OKLAHOMA CITY — We’ve warned you about mortgage modification scams before.
Mandy Aldrich is one of the newest victims.
She says she’s out $2700.
The single mom is tough as nails and raising four daughters on her own.
Their dad was killed 8 years ago in a motorcycle accident.
To make things easier on the family, Mandy wanted to refinance her home.
She says National Servicing Center targeted her family by mail and promised to lower their monthly mortgage payments in exchange for up-front fees.
“The way it was said to me was they were the actual people who were going to be closing the loan, refinancing the loan,” she said.
National Servicing Center of Santa Ana, California failed miserably to get Mandy a loan modification.
To add insult to injury she says they instructed her to stop making her mortgage payments, which made their loan delinquent.
Mandy didn’t know whether or not she was going to lose her home.
There’s more bad news.
Mandy sent them her tax returns and other personal documents.
“The girls receive social security income from their dad passing away,” she said. “They have all that information.”
Christy Cash of Consumer Credit Counseling of Central Oklahoma says there’s no reason to pay someone to negotiate your modification. Her office offers the same service for free.
“If you get a letter in the mail from something that says special provision or stimulus or from the office of President Obama or the White House or government, you should beware.
It is illegal for a company that provides mortgage relief services to charge upfront fees.
They shouldn’t collect a dime, until after you receive and approve a legit written offer from your lender.
Mandy dipped into her savings and is working with her lender to get her loan caught up.
She recently got engaged and says she’s really excited about the future.
We’re still waiting to hear back from National Servicing Center about Mandy’s refund.
Back here at home there are a number of HUD certified non-profits that provide free modification assistance for families:
Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Central OK
Neighborhood Housing Service of Oklahoma City
Legal Aid Services of Oklahoma
