mortgage payment had been increased by $265 per month to pay for it. Above the item back in April showed the original amount also paid out of escrow. The phone calls from me to them started, involving calls and faxes from our insurance carrier and us. Of course to no avail and after a couple of months we had a conference call between all parties to get this straightened out. We refused to pay the additional escrow increase since this was their error maintaining the regular payment each month. We finally got the escrow straightened out after about 6 months and a credit back to escrow.
 
Now guess what has been happening all this time we were trying to get this straightened out? Our payments were being applied but they claim we were paying short and charged us late fees. We have been transferred from customer service (because escrow department messed it up) to escrow department (it's customer service's responsibility to fix it) back and forth for almost a year.
 
Finally I found one lone person whom works in a completely different department and environment and took the time to go to customer service with our papers in hand to fix this problem. All we wanted was our statements to reflect our real payment amount and quit charging us late charges. This was finally accomplished when we were almost in foreclosure and we ask for the name and address they would like our attorney to send the papers to regarding a law suit. Of course then they tried to tell this one young man whom so eagerly helped us that they were using temporary staff and they didn't know what they were doing. They have not reversed any late charges but our payment is back to normal. We have not complained because we know that will be just something else for them to screw up again. Enough is enough and we are very tired from this past years efforts which should have never happened to begin with.
 
Thanks for letting me share my story and I hope others will watch their statements. They must be prepared to put forth a lot of effort to getting it resolved, all because Countrywide does not have properly trained staff and rely on temporary employees without proper training to handle our money, payment schedules, escrow and insurance decisions.

- A customer writes good advice... like everyone else, i have had my share of problems with countrywide up to the point where they either brought my loan was sold my loan by aegis mortgage company. after going thru foreclosure and possible eviction from my home, i finally contacted the Department of Banking and Financial Institutions  (DBFI) in the city where i live.  Since i did this, an investigation is being conducted because of forgery, fraud and other allegations i was able to surface just by looking thru the papers involved with my foreclosure. PLEASE POST this as soon as possible so everyone can go thru their papers. if they notice anything that looks unusual, i recommend they contact the DBFI in their area ASAP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

- More advice written in...

If your loan did not close on time read this.
    This might seem like small potatoes compared to some of the horror stories I've been hearing about but it may add some fuel to the fire.
      Countrywide's website www.countrywide.com has a link at the bottom of their home page called "Service Guarantees."   I have been trying to collect $250 from them under the "Fast Closing Guarantee" and have been getting the MAJOR RUN AROUND. This guarantee basically states that if a borrower needs more than 10 days to complete their purchase transaction, they guarantee to close on your requested date (Pick-A-Day Close) or they will credit $250.00 to your closing costs. Well, the person who was working on my loan went on leave for three weeks and needless to say our loan did not close on time. All my required documents had been provided to Countrywide and I almost lost the house because of their closing delays. It was about 2 months from the start of the loan until it finally closed!
     I feel that as long as Countrywide is advertising these "guarantee's" on their website they should be held accountable when they do not meet one of them.  I'm sure there are a lot of other customers who's loans did not close on time because of Countrywide's poor (slow) handling of  the paperwork and I feel that we should all try to get the $250 credit they advertise. It could add a lot of customers to a possible class-action lawsuit under a "false advertising" claim if we could them together. I am considering talking to a lawyer and was wondering if anyone has any experience with this type of problem. Also, if anyone else feels that their loan was poorly handled and did not close on time through no fault of their own, look into this guarantee and I'd like to hear about it.  rtremmel@adelphia.net

- A screwed consumer writes...

My husband and I assumed a loan from some friends that moved out of state 6 years ago. In 2000 we had some financial difficulties and filed bankruptcy. At this time Countrywide was not involved. In Dec. of 2000 my husband passed away unexpectantly. In 2001 Countrywide bought my loan and my hell began. I paid of my bankruptcy Dec. 2002 as soon as I did this I started getting notices from Countrywide that I was late or missed payments. I requested a copy of payment history since they bought my account and it showed not one payment missed, I asked them to show me where they came up with a missed payment when I have made them all and have documents to prove it. Late fees are still piling up and now they say I am in default. I have never missed nor have I been late with a payment since they took over. I get phone calls daily and employees I do talk with are rude and untrained in their field. I asked for the owner or president of the company and nobody seems to want to share that info. I am going to try to turn this over to my attorney to see if he can resolve this. I would love to find out about a class action  that I can join in. NOBODY should be harassed by this company. I would not recommend this company to my worst enemy !

- A ripped off customer writes... I am so glad I came across this site....last year (August of 2002), we received a foreclosure notice from the sheriffs department.  At this time we were actually 30 days behind on our payments.  We contacted Countrywide and requested a statement showing the last 6 months payments.  We were sent a statement that was impossible to read or understand.  At this point I contacted my bank and requested copies of all checks sent to Countrywide....upon receipt of these checks and checking the endorsements on the back, I found that 4 of the 6 were credited to an account number that was not ours.  I called Countrywide and they assured me that these errors were corrected and we were still 5 months behind...after $1,400 in lawyer fees, the matter was resolved, and I was able to keep my home from being sold at auction.  Since that time I have not received a monthly statement....I have called on at least 65 different occasions requesting either a monthly statement or a payment book.  They will not issue a payment book because they change our payments monthly (we have a locked interest rate, so I don't understand this).....Just 2 weeks ago I received a "letter with the intent to foreclose", again I called and I was informed that my account was never taken out of foreclosure (over a year after the matter was resolved...me $1,000 poorer from lawyers and them not recording any of my payments".  I thought I would do a CYI and sent in 3 payments (2 more than I owed) overnight...with a receipt confirmation ....I received a phone call today from them informing me that I never maid a payment.  I have the delivery confirmation which includes date and time payment was received...the account rep still accused me of not sending payment.  I don't know where to go from here.  How much can this company screw people until they get called on it.   

On a "funny" note....we have friends that recently purchased a property (5 months ago). They had the bad luck of getting Countrywide....He just received a notice that his property is being sent to collections and foreclosure is an option...they indicated that he was over 6 months behind....he hasn't owned the property that long......explain this one.    These people should be held accountable for their fraudulent business practices!

- An unhappy customer writes... I am writing to you in regard to a home loan we are currently trying to resolve issues on. Let me begin with how we found out there was  a problem. We received a notice from the VA with a foreclosure notice. I can't tell you how much of a surprise it was when we had never missed a payment. We received the notice on a Saturday afternoon so there was no way to contact anyone at that time. On Monday at the first opportunity my husband contacted the VA  to find out what had happened. He was told that the mortgage company had  stated they had not received a payment since May of 2002. That was in August 2002.  He was also advised he needed to contact the mortgage company to resolve the issue. When he was able to speak with someone at Countrywide he was told that the loan was in default. Since that time they have been able to find and apply two of our payments that we sent in on time. All of a sudden it's down to two payments they can not locate. We were than asked to fax copies of these two missing payments (money orders) to the above mentioned company. It was faxed on August 27, 2002 at 6:27 PM.  From that time to present we have had several conversation with different personnel at the company and they have all agreed that they are at fault. That is until the documents went to the research department. Since that time we have been made to feel as if we have done something wrong. When all we have done is make our payments. Now we have repeatedly tried by mail, email, and fax to make sure that they are provided with everything they have asked for. Our phone calls are not returned and any information on the problem is that is  directed to us is demanding more money. Such as a letter we received October 5, 2002. stating our house payment was received on 9/26/02 and the next payment  was due on 10/01/02.  This is just one of the absurd things going on. My husband spoke to the representative for research Maudie Empy and she advised us to send the money orders in for a refund and when they came in to resend them to Countrywide. We  did this and the very next week we got a letter from her asking to have copies of the front and back  sent to her. We retained copies on the front only and could not do this.  I wrote to her via postal service and explained the situation with copies of the front. The following week we got another letter asking the same thing and stating they had not heard anything from us and we needed to respond. I do not know what happens to the correspondence and or payments once they arrive in the company but the inept handling of our account is a frightening prospect. One more thing I forgot to mention is when this all started the mortgage company said they had tried to contact us on the situation but could not locate us. We have a mortgage with a company and they do not have the address to where we moved? Isn't there something wrong with that. All of our previous mail went to a P.O. Box which we have retained  for years until this past month. Is this  just another excuse? I am seeking assistance of any kind you can provide. We can not refinance because they have our credit so messed up no one would consider it. 

- An unhappy employee writes...

I am not alone after all!! I was hired by Countrywide in July of 2002 as an assistant to a very high producing loan officer. This person was absolutely horrible to me and I was 7-8 months pregnant at the time. I was harassed daily, made to feel guilty about not working inhumane hours; including weekends, endured harsh racial comments from her, and was not given fair compensation after making this person tons of money. I would go to management and they would do nothing. After all, they were only looking at the profit they made from her 150 million dollar a year production. She virtually mistreated everyone, including her superiors. They would just turn the other cheek. After not being able to take the torture any more, I asked to not work with her anymore and went on maternity leave. While gone, I was not paid the Bonus I earned because of a stupid and convoluted policy they had in place about not being eligible for a bonus after your last day of employment before a leave of absence. This policy is designed to cheat hard working people out of their money. I was promised employment when I returned after having the baby, they just didn't know what I would be doing. The time approached for me to return and they still had no idea where to place me. I called regularly to see what was available and they would respond by saying "Just show up." My base pay with the high producing "nut case" was 24k. I needed a little more clarity. I have 7 years of experience in the mortgage industry and had asked if I could be placed in a Lead Operations or underwriting position and was told that there was nothing available. Reluctantly, I reported for work to find that our new Ops manager and a friend she brought to Countrywide with her, had her less experienced, air head friend, being groomed for the position I had specifically asked for. One rule of thumb is that you don't get to work at Countrywide unless you know someone and there is tons of favoritism going on.  I then chose to work on the sales side of the business after that for an even bigger, more controlling, and more incompetent ASS ( I later found out). She prided herself on micromanagement. Meanwhile while myself and my counterpart worked inordinate amounts of time to produce loans she was shopping on the internet, having the "loot" from fine dept. stores delivered to the office, leaving for pedicures and would come back with the toe separators still in place, buying new cars and come back to waive the title in our faces to show that she paid CASH for a BMW. She had also made us put her name on our loans so she wouldn't have to explain anything to corporate. "Just trust me on this one" , she confidently mentioned. I later asked for a promotion and to transfer to a new, swanky, office Countrywide opened on the upscale side of town and was told NO! Two months later a girl who had kissed her butt long enough and continued to work like a slave was given the exact same position I asked for to make in excess of 100k per year. By the way, she only had 8 months in the business at that time. I had 6.5 years!!!! Subsequently, when I would not mail her expense reports and pick up her cleaning lady from the train, and drop of her dry cleaning off just as the "butt kisser did." I was eventually fired after coming back from a vacation. Her reason was because there were 3 customer complaints while you were on vacation and as a result I have to let you go. I was back from vacation 9 days (incl. a weekend) and had not been warned or written up. The first I learned about the complaints was on the day I was fired!! After I mentioned my 4 children, husband, mortgage, car note, and living expenses. I asked her how did she feel about it and her diabolical response was, "I feel fine." The bottom line is....unless you want to be a slave or errand person that is the only way you will keep your job at Countrywide Hell Loans. If you want to work there make sure you know the DEVIL first!!! If you want justice, EEOC is where you can put out the Devil's fire. I have called in the fire dept. and will update shortly on the 5 alarm blaze.

- Another unhappy employee writes... I've worked with this company for nearly 2 years now. I am so emotionally stressed out, its unbelievable. I started back in 11/2001. Prior to being hired i was assured that CHL has excellent incentives and bonus programs. I admit for the first few months while i was in training, i received a good incentive. What happened afterwards you ask? Ha.. i noticed that bonus incentives have become very hard to get and literally impossible to achieve because they've doubled on the numbers and while some are hitting these standards others such as myself, can't. You ask why? Well simply because i refuse to service the account in a *&**& way, because all they care about is the *&*&% attempts made. Not only that, this may come as a shock to you the consumer, if you take longer than 10 minutes servicing a loan, you're required to pass it to a supervisor. Supervisors? Ha ha, a *&*!& jokeeeeee!!! I kid you not, I've been with the company for nearly 2 years and i know more than a supervisor that's been with the company for over 5 years. NO JOKE! I actually have supervisors ask me questions regarding the databases we have. You know i personally think that its the QUALITY of the servicing that counts, not QUANTITY. To be honest with you, its NEVER GOOD ENOUGH FOR THEM. I bring anywhere between $150 - $300K on a minimum to the company every single month. Do i even get a reward, a recognition or perhaps 1% of that every other month at least? EHHH, SORRY. NOPE. All i get is a, wham bam, *&*&* YOU and you're numbers are low, we need quantity. I am so STRESSED out, we literally are being baby-sited. I had to ask to go to the restroom like a little kid. I feel that I was violated. I had never felt so low in my entire life as i did at the moment that i had to explain my self because I didn't ask to go to the restroom. ALL THAT I'VE STATED HEREIN, IS AN HONEST TO GOD TRUTH. I've been violated, i am so stressed to the point where I don't know what to do anymore. I am so confused. I know this may not mean that much to you homeowners out there. I work in the worst department that you don't want to end up in, we are underpaid for the type of work we do. We are being micromanaged like little kids, practically a kindergarten. I assure you (homeowners), that you aren't the only ones that are frustrated, we're in the same line. So that may be the exact reason why you feel mistreated, because its a train reaction. I can go on and on and on about how I've been mistreated with CHL, but i feel disgusted just by thinking about how even we as the employees are mistreated.

- Another ripped off customer writes... If you find someone to do a class action INCLUDE ME!!!! My story is similar. We bought a house that was fraudulently sold to us. The mortgage company was in on it. They were under investigation  for other predatory lending issues and dumped our loan to CW. CW paid $79,000 for a loan that is FHA insured for $134,000. That is over $50,000 instant profit if they foreclose! They had to know it was a scheme. My husband lost his job and we had trouble with our payments. We called Countrywide and tired to work things out. They kept giving us the "we'll call you back with more information" routine. They said everything was fine and not to worry. We received a notice that they were foreclosing. We called them and begged them to help us. They said they would help us. They told us that we would be getting an onslaught of letters from bankruptcy lawyers offering to fix the problem but we were to ignore those completely. They would take care of it. We got a notice that our house was being sold on the courthouse steps and we called them back. They said everything was ok, they were still working on it and everything would be fine. They sent us a notice with a copy of a posting in a news paper informing about the foreclosure for potential purchasers of our foreclosed house. We called them again. We were told everything is fine, that is just a technicality they had to do, not to worry about it. The house was supposed to be auctioned on the courtroom steps two days after a federal holiday which was on a Monday. By Friday evening, I really got scared. Monday was a holiday. I found one lawyer that was recommended to me by a friend (a title company employee) and he wanted several thousand dollars cash on the table to file a chapter 13. I did not have it. I had a total emotional breakdown in the parking lot. The next morning I called a lawyer from the stack of letters that CW told me to ignore. The day before the house was to be auctioned, I paid them $500 and they filed the bankruptcy less than 24 hours before the sale. At less than 24 hours before the sale was to begin, CW had still not called back with our promised help.  I'm behind again (2 1/2 mo) and they just filed a motion for relief so they can foreclose again. They said I have to pay nearly double payments for the next 6 months and if I am a day late they will foreclose without a hearing (per the results of the motion). I don't even bring home that much! I just got a huge promotion, but won't start getting paid for it for another 2 weeks and even then, it won't be enough to pay double payments. I am going to lose my house!!

- A screwed customer writes... Hi, I'm a current customer of countrywide and have indeed been screwed over also.  my story started 2 years and 7 mths ago when i went in for a refinance with another company called full spectrum due to a bad business decision with a business as a partner with a relative and got stuck with the bills from that business in the excess of about 60,000.00, so the gave me a loan to which I was told that my rate would be a 30 year fixed rate at 8.75% to which we thought we would refinance in 2 years, of course that did not happen.  2 weeks after the act of sale I receive a payment from a company called Countrywide and an increase in the amount of the mortgage payments from 1167.00 to 1469.15 along with a fluctuating interest rate or AKA an arm which was a 2yr fixed int. rate with an arm.  I called into the office regarding the increase of the p&I and to no avail they informed me that that was the agreement my husband and I agreed to and there was nothing i could do about it, so after taking their word and checking with the title company that handled the closing hearing the same thing we paid the amount stated, BIG MISTAKE.  Several months passed and I to started receiving letter from CHL in reference to 4mths of late payments and threat s that was not received from us as well as late fees and other charges, to which I had my cancelled checks and money order receipts along with quick collect receipts and certified receipts and to no avail they continued to accuse us of not having paid almost 6mths of payments.  So in June I being so frustrated decided to clear the whole mess up and send in all fees they claim were owed and other charges so they say and the end of June 2001 I call in @ check by phone payments and at that time I pulled down 5100.00 from tsp from my husbands retirement account the only resource we had quick access to at that time amazingly it was the weekend of the $th of july and the entire 5100.00 mysteriously disappeared from my credit union account the money was placed into and countrywide claimed they never received those payments and my money was completely gone from the account.  The credit union launched an investigation on our accounts and only returned 1800.00 of the 5100.00 that was in the account 8wks later and It discovered that someone systematically withdrew 202.00 every hour on the hour for that holiday weekend.  Until now I never realized that countrywide was involved in this farce.  Not only did we suffer getting almost 6800.00 in payments in 3mths after that into their office to keep from being foreclosed on but after sending that amount,  November arrived with me doing western union quick collect  for my next payment on time as usual  mind you sending 1,000.00 wire and 469.15 wire December came I phoned in to inform them of  my arrival of next payment  the representative told me that i sent in a partial payment the month before and not to send anything in unless it was November and December payment together or not at all.  she contacted me January 5,2002 and informed with all fees calculated I need to send in 8,560.00 within two weeks or it would increase every two weeks 2300.00 bi-weekly along with being placed under foreclosure, this was my so called workout plan.  seven weeks passed and 5:00a:m one morning a Civil sheriff served us with foreclosure documents with an auction date of April 24,2002 so we again struggled to pull money together to save our home.  2 days before the sale of my home we manage to borrow from family and sale of another piece of land we had and sent in a total of 21,000.00 plus 2 additional months of mortgage payments to put us ahead , then in July I sent in that payment in August countrywide inform me that I again was behind by 2mths and my payments had been increased to 1555.89 and that we had an escrow balance of over 789.00 to be paid also.  In essence that last payment in July they applied to other charges and claim to have not received my payment at all, even though in every instance I have all my receipts and copies of every payment sent in regardless to how it went in.  So in September they wanted me to again send in 3 payments to which I managed to get 2 into them in October 2002 I received a notice that I was still behind and they threatened pre-foreclosure and other tactics that basically put us in ruin.  my story is so long bear with me.  October they lead me to believe it again was my mishandling  of my finances and total neglect and the way they continued to talk to me being really rude and  totally mean about any conversations we were having stating for us to pay them 1600.00 every 2 weeks from 10/06/02 until the end of the year and start off fresh for the new year, so we attempted to do so exhausting all of any thing left from payroll to not paying any thing else car notes , utilities ,or groceries etc. then I came in one day everything in the house was off and I had enough and say that's it, its over I'm not paying another damn dime.  so I called countrywide spoke to a representative and announced do what you will I'm thru, but you will not take my home or another darn dime from me.  so here we are expecting another foreclosure notice any day now and we are sick and tired of this shit.  They have reported to the credit bureau that I've made 12mths of late payments, now I cannot get anyone to refinance my property I'm about to lose my vehicles for non payment no retirement ,tsp or anything and to add insult to injury they had the nerve to give me to the end of Janurary2003 to send in another lump sum payment of 5080.00 plus attorney fees or face another date for auction.  I AM LOOKING FOR A WAY TO EXPOSE THEM AND SUE THE HELL OUT OF THEM SOMEONE PLEASE CONTACT ME FOR A CLASS ACTION SUIT AS WELL AS HELPING TO TELL OUR STORY ON 60MINUTES, 20/20, OR PRIMETIME AND INFO WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED.

- An angry consumer writes... My husband and I also have our story about the Evilness of Countrywide.  The story is long and painful, and probably not over yet.  We had no idea that there was this much anger at them, and their deceptions go beyond the pale.  Is there a class action suit against them?  If so, PLEASE add our names to the list.  Contact me soonest if there is a lawyer willing to go up against them so I can add my "two cents" which is all I have thanks to those !!!$#%&^*#$!! at Countrywide.

- A now careful consumer writes... Thank you for saving me even more worry.  My loan was sold by Century Mortgage  about one and a half years ago to a company called Ocwen Federal Bank  Recently my husband and I started looking into refinancing to take advantage of  the low interest refinance rates being offered.  Quite by accident and much to my horror I came across a web page "Rip offs by Ocwen Federal". There are no fewer than 15 pages of complaints over 265 individual complaints of every nature including class action law suits as well as the companies refusal to provide the information needed to allow it customers to seek new loans.  I had already decided to go with Countrywide Home Loan and was in the process of  getting the paper work started when I chanced upon your web page.   THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU.  I will now sever any ties I have with Countywide as well as with Ocwen and continue my search for a reputable and considerate company even if it means I lose out on the low interest rates now being offered it is a heck of a lot better than losing my credit rating or possibly even my home.  I would urge anyone  currently seeking a new or refinanced loan to read the rip off page on Ocwen Federal as well as your page.  I am now very concerned.  I will not simply choose a Financial Institution via yellow pages, etc. as I have (carelessly) done in the past.    

- A businessman writes... I am a mortgage broker who once did business with Cwide.  They repeatedly screwed us on a day to day basis. I know several employees who worked there
and there is A LOT OF ILLEGAL ACTIVITY THAT GOES ON IN THEIR DANVERS, MA OFFICE. They are always in violation of RESPA.  I decided enough was enough and decided to send out letters to all of their customers in my surrounding area.  The letter stated that they were being overcharged on their loan and that they could get a better deal with someone else. A few weeks later I got a letter from their corporate counsel threatening a lawsuit. They were going after a small business who was informing the public of C-Wide's predatory practices.  C-Wide has the highest rates of any lender. If anyone reads this you can get much better by going to a mortgage broker/company and specifying that they do not put you with C-Wide.

- An extremely lucky consumer writes... Countrywide quoted me a great rate yesterday and after giving them a $400 "non-fundable rate-lock deposit", they came back with another completely different loan PACKAGE not to mention a much higher rate that would have cost me an extra $500 each month.  I fought for my deposit and thankfully got it back.  Glad I found your site...I will not be going back to them. Whew!

- A very unhappy employee writes... you can post every single paragraph until the very last sentence of what I've written. I wish to hide nothing. I speak only the truth. Believe me i detest myself for waking up every morning knowing that from sunrise to sunset i have to work with these people. I am currently in search for a job that will well deserve my services and should appreciate on what i do and only demand from me on what i can offer, unlike CHL demanding beyond the norm of a human- being. Yes, literally a f*** sweatshop, excuse my French. They come up with bogus numbers, telling you that your numbers aren't all that great and you should be doing better. NEVER EVER APPRECIATE anything. I am almost 100% certain, that Angelo Mazillo doesn't know what really goes on and how the people he supposedly screw up a good company. I am sure that Countrywide wasn't so bad. Please, without hesitation let my voice be heard along with others in your site.

- A lucky consumer writes...

MY GOD! I AM GLAD I CAME ACROSS YOUR WEB PAGE WHEN I WAS ACTUALLY WAS GOING TO COUNTRY WIDE TO GET A PRE-APPROVAL TO PURCHASE ANOTHER HOME. I CURRENTLY HAVE COUNTRY WIDE AS MY LENDER ON MY CURRENT HOME AND AFTER READING ALL OF THE STORIES I AM VERY RELUCTANT TO PURSUE A HIGHER MORTGAGE FOR A MUCH MORE EXPENSIVE HOME WITH COUNTRY WIDE AS MY LENDER.
 
I HAVE BEEN A CUSTOMER FOR 9 YEARS AND HAVE HAD A FEW ISSUES OVER THE YEARS WITH THERE ATTENTION TO DETAIL, AND LACK OF GOOD CUSTOMER SERVICE. I WILL NOW TAKE THE TIME TO RESEARCH LOCAL MORTGAGE LENDERS FOR MY NEW HOME AFTER READING ALL OF THESE STORIES.  SOUNDS LIKE THEY NEED TO STEP BACK AND THINK ABOUT THE PEOPLE THAT ARE KEEPING THEM IN BUSINESS.
 
A CURRENT NH. CUSTOMER SOON TO BECOME AN  X-CUSTOMER OF COUNTRYWIDE DUE TO THIS WEB PAGE.

- A ripped off customer writes...

Countrywide Home Loans doesn't only have inferior customer service they also insult a person's intelligence. I did not have a good experience with Countrywide Home Loans. When they first acquired my home loan in 1995 they immediately tried to say that I'd been late. This was my first home so I wasn't about to let them get the upper hand. For the remaining five years I had my first mortgage with them I sent in my payments using Federal Express to their Simi Valley address, so that each and every payment had to be signed for. I started sending them using FedEx because they didn't process my payment promptly and then tried to say that I'd been delinquent!!! This is why the remedy of sending in my payment Federal Express worked because I also told Countrywide that I'd be monitoring the mailing using Federal Express tracking number and by phoning my bank so they'd better knock off their games! This solution on my part got them to behave themselves and I went on without much of a problem (for a while...keep reading).
 
Then as many of you know the rates dropped from 9% to 6.75%. A very chatty and sweet and friendly sounding Countrywide Agent called me up and talked me into rewriting my first mortgage to this new lower rate under very very favorable terms on a fixed rate. I had to have my house/property reappraised in order to do this. I had asked to be locked in on this rate and was promised that I was being locked in. Well this same chatty Cathy didn't send me the papers in time and I got concerned. By the time this slouch got the ball rolling the rates were at about 7%. All the Kings Horses and all the Kings Men couldn't oblige the people at Countrywide to fix their mistake, but I had no choice but to take this lower interest rate on a fixed rate in 1997-98 (because at that point rates hadn't dropped). I continued to make my payments using my tried and true method of sending payments in with Federal Express (11 dollars and then 13 dollars per parcel).
 
I was again approached and given the speal about how I was a valued customer blah blah blah due to my excellent payment history etc, etc. This time they wanted to offer me a Home Equity Line of Credit. My income had dramatically increased and my home had gained substantial equity due to my due diligence in restoration, repair, and renovation. I took them up on their best deal in town offer. Here's where the trouble again started...  Since I was making more money I decided to make additional payments because I'd been reading how you can decrease the terms of the loan if you pay one additional payment a year. Now somehow because they professed to be confused they applied this additional payment to the next months billing. This wasn't a mistake on their part it was intentional and done out of pure unmitigated greed!
 
Please note, I'd written "APPLY TO PRINCIPAL" on the Fed Ex envelope, and "ADDITIONAL PAYMENT TO APPLY TO PRINCIPAL ONLY" on the memo portion of the check. Just like in your story I was on the phone for hours and hours on at least three times. They kept telling me that if they let me skip a month's payment that it would be the same thing as if I had paid ahead. I told them to take out an amortization table and explain to me how exactly they were the same thing. I was livid and it took speaking to them for hours, and several months. They seemed to not understand. I had made this additional payment before the end of the year 2000, and to my great surprise they started telling me that they couldn't go back and apply it to year 2000 since it was now nearly April 2001...Even though it was their error! Again they tried telling me that they were somehow doing me a favor because they were allowing me to skip a month's payment. Anyone knows that this is nonsense because what it really means is that I am that much farther away from taking the complete title to my house/property. This took speaking to several supervisors to alleviate this. They managed to bungle this so badly and then they in my opinion try to insult my intelligence by saying that my payment which should have been applied to principal is the same thing as skipping a month?!!
 
It still gets worse. the very next month April 2001....I had the misfortune of going into the office and finding out the company I worked for was closing and was refusing to pay people in a prompt fashion. I immediately set to work on trying to get the money from my employer and also prepping myself for the calamity of possibly selling my house to protect my home equity and all my years of hard work. I immediately notified Countrywide Home Loans and said that I wanted to let them know that my payment might be late for the first time. In spite of all the ads  that Countrywide sent me with my mortgage billing statements and all of those propagandistic recordings you are forced to listen to on hold which indicate that if you notify your creditors that they will help you during such times....that is exactly what they won't do! A mortgage lender will always tell you some line "oh we really don't want your house, Mr.____"
 
But in fact that is exactly what they want! They do want your house because they are in it for the long haul. The more property they acquire and can sit on even when times are tough in the economy, the more clout they have and eventually the more money they will make.  So here I am with my first 30 day late payment staring me in the face, and I phone the Countrywide Company and what do they do? They send me 30 day late notice and a letter indicating "foreclosure action" and some other legal mumbo jumbo!! I guess they really valued me as a customer then, huh?? Trust me if you get behind on your mortgage Countrywide Home Loans will try and take your property faster than you can say the Pledge of Allegiance. They are very good at "playing dumb" when it suits them. And they will just as promptly damage your credit rating and your good name. They also phoned me with harassing phone calls till it got to the point when I retorted with the unspeakable line..."Oh yeah, well listen to me and listen well! This house is worth twice what I owe on it and you're not getting it! Don't call me again or i'll light a match to it! This house is for sale and in escrow so mind your own business! I'm selling this house, taking the money and washing my hands of you and all the people at Countrywide!! So stop calling me because mark my words I will burn this house down before you get it!"
 
Fortunately I did sell the house and after the close Countrywide Home Loans failed to refund monies which had been prepaid to them and sat on the money for months.
 
So would I recommend Countrywide Home Loans to a friend? I would not recommend Countrywide Home Loans to anyone. I consider their treatment of me as customer as very poor. We're talking dollars and sense and not just common courtesy. They prey on the unsuspecting home owner by playing stupid when it suits them. That whole thing about not understanding what it means to apply a payment to principal in a given tax year is not them being naive at all. It's a game to extend the life of your loan at a higher cost to you. If your goal is to own your property by the time you reach retirement age then don't trust them! If they tell you they don't want your house, then don't trust them on that story either. They do want your house and are hoping to pick it up for pennies on the dollar and they are looking for ways to profit from a person's misfortune. In my case they went right to work to damage my credit rating on top of it! I can't recommend a company who practices business like they do. Finally, be ALERT...the world needs more ALERTS.

- A happy consumer writes... My husband and I were in the process of doing refinancing with CW when he stumbled onto this site by accident.  We decided right then and there that we would not pursue financing with CW.  What I don't understand that these people are still in business.  Oh by the way, my friend who just refinanced with CW is already having problems. Don't do business with them.  They should be out of business! A very happy customer to have escaped the clutches of CW!!!

- A pissed off customer writes... thank you for having this website.  i am presently suing countrywide for conversion.  why?  because last year i fell behind in my payments and thought i had worked out an arrangement with them for an extension.  i later found that they had no intention of working anything out or keeping their word.  i was refinancing my other home to obtain funds for the delinquent payments.  the loan took longer than expected due to the credit information that was furnished by countrywide to the credit bureaus.  by the time i had received my loan on my other property, it was too late.  i was served with a 3 day eviction notice by the new owners of my home that i have had since 1967.  needless to say, i had quite a bit of equity in it.  well, they sold my home at a public auction for $100,000.00 less than its appraised value.  apparently there were several bidders at this auction because they sold the house for $70,000.00 more than the loan amount resulting in a surplus.  this surplus of $70,000.00 is rightfully mine and countrywide has acknowledged this fact.  countrywide required a claim form to be filled and notarized which i did and sent all required documents certified.  according to California statute, they have 30 days in which to distribute the surplus proceeds.  i have done everything that is required by me in order to receive my surplus.  it has been 7 months and i have yet to see a dime of my money.  they have collected interest on my money this entire time.  countrywide will not give me my money and unfortunately there is nothing i can do about this except hire an attorney which is costing me a lot of money.  i will eventually receive the money but it will end up to be much less because of the attorney's fees i will have to pay.  in addition to all of this, i had to move - i really needed this money to find another home for my 2 children and myself.  you can imagine what my credit looks like now.  what landlord is going to rent their home to someone who has foreclosure on their record as well as an unlawful detainer in public records.  no landlord will  i had to offer 6 months advance rent plus $5,000.00 deposit for a landlord to finally rent me their home.  countrywide has destroyed everything i have worked so hard to have.  they are dishonest and unscrupulous.  countrywide has a total disregard for the laws that are administered by our government.  and our government does not seem to regulate any of these large corporations.  i was under the impression that these governing bodies were here to protect us as consumers.  i was wrong.  the government is obviously paid by these large corporations to keep a blind eye to their illegal actions.  most people cannot afford the services of an attorney, especially after they have just lost their home, their "American Dream" to these thieves  these thieves like countrywide and all of their subsidiaries.  i am very interested in anyone who may have a similar story because these f#@*kers need to be stopped!!!  i am willing to participate in any action.  and i intend to dedicate the rest of my life to reforming  these lending laws so that no one else has to experience the kind of loss that i have.  countrywide sucks the big one

- Another countrywide victim writes... 

If you have any idea what I can do or where I can get help, please let me know.  My home loan was purchased by Countrywide effective 9/1/03.  I had prepaid my 9/1/03 payment w/my previous lender but Countrywide says they never received the money and that now I am PAST DUE.  I have the cashed cancelled check which I have mailed to them but to no avail.  My previous lender says they sent the money but Countrywide says they did not. 
 
In the interim, I am out $1832.26 and just don't know what to do.  Neither lender will return my calls or help me.  The previous lender is Green Point Mortgage.  Both lenders have totally INCOMPETENT customer service and a "no care" attitude. 
 
I have filed a Rip Off report with the BBB and also contacted Channel 7 On Your Side but what else can I do?  I am a hard working person who lives paycheck to paycheck and this could end up costing us our home I fear.  What can I do?

- A screwed customer writes... Can you tell me if there is anything in the works for a class action suit against Countrywide.  My case is now in the hands of the Georgia Banking and Finance Commission, but we will see what.  I wrote a letter to the office above and subsequently they wrote a letter to Countrywide requesting assistance on my behalf.  A man from the Office of the President contacted and me and told me that he would research the file. Ha, he then called me back and stated that he could provide no help, because unbelievably all the correspondences that I show has been sent to them on this matter they have never received any of it.  We are talking @ 13 letters, mind you all the checks have been cashed.  Anyway the real kicker is, after my conversation with him on Friday, Monday I received 4 letters from Countrywide.  Two of these letters were telling me that they had been unable to contact me regarding my complaints as stated in the letter from the Banking and Finance Commission.  At this time they were requesting that I provide them with all new contact information.  Understand, I had talked with them multiple times.  So, I think this is how they are going to attempt to get by the Dept. of Banking and Finance --- an attempt to make me look inadequate.  Any info or suggestions would be great.

- A FORMER COUNTRYWIDE MANAGER WRITES IN... I am a former Manager at Countrywide.  One of the biggest issues I have always had with this company is the fact that they hire people, throw then in a desk and just expect you to know everything.  They expect you to work 14-18 hour days and it is strictly numbers, numbers, numbers!  They have an ego so big it makes me sick. They are completely obsessed with Wells Fargo.  This could be because a very angry Wells Fargo Employee came to work at Countrywide to take over the Consumer Markets.  He has been completely obsessed with cleaning out Wells Fargo and will risk anything to get his revenge.  He and his military he brought in to clean house and let go the valuable employees who care about good customer service and have replaced them all with high strung, pushy, in your face sales people, not Mortgage Professionals, basically people who aren't capable of selling used cars and it again is numbers, numbers, numbers.
 
It doesn't matter how profitable a branch is (except when they make their financial reports).  It became clear to me they were more concerned about how many loans closed rather than having a very well oiled shop with happy customers and good profit. They have this telemarketing department that slips home equity loans in on people and make them feel that they have to close when the truth is, "If you did not want this, do not sign the closing documents."  Our customers would call the original telemarketer to confront them and they would bad mouth the Branch they sent it to and pass the buck.
 
Everyone on the Branch Level gets a disgustingly low salary and 80% of our income is bonus.  We did not receive our Bonus for the month it was earned until the end of the following month.  The fine print on this scam is YOU MUST BE EMPLOYED ON THE LAST DAY OF THE FOLLOWING MONTH, THE DAY IT IS PAID in order to receive payment for your hard work the month before.  So, lets see, you stay till the end of the month to get last months pay but if you leave when you receive this check you have killed yourself another full month to never receive compensation for that.  How would you like to work for a whole month and never get paid for it?
 
I have always been a very upbeat person to work for as a Manager.  They micromanaged us all to the point that we overstressed, overwhelmed and afraid for anyone to make a human mistake, which I feel there is a solution to every problem.  I have left the company and have lost tons of weight off of my shoulders and am starting to feel like a real person again.  I had been seeing specialists for serious stomach problems and anxiety.  I couldn't sleep because all I did was worry about the next day.  Upper Management consistently dumped their responsibilities on you with no reward or even a thanks because it was easier to have you do it for them and them of course take all the credit.  They are so intimidating that even when someone leaves the company they intimidate your co-workers to stay away from you and scare them from even seeing or talking to you on a social basis because they are afraid they are being watched and will lose their jobs.

I will admit the customer service department is very snippy and try to convince the customer they are in the wrong.  It was always amazing, though, when the customer would come into my office and I called and placed them on speaker and introduced myself as a Manager how willing they were to help and BING, problem solved but let the poor consumer try to resolve a simple issue from the comforts of their own home without having to take off of work, forget it!  I had my mortgage with Countrywide and had my own issue on my account.  I called the customer service dept. just as a customer and got to experience this first hand. Then when I informed them that I was a Manager and gave my employee ID and Branch Number, I got completely impeccable service.  So as you can see employees are intimated by big titles within the company and the bad attitudes the consumers get from these people is a reflection on how they are treated by upper management. 
 
My husband used to beg me to quit but I was so deep into this black hole I could not see how they were driving me into the ground physically and even emotionally.  Now that I have stepped aside I realize the way I and other employees I knew were truly abused.  Countrywide has had the reputation of being a sweat shop and quite frankly I believe it is worse than a sweat shop.  They are very abusive with the psychology they use, they talk to you in a way that guilt's you into giving more, more, more.  They have a way of convincing you that you are just not giving enough.  Your immediate supervisor has a way of getting you to be so dedicated to them and they look at you and talk to you about how you need to keep them employed because they are worried about their own jobs and how all these big quotas have been put on them and how they are depending on you to keep us all together and make you feel personally responsible for every single person around you, including your boss, job stability. They say jump, you jump three times just for good measure.  They pressure their managers to make their branches profitable and then when they are pumping in the cash, they decide they need to make a management change, leave the office without a manager for several months so that the P&L bonus goes right back into their pockets.  They don't want to pay those big hard earned bonuses they just want you to get the income to that level so they can toss you aside.  They don't care about the customer, they only care what the all mighty daily production
numbers are.
 
Their words are, "Do what ever it takes to get the deal."  Quoted by Brian Hale himself, a very vindictive former Wells Fargo Employee.  Countrywide used to be a very personable Company and the service was incredible but they are focused and obsessed with their Competition and have ruined everything Mr. Muzillo worked all his life for.  It is very disappointing to see such a well respected company resort to this type of business practice. I could keep writing for days but it is just not worth it.  The one thing I have
learned in this industry; stick to a smaller company who doesn't have an over inflated ego.  Don't go to a company who is more concerned about what number they are on the production/portfolio charts. Go to a company who is profitable and consistent with their service.  Don't blame the poor little people who work at these big companies, yes they should keep their negative tones to themselves.  But who knows who they just got blasted by.  I feel for the little people within companies like this one. It is very hard to try to please your boss, their boss, their boss and so on and still keep a happy face or voice when the poor customer calls.  It is truly a catch 22 for them.  And yes, the people in customer service don't know what they are doing because no one is taught anything there.  You just need to find someone who has managed to be there long enough and hope you sit right next to them so you can hear them and learn that way.  It is sad.  I know they seam
incompetent when you call but imagine yourself in a very large room of hundreds of cubicles in a huge building.  Imagine just being thrown in there, you have to leave bread crumbs leading from the door to your cube to even remember where it is.  Imagine being led to it (maybe) and be told they will be back to work with you and imagine them never coming back and just leaving you there.  Imagine all of your communication being strictly by internal e-mail and then imagine how overwhelmed you may feel. 

Thanks Brian Hale for coming in a destroying a great place to work and a good company to do business with.  Hopeful Angelo will soon see through you.  Maybe he will hit his goals and toss you aside they way you do people.  I will be waiting to hear of your demise. 

- A screwed customer writes... 

My husband and I just walked out of a closing for refinancing our home through our current mortgage company Countrywide.  My husband is still so angry he is walking around still fussing, hitting the bed, I hope he doesn't blow an artery.  We started this process the first week in Feb.  It is the 2nd week in Sept.  This whole process has been a nightmare.  I just happened on your website when I was looking for contact information for someone at Countrywide to raise hell with.  After reading these testimonials and realizing how many victims there are, I decided to contact CBS 60 minutes, went to their feedback tab and put in a request that they do a story on this.  We are victims to a large corporate entity that has no problem stealing our hard earned "American Dream" from us.  If you have found yourself in our situation contact CBS, let's band together.  Count me in on a class action suit also, if we can find an firm willing to take on an corporate giant that is tearing down America families at a time.  Email everyone you can think of and we are doing the same.  Put a link to this site on an attorney site that obtains a large amount of hits each day.

- A lucky consumer writes... I was very grateful that i visited your site.  I was sooooo close to refinancing my home with countrywide.  I really need to find a good lender I can trust.

- Another victimized customer writes... 

We had the misfortune of having our loan sold to Countrywide a year ago.  They managed to screw up our escrow account,  pay the wrong taxes and were unable to straighten the mess out in 3 months.  We refinanced,  paid off the mortgage with Countrywide and are now waiting for them to return the funds in our escrow account.  It could be a long wait. 
 
I would never recommend anyone use Countrywide.  I made sure our new mortgage would not be sold to Countrywide.

- A terrorized customer writes... I commend you and the Rip-off site for allowing people to share their experiences about these criminals on these web pages. I was shocked to see
how many consumers had undergone the same unethical, unlawful tactics that my spouse and I continue to endure from Countrywide.
We fell victim to the terror immediately after they bought our mtg. The errors, harassment, and lies began before we were even informed they were holding the mtg. I guess if you already have existing homeowners insurance through an outside source, they willingly ignore this policy and charge you for insurance disclosing to you a profit made be made to them. How is this legal?? They have been caught in a courtroom before for insurance matters-I guess they paid no consequences for their actions, thus encouraging them to continue practicing business in this manner. I would love to know how much of their gross earnings are collected on fees that are not legitimate. Once a class action lawsuit is brought against these thieves, and I am certain it will-no lawyer will be able to straighten out the sloppy record keeping of this company. They might look into hiring a magician, or maybe they can borrow a shredder from ENRON. They prey on first-time homebuyers seeking the American dream and those with slightly tarnished credit, then they conspire to send you into foreclosure, making the consumer either appear as a novice at paying a mtg or simply history repeating itself. Don't listen to people when they say they don't want your home, on the contrary. Other banks don't want your home, countrywide is an exception to this rule. Once foreclosure takes place in this market with sales up and interest rates at all time lows, these property's are aboard the real estate merry-go-round. What a scam, now on the same property you have inspection fees, ins., title search fees, mtg broker fees, closing costs and so on and so forth. Thousands of dollars made on the same property again. It's a revolving door that puts homeowners in hell. If these properties were not sold so quickly at auction, these events would not unfold. One voice is seldom heard, as always there is great strength in numbers. I am sending all my history straight into the lap of the state banking commissioner, if changes aren't made I will move on to the atty general. I do not believe that our judicial system will allow this to continue. I ran across a mortgage broker who gave me some excellent advice, he says that this company is so big with such a massive turnover of help, that a high percentage of time you're talking to someone with absolutely no
experience what so ever. He suggested I ask to speak to a supervisor. This is no easy task, you will likely be transferred 3-4 times, each and every transfer the rep inquiring why you would like a supervisor and insisting they can help you. Remember this is not to the fault alone of the incompetent help on the other end of the line, these are simply the thugs
carrying out the orders for the true criminals who are at the top of this so called business.
Take the time to send in your experiences to one of these sites, describe your accounts in an honest and accurate manner. Their shady dealings are taking place nationwide, it's no longer a secret and they will be exposed.

- A disgusted customer writes... 

MY RESPONSES: 
1.  INCOMPETENCE AND TAKING ADVANTAGE OF CUSTOMERS. 
2. THE SERVICE IS TERRIBLE. 
3.I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND COUNTRYWIDE.
 
IN JULY, my reserve military unit sent me for 2 weeks overseas for duty, and when I returned , I did not receive my military paycheck, until 2 weeks after I returned. MEANWHILE, my mortgage payment was due. Out of honesty, I called Countrywide, and explained the situation. They were willing to help, or so I thought.
  My monthly payments were normally about  $ 1,156.00  . Over the phone, they agreed to my making 5 months of payments, over a 4 month period, top the monthly amount of  $ 1, 510.00 , and my first payment would not be due until September 30th. I began noticing late charges, etc, showing up on my monthly statement, and was told to disregard it. So, to catch up, I worked overtime every weekend to be able to pay it.
   I began paying by phone, and found out that they claimed did not receive the payment due in the end of October, even though I had a confirmation number, and it showed clearing my bank account. After 4 calls that month, they finally found out that it was posted to the wrong account. Meanwhile, they took me off the repayment plan, even though it was their error. I fought to get put back on it. I finished up repaying it at the end of December, and I finally questioned why I was paying  1504.10 /monthly, not 5 months of payments /4 , which would be $ 1446 ! I found out that they were in fact charging me late fees, the whole time. Hindsight is 20/20. I was making payments as agreed,  thus, there should have been no late fees.
    If that weren't enough, I tried to refinance through another lender, but was turned down for a good rate, because Countrywide reported me as late 30 days for August, September, and October, and 60 days late for November and December ! Countrywide since changed the 60 days late to 30 days, but If I am making payments as agreed, it should not show me late. I am getting an attorney to help me correct my credit report, but I would also love to get the late fees returned. What also annoys me is that two other creditors have checked my credit report, and have increased their interest rates, all because of Countrywide's misreporting.
   I can tell you that it seems that the customer service, asset resolution, and credit reporting departments do not communicate with one another, and wish I could switch companies, but countrywide has made it difficult for me to refinance. I will also contact the VA to report what they did, and see if the VA can help.
 
  Thanks for your website !
 
 A DISGUSTED CUSTOMER

- A first time customer learns the Countrywide way... we are in the process of obtaining a home loan with Countywide.   I must say that we are dealing with a bunch of incompetent people who NEVER return calls.  I have had to initiate every call.  I have been lied to several times about pertinent issues.  They shouldn't play with the public this way.  It is sad that we are treated as if we are annoying to them.  They have had unneccesary delays keep giving us the runaround.  The manager is no better.  Based on your stories, I am not looking forward to even obtaining the loan.  I am literally scared now.

- A pissed off consumer writes... Wow - I was recently telling friends that when I am done with Countrywide, I was going to start a website called - "Countrywide Sucks!"  Then I found yours.  I am going to court this week with them.  I have 10 months left paying off my chapter 13 and they have decided to file a breech and are requesting a pay off.  There was no breech and they have place my payments into an "unapplied account."  Now they are saying my payments are late and have added over $1200. to the amount I owe.  I also have called them on several occasions over the last few years and have found them to be ignorant and rude.  They transfer me to all different departments and no one seems to be able to assist me. I cannot believe the control they have.  I am seeing a lawyer tomorrow but I have a feeling they will get away with this after reading some of these stories.  I really want to sue them but I am not sure of my rights. I have told everyone I know, friends, family, coworkers, etc about Countrywide and their incompetence.  I also plan to call the BBB when I am through.  Thanks for the website and support.  COUNTRYWIDE SUCKS!
signed:  A pissed off consumer

- A ripped off customer writes... 

I originally got my loan with delta funding aka full spectrum aka wells fargo aka countrywide.  each time they sell it to one of there own companies my payments go up and my interest rates go up. I am fighting with them on a daily basis and yet no assistance is in sight.  i have payments they claim are missing and fees like i have never seen before.

- A complimenting consumer... I have to compliment you for creating this page!! It is so great and good to hear there are advocates out there that will speak up about bad business and actually make it public for the world to read! That is what they deserve when they treat people like that, they can certainly dish it out, but won't take it back, but hear you are doing it :) 

- A dissatisfied customer writes... I am also a dissatisfied customer of Countrywide. Can you please send me the info you have on trying to start a class action lawsuit.

**- A fellow businessman writes... I do a few loans through them and I am wholesale.....the service really makes you wonder if the place is corrupt. Something should be done.

- An angry customer writes... 

Please let me know if there is any class action lawsuits against Countrywide. I have my own horror story that is still taking place and need to know.
Thank you!!!

- A customer in action writes... After watching my escrow costs go up and up I decided
to do some checking. Countrywide is misrepresenting the legality of their escrow accounts. There is NO,...I repeat NO legality existing that requires Countrywide (the lender) to maintain an escrow account, however Countrywide will not allow the homeowner to manage insurance and tax on his own because Countrywide is using the escrow accounts as leverage PLEASE SEE http://www.US-banker.com/usb/articles/usbjan02-4.shtml


I have retained a lawyer and I am going to check with another lawyer that specializes in class action suits against large corporations.

- An irate customer writes... Hi there, I have read all of the entries on your site due to the fact I have a similar story.  We feel that Countrywide has not applied payments on time to our account, therefore they have incurred late charges and fees. This has hurt our good credit so that we can not refinance.  We have sent all of our payments on time. A lot of people that have written are interested in a class action suit, but I did not see information that one is in action.  Is there one in action?  How do we all work together  to put one in motion?  Has anyone taken this on?  Is there a contact person/attorney that is handling this?  I would be interested to be a part if possible. 

- A helpful business writes... 

Hi, just a short note to let you know that I found your website via a Lycos search for mortgage companies that are going into a new hand picked web directory.
I know this doesn't pay back all those wronged but they won't get any business from us ( several hundred referrals a month) either and to be hurt in the pocket book in these economically stressful times might make them take stock in their own company.
Best of luck to everyone. 

- An angry customer writes...

I have had my new San Diego home only 3 months. I got the loan from Marina Mortgage. After 1 month, Countrywide took
These guys do not keep their promises.

- A ripped off customer writes... 

Hello,  I too am glad you have written this website, if not for you I would still be here wondering what to do and who to call.   We too did not choose Countrywide, we refinanced and they were chosen for us.  We wanted to put a small loan with our mortgage loan, we wanted them both together on one bank payment.  But Countrywide scammed us right from the start.  They put our small 15,000 loan separate, so now I have to make 2 payments each month.  Well that is not so bad, but when we wanted to tie them both together as we tried in the first place they told us our monthly payment would go up 120.00 a month on our whole big loan.  But before we were going to start the process we received a letter from Countrywide telling us that already our mortgage loan (before putting the 15,000 on with it) is already going up 120.00 a month.  We asked why? and they said, "Well your city taxes went up last year and we had to pay out of our pockets, so now you owe us"  Even though they have 16% in our reserves for such instances.  we were only short 400.00,   Adding up 120.00 a month X 12 months = 1,440.  We asked where is the rest going and they argued with my husband and I until they found out they accidentally sent out 2 insurance payments in the same week.  So now they say they are going to get it back, but still our payment each month will only go down 10.00.  We keep going round and round with why do we have to pay so much more, they have really no answer.  I have been waiting over a month now for an answer, in the meantime we have to pay that?  Each month? Doing the math does not add up:  120.00 more each month
                        =1440.00 a year extra to CountryWide
                        -   400.00 for city taxes
                        = 1040.00 left in overpayment
but overpaid Ins. +  300.00  back to our account
                        = 1340  Why do we have to pay this?  with only 10.00 off a month?  So now we pay an extra 110.00 for NO GOOD REASON!!  Now I am going to contact the numbers you have posted. and if you have any advice please email me.

- Another ripped off customer writes... I just wanted to add to the stories about Countrywide. Indeed they SUCK! My parents mortgage was sold to countrywide in late 2001. They had gone through some serious medical problems and had made payment arrangements with CWHL and had gotten their payments all caught up. One month after the mortgage was sold, countrywide told them that they could refinance at a lower rate because it was an fha loan. they went on with this deal. My parents were told to NOT send the next months payment, that it should be brought to the settlement. When my parents showed up at the settlement they found out that it was cancelled and it was never going to take place. Needless to say, now they were behind on the mortgage payments. They finally paid everything they owed up threw May, 2002. Then my dad was injured at his job. They had to wait for the disability check to come in to pay the next months payment, and told this to the mortgage company. Countrywide agreed to work with them and accepted the late payments. everything was ok until in September, 2002 dad had emergency brain surgery. Three weeks after that mom had a stroke. Countrywide again agreed to work with the payments from the insurance company. A certified check was hand delivered to countrywide and three other payments were sent to pay thru dec., 2002 Without any notification, CWHL sent the certified check and the three other payments back to mom and dad, saying that they were not the correct amounts. we went to see a lawyer. Monthly payments now go into an escrow account and hopefully FHA will handle it from here. The worst part about it is that my husband and I refinanced our mortgage in Nov. 2002. our mortgage was sold to Countrywide in Feb, 2003 YIKES. we started having problems with the first month. They don't send statements every month, they mis-post the amounts of the payments . When you call customer service, you get different ppl all the time. No one in that company knows what the other is doing. They have reported me late on my payments, which we never were. You can never get the last name of a person you are talking to on the phone. One employee there told my mother that the company is in financial distress, and they have to show a certain amount of NEW loans each month to stay in business. I believe that this is why they rip off ppl - just to stay in business. I an printing your page of letters from unhappy customers and taking it to HUD in Philadelphia. I have already reported them to the BBB in Texas and The US department of HUD. I have heard back from both and they are working on my case. maybe you should send a copy of the letters to the US Dept of HUD. Then they would know that LOTs of other ppl are affected in a dangerous way by this company. My parents are senior citizens and in ill health. they cannot afford to loose their home, and neither can anyone else. Thanks for this site. Now I know its not just us!

A pissed off CHL customer writes...I stumbled upon your website and have just spent the last hour or so breathing a sigh of relief that I am not crazy after all.  CHL lost a total of 7 checks in 4 years and charged me trumped up late fees. These fees were charged even after discovering that they posted the checks to the wrong account, or chewed up by their automatic mail opener. Now I send my payment each and every month by USPS priority mail (2-3 days) requesting a confirmation and signature receipt.  My checks have not been "lost" since.  I am still fighting the late charges they claim they would remove from my statement. I gave up the fight when they socked me with a demand for flood insurance, even though I have submitted to them proof that I am not in a flood insurance area. (Do you think Flood insurance agencies give kickbacks for these written policies?) I am so disgusted with them. I went from stellar credit to not so stellar credit due to CHL's cheating and lying business practices. I am not in a position to refinance now, but what keeps me going is that I graduate college in 9 months and they are the first thing I am getting rid of. They can kiss every square inch of my a#@!!! In the meantime I will file complaints with the contacts listed in all the previous letters. And will be the first in line if a class action suit is filed or other forms of protest are used to put an end to this shameful company. Thanks to all of the people who submitted their horror stories. You have strengthened my resolve to find ways to cover my ass. 

A disgusted customer writes... Thank you for hosting this site......I will share my problems with you about countrywide....They have ruined my credit rating.....I pay about 20 something bills a month, car payment, other mortgages, etc., in August and September of 2002, I noticed that I did not receive a bill from countrywide.  They called me and said I was late with a payment, I requested that they send me a bill, they were very rude over the phone, I know that I never received their bill, by the time I received the bill I was thirty days late. Every bill that I pay is on time except with countrywide.  I believe there was a problem with their mailing system and they never mentioned anything about it.  I could go on forever about countrywide problems. Another problem I will address is their computer network.  In may of 2003, I was trying to get a refinance to consolidate my first mortgage and countrywide the second mortgage, I found out 15 days after the due date that the refinance would not go through.  I immediately called Chase Manhattan and said that I wanted to pay the mortgage payment, which I did electronically via a check.  When I called Countrywide to pay the amount of the mortgage they insisted that I talked to an delinquency operator before I paid the mortgage, they connected me but I got lost in their network.  I called back and decided to pay the mortgage by check like I had done with Chase Manhattan.  I went through with the computer automated system.  I found out 1 month later that they do not accept payments from people that are past the due date.  One thing I notice from Countrywide is when their bills are sent relative to the due date of the mortgage, it is never consistent.  My Chase Manhattan mortgage is sent one month ahead, while countrywide mortgage bills are sent sometimes fifteen days ahead of the expected due date.  I believe it is a practice of countrywide to ruin people's credit rating especially with people who have high interest rates on their loans, so they will be unable to refinance or get loans from other banks... Thank you very much for listening to my complaint.....I believe a nationwide lawsuit must be brought against countrywide home loans, I would be glad to participate in any involvement in this.

- A screwed customer writes... Thank you for setting up this website...Countrywide needs to be taken to task for all their outlandish practices.......we have had on-going problems with this company similar to those described on this website---lost payments (which we KNOW were sent--they claimed they couldn't find.) LOST money orders which had to be traced and redone due to their incompetence.... and also our mortgage payment increased from 525.00 to over 600.00 in less than a year---we do NOT have an adjustable rate mortgage!! When I called and questioned this, I was told there was not "enough money in our escrow account to cover the charges" so CountryWide paid them for us. When I asked what charges they were referring to, they said "homeowners insurance"-- I told them I was NEVER notified that there would be an increase of any kind--they said we should have received a notice from ALLSTATE. I don't know who to talk  to about this and am at a total loss as to what to do...We finally agreed to allow them to deduct payments monthly via an automatic payroll deduction from our checking account---but I am worried they will cheat us using this option, too... we were told that the fact that our payments were continuously late was affecting our account...we had to do the payment plan several times where we were charged EXORBITANT amounts of money to catch up--AFTER THEY lost our payments--what GIVES HERE??? Can anybody advise us or include us in a class action if there will be one filed??? Hawaii seems to have no protection against these types of predatory companies---if anyone has found a GOOD mortgage company, would you please list the NAME here, so we may consider refinancing options?? COUNTRYWIDE is a LOSER COMPANY with a capitl "L"....Thanks for allowing me to get this off my chest.....

- A consumer taking action writes...

I have Senator Edwards in North Carolina working on this as well he has gotten in touch with the president of Countrywide and I have also turned them into the Department of Justice if we could get a few of the others with complaints to bombard these 2 offices we might get some results. Here is the email address to Jean Ann Wolhar [Jwolhar@ncdoj.com] at the department of justice.

- An angry customer writes... Countrywide has done the same things to me.  My payments are sent electronically from my bank account.  Last month (June 02) I called because my payment had not been posted to my account by 6/25/02.  The customer service rep contacted me on the 28th and told me that the payment had been received and would post that day or on 7/1/02.  It is now 7/15/02 and the payment still hasn't posted to my account.  I have sent e-mails and made phone calls with no help.  I have had to go through this for the past 7 months.  If there is a class action law suit, please include me.

- An upset customer writes...  I WAS SO HAPPY TO SEE ALL THE UNHAPPY PEOPLE THAT SHARE MY SENTIMENTS.  I DID NOT THINK IT WAS SO MANY PEOPLE OUT THERE THAT FELT THE WAY I DID.  MY STORY STARTED BACK IN 2001.  I FELL BEHIND IN MY PAYMENTS DUE TO A SEPARATION WITH MT SPOUSE.  I WAS HARASSED WEEKLY BY COUNTRYWIDE REPS.  THEY THREATEN ME WITH FORECLOSURE, THEY TOLD ME THAT I DID NOT CARE ABOUT MY LOAN AND ALSO REFUSED TO HEAR ANYTHING THAT I HAD TO SAY.  EVENLY I FILLED CHAPTER 13 TO SAVE MY HOME, BUT UNFORTUNATELY I GOT A BAD ATTORNEY AND WAS DISMISSED BY A VERY MEAN JUDGE.  FINALLY I WAS ABLE TO BE PUT ON A REPAYMENT PLAN WITH THE WORKOUT DEPARTMENT.  THIS WAS SIMPLY A JOKE.  DAYS BEFORE MY HOME WAS TO BE SOLD, I WAS TOLD THAT I COULD SAVE MY HOME BY PUTTING $5000.00 DOWN AND PAY $2334.00 A MONTH FOR TWELVE MONTHS.  MY NORMAL PAYMENT WAS ONLY $1126.00 A MONTH.  THEY WANTED ME TO PAY DOUBLE OR ELSE THEY WOULD SELL MY HOME.  THE REP ALSO TOLD ME THAT IF I COULD NOT PAY THIS AMOUNT, THAT I COULD POSSIBLY QUALIFY FOR A LOAN MODIFICATION IN THREE MONTHS.  Well, WE PAID THE REQUESTED AMOUNT FOR THREE MONTHS, AND FINALLY WE COULD NOT PAY THIS AMOUNT ANYMORE, SO WE CALLED COUNTRYWIDE TO ASK FOR A LOAN MODIFICATION.  I WAS TRANSFERRED TO ONE OF THE REPS THAT HAND LOAN MODIFICATION.  MY GOD, I NEVER KNEW WHAT I WAS GETTING INVOLVED WITH.  THIS LADY WAS SO RUDE THAT RUDE IT SIMPLY A GOOD WORD FOR HER.  SHE WANTED ME TO TELL HER INFORMATION THAT I HAD NO KNOWLEDGE OF, SHE TOLD ME I WAS LYING ABOUT THINGS, AS IF SHE WAS SOME TYPE OF PHYSIC.  EVENTUALLY SHE HUNG UP IN MY FACE AND THEN ACCURSED ME OF HANGING UP AND SHE ALSO PUT IT IN THE NOTES SO THAT HER SUPERVISOR WOULD BELIEVE IT.  I CALLED BACK TO MY SURPRISE AND TALKED WITH HER SUPERVISOR, WHO WAS EQUALLY RUDE AND AN ABSOLUTE JERK.  I COULD NOT BELIEVE THAT THEY HAVE PEOPLE ACTUALLY WORKING FOR THEM WITH NO HEART.  I WAD DENIED THE MODIFICATION, BASED ON NOTHING.  I WAS NEVER SENT A LETTER STATING WHY, I WAS PROMISED BY THE MANAGER THAT HE WOULD SEND ME A LETTER, BUT TO THIS DAY I HAVE NOT RECEIVED IT.  Well, TO MAKE THIS STORY SHORT.  WE WERE OFFERED A NEW PLAN AND A NEW DOWN PAYMENT FOR THE NEW PLAN.  GRANTED WE HAD ALREADY PAID BACK TWELVE THOUSAND DOLLARS, IN WHICH WE ARE STILL TRYING TO FIND OUT WHY.  THIS NEW PLAN WAS STRUCTURED BY A MR. KANDELER, WHO CLAIMED TO BE THE MANAGER.  THE DAY CAME TO SEND THE DOWN PAYMENT, AND WE WERE ONLY THREE DOLLARS SHORT OF THE AMOUNT.  THEY DID NOT WANT TO RECEIVE WHAT WE HAD AND REFUSED IT.  WE WERE FACED WITH ANOTHER SALE DATE WITHIN DAYS, SO WE HAD NOT CHOICE BUT TO FILE ANOTHER CHAPTER 13 TO STOP THE SALE.  THINKING ALL OKAY, A WEEK LATER A NOTICE WAS PUT ON OUR DOOR TO QUIT.  SHOOK AND AMAZED, I STARTED TO CRY THINK WHAT IS GOING ON.  I IMMEDIATELY CALLED COUNTRYWIDE REPAYMENT DEPARTMENT, TALK WITH A SUPERVISOR
AND SHE INFORMED ME THAT SHE WAS NOT SURE WHAT WAS GOING ON AND TO CALL BACK TOMORROW TO THE BANKRUPTCY DEPARTMENT.  THE NEXT DAY I TALKED WITH THE BANKRUPTCY DEPARTMENT, THEY DID SOME INVESTIGATION AND SAID THAT THEY WOULD GET BACK TO ME.  MEAN WHILE THE COMPANY THAT BOUGHT THE HOUSE WAS ANGRY AND DISAPPOINTED.  I TOO WAS VERY UPSET.  THE FOLLOWING I RECEIVED A CALL THAT SAID THE SALE WAS VALID. I JUST COULD NOT BELIEVE THIS, I NEVER STOP THINKING I WAS GOING TO WALK AWAY THAT EASY.  THE NEXT DAY I CALLED JUST TO ASK A QUESTION AND WAS TOLD THE SURPRISE OF MY LIFE, THAT HAD OVERTURNED THE SALE AND PROPERLY PUT MY LOAN IN THE FORECLOSURE DEPARTMENT. YOU JUST CAN'T AMAZED
THE FEEL I HAD.  I JUST THOUGHT GOD WIN AGAIN.  RECENTLY I DROOPED OUT OF
BANKRUPTCY AND WANTED TO REDO MY PAYMENT PLAN, I WAS TOLD BY THE VP THAT BECAUSE I FILED BK, THAT HE WAS NOT GOING TO GIVE ME ANOTHER PAYMENT PLAN, AND TO SALE MY HOME, BECAUSE I COULDN'T AFFORD IT.  WHAT A THING TO TELL SOMEONE WHEN THEY TRIED SO HARD TO SAVE THERE HOME.  I BELIEVE THAT THEY WERE ANGRY THAT THE SALE ON MY HOME WAS INVALID.  THIS IS THE WORST COMPANY IN HISTORY.  THEY HAVE NO COMPASSION, THEY LACK PEOPLE SKILLS, INTEGRITY, SELF CONTROL, WILLINGNESS TO HELP IN TIMES OF NEED AND THEY LIE SO MUCH THAT YOU CAN'T BELIEVE ANYTHING THEY SAY.  I PRAY THAT WE CAN ALL COME TOGETHER AND SUE THE HELL OUT OF COUNTRYWIDE. IF ANYONE FEELS LIKE ME PLEASE WRITE ME AT hDESIGNERCORNER@AOL.COM.  I AM CURRENTLY LOOKING FOR A NEW LOAN, I HAVE ANOTHER SALE DATE ON MY HOME FOR AUG 29.2002.

- A grateful consumer writes...  Thanks Countrywide is a company that my husband found. I thought that I would check it out on the net. I' am so glad that I did, I don't need a home problem, I need a home loan.

- A frustrated customer writes... I was legally separated in Aug. 1992, and divorced in the fall of 1995.  In Dec. 1994, I purchased a home in Charlotte, NC, in my own name with no co-signers, with Countrywide as the lender.  I sold the home in Jan. 1997, and paid off the loan. I bought another house in Florida in Oct. '97, and my credit report showed that I had defaulted on the loan on the NC house, and that it had been put into foreclosure.  After several conversations, Countrywide told the new lender that the account was cleared, and told me that they would get it straightened out with the credit bureau. In June '99, I sold the FL house, moved to SC, and started to buy another house, only to find that Countrywide still showed me as having defaulted and gone through foreclosure on the NC house.  So, I went through the whole process again. After numerous letters to virtually everyone except God, it finally got straightened out on my credit report. In 2001, I started dating my ex-husband who happened to ask me about a default and foreclosure on his credit report to a company called "Countrywide"! In short, not only did it take Countrywide several years to show my loan
as paid off - instead of defaulted and foreclosed - it's now showing up unfavorably on my ex-husband's credit record, and he never had any involvement in the house AT ALL!  And Countrywide says that he's going to have to prove that he didn't own it because their records indicate that he did, my paperwork doesn't count (I guess they think I'm protecting him from
something), and he has no way to "prove" he never owned it or had any financial responsibility for it. And now, to add insult to injury, I recently refinanced the current house,
and the new lender promptly sold the loan to Countrywide!!!  Yikes!!!

- A helpful consumer writes...I was just looking at my notification that my refinancing loan has been sold to CW, and there's a paragraph or 2 on the back of the page called" Borrower's Rights".  It says: "...the following information, which is set out in the more detail on Section 6 of the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA) (12 U.S.C. 2605):During the 60-day period following the effective date of the transfer of the loan servicing, a loan payment received by your old servicer before its due date may not be treated by the new loan servicer as late, and a late fee may not be imposed on you.

Section 6 of RESPA (12 U.S.C. 2605) gives you certain consumer rights.  If you send a "qualified written request" to your service concerning the servicing of your loan, your service must provide you with a written acknowledgement within 20 Business Days of receipt of your request.  A "qualified written request" is a written correspondence, other than notice on your payment coupon or other payment medium supplied by the service, which includes your name and account number, and your reasons for the request.  ... it must be sent to: Countrywide Home Loans, Inc. Customer Service Correspondence SV314B, P.O. Box 06170, Simi Valley, CA 93062-5170.

Not later that 60 Business Days after receiving your request, your servicer must make any appropriate corrections to your account, and provide you with a written clarification regarding any dispute.   During this 60-Business-Day period, your servicer may not provide information to a consumer reporting agency concern any overdue payment related to such period or qualified written request.  However, this does not prevent the servicer from initiating foreclosure if proper grounds exist under the mortgage documents".

A sentence that says: a Business Day is a day on which offices are open, and then: " Section 6 of RESPA also provides for damages and costs for individuals or classes of individuals in circumstances where servicers are sown to have violated the requirements of that Section.  You should seek legal advice if you believe your rights have been violated."

Sounds to me like most of the people who have written to you are well within their rights and entitlement to file suit and receive damages and compensation.  Also, for those who CW foreclosed on, CW would have to document that they had "proper grounds", which they wouldn't if they had lost their own documentation.

- An ex-employee writes...Hi there. Countrywide does indeed suck. I am a former Countrywide employee. Well, I was a temp there anyway. I worked there as a temp for 9 months, repeatedly asked for an application to be an actual employee and was denied. Here's the dirt: For years, they had very low level employees (who were called "stampers" and "signers") signing official documents with someone else's (one of the higher level employees that couldn't be bothered wasting their time signing papers themselves...) signature. They had papers with samples of the signatures on the wall to be sure they were copied exactly. A friend of mine still works there, and she is forced to do "mandatory overtime" almost everyday, meaning 2-3 hours of overtime Monday through Friday, and 8 hours overtime on Saturday (and occasionally 6-8 hours on Sunday). The management sets certain ridiculous goals on the dollar amount of loans that must be processed every month. This makes management look good while the hard-working employees are treated like dirt. The employees in the department in which my friend works were forced to sign a form agreeing to do the overtime whenever it was demanded. If they did not sign this form, they were threatened with termination of their employment. I just wanted to let the customers know that for the most part, it sucks on the inside too. Thanks for listening...

- An angry customer writes... Like everyone else posting here, first let me thank you for your site!!! I too thought we were the exception, not what is apparently the rule! We purchased our home in Jan.99', & you already know who our finance co. is. At closing, we were told (and I have the letter) what our payments would be for the next 30 yrs. at a fixed rate of 6.875%.Well,all was well for the first year and that's when it started. After the first year they apparently reviewed our escrow and discovered that they had made a mistake and had figured our taxes wrong, thus escrow negative balance and higher payment. I too spent many hours on the phone apparently talking to the wall (for all the response I got) and finally just gave up & started the higher payments. So far this has happened almost every year, snowballing since the first incident & all totaled our house payment has gone from 429.00 to 674.00 in just three years! I have even begged them to tell me what I would have to pay into the escrow to get our payments back to where they were & they told me point blank they would never be there again. I f this keeps up we WILL LOOSE OUR HOME because of what was their mistake in the first place! Unfortunately due to a recent near fatal car accident my husband was in now our credit will not allow refinancing. If anyone out there is even considering using C.W., I beg you, DON'T DO IT!!! Also, if anyone has any ideas on legal recourse, I would love to hear them.

 

- A ripped off customer writes... 

  I am not a customer of Countrywide (CW), but I do work as a subcontractor for them.  I started my own construction company in 01 and started doing bids for CW.  I was approved for two bids in Sep 01.  I completed both jobs within three weeks.  I was supposed to be paid for the work within 2-4 weeks, 6 weeks tops.  Needless to say both properties were sold two months after completion and I still had not gotten paid.  It took an additional 45 days for them to pay me what was due.
 
  I also completed another property for them at the end of Feb 02, that was over 4 months ago and I still have not received that money either.  I just would like to know why they will start foreclosure proceedings on someone who is thirty days late, but take up to 4+ months to pay their own bills. 
 
  I did take this problem to my lawyer who stated that I should put a lien against the property for my services and materials.  So that when the property closes they have to pay me.  I took this idea to the real office who handles and submits my bids.  They stated that I have to sign a lien waiver in order to get the bid, which eliminates me from putting lien against the property.  They really have some sleazy lawyers working for them.
 

- An angry customer writes... I can not believe I found this site!! I was actually looking up the corporate number for them in Illinois!! After reading all the horror stories in your site i to am fed up with them and i was going to refinance with them. I actually originally started my home loan with them in 2001. One of there branch managers was a friend of my husband and we went to her for our  home loan. She slacked of a little but finally we closed our deal. I can say I did all the initial calls and was pissed about that. After being with them for about 2 months my mortgage was sold, thank god for that or I would probably be in the same boat as everyone else. We recently decided to refinance again and give the once branch manager now loan officer a 2nd chance. BIG MISTAKE !!!! The refinance started off okay but again i was doing the initial calling. After finally getting the appraisal done, i tried reaching the loan officer (remember a friend of my husband). I left several messages with her at the office and on her cell phone, come to find out she is on vacation. The appraisal and all my information is some where and i was told we would close by the next week per this person at the beginning on the month. I called the branch manager (who didn't know her a## from the whole in the ground) who said there is no file for me just my name in the computer and now they can't find my file with my whole identity in it ( stubs, social sec #,tax forms ect..). The branch manager tells me they will do everything possible to close me at the end of the month but can not guarantee it. I again give them everything they need to start a new file. This was 2 days ago. I am to the point where if i did not have any answers by tomorrow they can kiss my a## good bye!!! oh by the way the loan officer friend of my husband never called me back do you think she felt stupid that i found out that she lost my folder? I think she lied to me and never was prepared to close this loan. They are incompetent liars, and think there shit don't stink when you walk in there office. I GOT NEWS FOR THEM IT DOES!!!! THANKS TO THIS WEB SITE I WILL NOT BE DOING BUSINESS WITH THEM NOW OR IN THE FUTURE

- An angry customer writes... Anyone else want to go after Countrywide Home Loans under the RICO Act? Countrywide Home Loans has erroneously recorded payment information, ignoring requests for corrections of forwarding addresses on statements, changing facts of records, relaying false information to the consumer/client which misleads and misrepresents accounting causing the foreclosure and subsequent auction sale of my home.   I was paying my mortgage payments to Countrywide Home Loans as directed by the courts and my attorney pursuant to our Ch. 13 plan.  Eight months into this plan, I had to appear in court because Countrywide Home Loans filed a Notice of Motion and Motion for Relief From Automatic Stay of the bankruptcy.  This means they had filed a complaint with the courts that I was not paying as agreed (8 payments remain unpaid?).     While in court, we were told by the attorney of Countrywide Home Loans (via telephone/televised teleconference) that if we faxed copies of cancelled checks, providing proof of on-time payments, he would get back with us and reconsider the motion, and we agreed.  Within a few days I was able to get back copies of all my cancelled checks and took them to my attorney.  While in my attorney's office, we were told by the attorney at Countrywide Home Loans that his work-load was overwhelming, after reviewing the file and cancelled checks he would get back with us as soon as he could.     Next, April 20th (Saturday) in regular mail (not certified, etc.), my attorney and I receive an "Order Granting Motion for Relief From Automatic Stay".  We called Countrywide's Foreclosure Dept. and we were told that our home was sold at auction the previous day.  Because I demanded the customer service person double-check with someone else, i.e.. a supervisor, she did speak with a technical person who handled these cases.  Within minutes I was told by this same customer service person that it was an error and the sale was not valid, but to check back within a few days, the tech's require our follow-up if we want this fixed in a timely manner.  Two days later, another customer service rep from Countrywide left a message on my answering machine, "the sale was valid".  Since then I have also been told by the Work-Out Dept. that it was noted in our file, "the sale is being rescinded".  Since then this same person has read in our file, that another Countrywide employee noted that April and May 2002 payments were not made. Most recently I've been told that it was also noted in our file that our first three payments, since the Bankruptcy, hadn't been made.     NOW COUNTRYWIDE HAS OUR DOCUMENTED CANCELLED CHECKS PROVIDING HARD EVIDENCE THEY RECEIVED PAYMENTS ON-TIME. To make a long story short, we have received an Unlawful Detainer; in other words- remove all personal property from the property and get out, or face further legal action.  I filed and answer to the Unlawful Detainer, but time is running out.  Next I believe I need to file an action to Quiet Title, which would include a Lis Pendens and other appropriate causes of action.  NOT ONE PERSON at COUNTRYWIDE HOME LOANS is sure what is fact or fiction about our situation.  We desperately are in need of a resolution. If anyone else has experienced similar circumstances with Countrywide Home Loans, PLEASE CONTACT ME IMMEDIATELY.  I will jump at the opportunity to join a class action lawsuit, or find the attorney to start one.

- A screwed customer writes...If only I'd known how desperate this company was to possess my lakeside property, I would have declared bankruptcy!! Got my "get out" notice this weekend.  I had lost my job last August (2001).  Acquired  part time (temporary) work until Nov.11, 2001.  I was blessed with a very good job.  I  thought they were "working" with me.  As of April, my statement said I owed $4600.  At that time, they asked me if I had any money to put towards the payment.  I told them : $3000.  Their employee in Texas said to fax them a copy of a "cashier's check" made out to "Countrywide".  I faxed them that information and other documents that I had previously mailed to them.  I had an additional payment to be mailed to them the next week.  That would add up to $4000, after which, I would have owed $650.  On April 17th, They told me to complete a "financial" report that I may receive assistance from HUD (?).  I did everything they asked of me...My documents proved that I could afford my home.  It is only in afterthought that I ask myself:  Why did they send me those papers which only served to push me past foreclosure?  I worked overtime to acquire that money. " My time with my children was limited 'cause I was working overtime.  My son graduates from high school May 25th.  I was so wrapped up in solving my housing dilemma that it is a shock to me that graduation is Saturday.  Tomorrow, my attorney and I will begin fighting eviction.  When I called asking questions about the foreclosure, I was given the run a round.  They told me that HUD was the only place who could handle my dilemma.  I called and that was when I woke up ...It was too late. "Ma'am," the representative said, "After the foreclosure of your home, the house goes back to Countrywide---we don't have anything to do with it.  They told you that to get you off the phone.  There is nothing at this point that we can do to help you and there is nothing that you can do."  I hung up the phone, called Countrywide, got forwarded to a very nasty man who told me that "Anyway, the house has been sold---sold the first day of resale.  The sheriff will be knocking on your door to evict you, any day!!!" .(Of course, you know that I accused Countrywide for working their plan to acquire my property for their own gain.) They stand to make a good profit from it.  I intend to fight this situation "tooth and nail".  It wasn't as though I didn't pay my mortgage before the loss of my job.  There's a heck of a lot more to this story...but I just want others to take heed:   DISTANCE YOURSELF AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE FROM COUNTRYWIDE------BEFORE THEY DISTANCE YOU!!!!! it's BEEN A NIGHTMARE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And guess who purchased the property!!! Countrywide, of course....

- A former employee writes... 

I worked for those "people" the longest ANYONE in the branch had - two and a half LONG years - they DO NOT treat their employees well - so I can just imagine re: Customer Service.  I worked seventeen hours days, seven days a WEEK.  Yes I made overtime but it took about ten years off my life.  I hope everyone wakes up and gets them OUT of their life - one way or another .

- A disgusted customer writes... As I write this I am on hold with a Countrywide representative. After refinancing last November, I was told Countrywide had already paid my property taxes that were due on September 9, 2002. I received a letter for the tax commissioner eight weeks stating that a lien was going to be placed on my house on the 15th if the taxes were not paid in full including over $500 in late fees. When I contacted CW, the representative told me a letter was mailed informing me it was my responsibility to pay the taxes. He assured me a duplicate letter would be sent to me right away. Never got it... Every time I call to get a copy of the letter I am placed on hold for over thirty minutes until I hang up. In the meantime, I can't get any answers about if my taxes were paid or not.

Has anyone else had a problem with their taxes not being paid? I am disgusted and am thrilled to have found your web site.

- A ripped off customer writes... I have been paying online for quite sometime where my bank would send the payment electronically to Countrywide. All of a sudden Countrywide claimed they did not receive the Feb 2002 payment. When confronted by me and the bank they said they will do research which would take two weeks to find out what happened to the payment. Come March 2002 with no resolution to the Feb 2002 payment problem. This time Countrywide claimed that the March 2002 payment was not received either and they will also do the same useless research. Meanwhile my bank has been
working with Countrywide sending them pertinent evidence of payment. After two missing payments I decided to hand carry a full monthly payment check to one of their local payment centers on April 16 just on time to avoid paying the late charge (so I thought). On May 7, 2002 I received my May 2002 mortgage bill with a late charge of 10% because the May 2002 bill falsely claims that they received the April 2002 payment on April 17, 2002. Now would you call that honest or sleazy? They are a bunch of slick operators. The Receipt that they provide in their local payment office, Branch #5?, are in triplicate that contains spaces for Loan No., Payment Amount and Today's Date. Notice they do not have any space for Countrywide people to sign for receiving the payment. Did their lawyers advise them to design a receipt so they won't be answerable to anyone or are these some of their arsenal of devices to rip off the trusting, the innocent and the naive to generate late charges to buttress the company bottom line  thru fraud, deceit and whatever  else they can get away with. These people don't seem to run out of seamy ideas. Let me know if anybody has started a class action suit against these fraudsters or of any lawyers who can help or anyone or group who are effective against this monster.

- A very angry customer writes... They tricked me about a refinance a couple years ago and forced me into bankruptcy.   Then charged me $4000 for an attorney to “review” my file while I was waiting for refinance paperwork (which never came). Their latest stunt is to file against me in state court claiming I haven’t made payments for 5 months.  Funny, their own end of year statement filed for taxes with the Federal government shows payments made every month! So, who are they lying to:  the State government or the Federal government.  If there is any way to take legal action against
this company PLEASE count me in. 

- An angry customer writes...I too have a loan with countrywide. Like many of the other people on your site countrywide has lost close to 5 thousand dollars of my payments and will not take credit for there mistake. Now I'm going through a foreclosure because of them. If you or anybody you know has a class action suit against them please let me know. Thank you for the web site I thought I was crazy before I found the site and read what was happening to other people it all sounds so familiar.

- A ripped off veteran writes... You may have read our story on the rip-off report called countrywide is destroying our lives. Our story is not like anyone I've read on your web site. Not only have the ruined us financially, there taking our home, and they just may take my husbands life.
Countrywide does loans for the VA, they are mandated to follow VA regulations and Federal Law when doing a veterans loan. One of things they have to do is review the appraisal and other reports to make sure the home is safe, structurally sound and sanitary. If it's not the home can't go VA. Well, are was not, but they didn't tell, nor did they provide us with the reports so we could have known. They let us buy an unsafe home for their own profit. Well, we can't sell the home, it might be condemned as it's not structurally sound. We are in foreclosure because we had to put $35,000.00 into repairs not covered by insurance. Countrywide knew the home needed these repairs. We couldn't pay our mortgage and fix the house at the same time. Know their going to take our home and get their money that their not entitled to, as the loan isn't even valid under VA regulations. My husband has a life threatening illness, and the stress of all this mess has made his immune system so week, he's in the hospital fighting for his life. Please read my report on the rip-off report you can post it on your website if you want. Also I have a petition that if I can get enough people to sign, I might get some recourse. And it will cost countrywide a lot of money as I've heard they violate VA regulations all the Time. Please read it and if you will sign it and have everyone you know sign it.

- A new customer writes... 

What a great site. Thank you for posting it. I have dealt with Countywide for over a year now. Eleven months ago they used my escrow to pay somebody else's r/e taxes, which were delinquent for two years totaling over $4,500. Their taxes had nothing to do with me. Ten months ago they raised my monthly payments to recover my escrow account, which they spent illegally. Numerous letters and phone calls by me go completely ignored by CW. They lie and keep you on hold then just ignore you. They told me to go to my local taxing authority and get my money back! They are a joke - that will pay. Good luck with your class action case.

- A disgusted customer writes... I am so glad that I found your website. You wont believe this but a CW employee told me about it. I guess she is fed up too. I am in the mist of a refinance with them right now, they hold my mortgage and told me to do a refinance to get rid of the PMI. Found out that they were paying someone else's taxes with my escrow money and it took 3 months and a call to Clark Howard's radio show to get that part of it worked out. Clark was madder than heck on those people! Anyway, I finally get the paperwork to close and it is all wrong! They are a mess over there, they shuffle your file from one person to the next and no one has any power to make any decisions. I hate CW too and told my friend (who is purchasing a new home) to stay away from them at all costs!!!!!!!!!!

- A very angry customer writes... 

I  am very angry with Countrywide home Loans.
I need to be included in the Class action law Suit against this company.
They are the ENRON of the Real-estate industry.
By pulling my property out of escrow and selling it to their buddies, this company robed me of over $65,000 dollars.

- An unhappy customer writes... Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I thought I was the only one!  I have had nothing but problems with these a@#holes too! Please let me know if you find out of any class action lawsuits, especially in regards to them charging bogus late fees and misappropriating payments.  I would love to participate. In addition, you and the other victims should know that you can file complaints on the Federal Trade Commission's website at www.ftc.gov --- although the Commission does not act on behalf of individual complaints, if they receive enough similar complaints they will investigate and possibly revoke Countrywide's licenses. 

- A grateful consumer writes... I stumbled upon your site by accident, and now I'm really glad I found it.  I live in McLean, Virginia and there is a CHL there.  Luckily, my husband and I do not have a loan with them and my condolences to everyone who does.  You are to be commended for performing a real public service and I will tell everyone I know about your site.  This is the only way consumers have to protect themselves and bring any sort of consequences to bear on horrible companies like CHL.