First Trust Title and Escrow

Review: I am seeking a your assistance in obtaining a refund for escrow fees due to repeated lack of performed services and poor performance and unresolved issues regarding the above referenced escrow. Please refund $550.00 Settlement Closing fee due to the negligent and incompetent handling of my loan refinancing.

** TRANSACTION DETAILS **

Escrow Number: **-[redacted]

File Number: [redacted]

Loan Number: [redacted]

Property Address: [redacted]

Mailing Address: [redacted] 89448

** PEOPLE INVOLVED OR ESCALATED TO SINCE JANUARY **

• [redacted], Processor

• [redacted], Escrow Officer

• [redacted], Processing Manager

• [redacted]

• [redacted]

• [redacted]

** PROBLEMS PRIOR TO CLOSING OF THE DOUCMENT SIGNING **

• Delays in signing due to at least TWO rounds or erroneous documents and missed three scheduled loan document signings – Quality and Competence Issues

• Documents created erroneously with my husband as deed owner. This was and is my sole property – Quality and Liability Issue.

• Documents included a HELOC payoff document when I did not have a previous HELOC – Quality Issues

• Erroneously collected and double paid the property taxes – Quality and Competency Issues

• I funded the escrow account with my funds to cover the closing 5 days in advance via Wire – First Title however, the escrow company couldn’t seem to find the funds – Quality, Competence and Impropriety issues.

** PROBLEMS DURING THE DOCUMENT SIGNING ON 01/04/2013 **

• Documents prepared with wrong postal mailing address. [redacted] does not have mail delivery to homes. Residents in the local area area are required to have a USPS provided PO Box

• I personally had to rush 3rd set of updated documents for the notary to print

** PROBLEMS AFTER THE DOCUMENT SIGNING **

• First Title realized that they neglected to create and include a Trust Certification document – Quality and Competence (even though I questioned the need for this document 10 days prior to closing and was told it was not required).

• Interrupted our International vacation in Asia to find a way to print, sign and return the Trust Certification via FedEx within 24 hours. I incurred hotel fees to try to print and send this documentation.

• Closing and Payoff of the old loan unnecessarily delayed – I had TWO loans accruing interest for 7 days and no one could explain why – Competency Issue

• Never received the original signed grant deed back despite [redacted]s reassurances that it was “still at the county waiting to be mailed back” - I personally went to the county registrar’s office to research the issue (since First Title would not) and found out that the Deed was electronically recorded and the paper original was never presented to them – Competency Issue

• Escrow refund checks delayed due to wrong address – Sent to Street Address and NOT PO Box – Quality and Competency Issues

• Had to request a copy of the signed documents via PDF – Not automatically provided after closing as previously requested – Follow though Issues

• Emails and Conversations with First Title to resolve issues unproductive – Double Talk – Everyone had a different story – Quality and Competency Issues

• First Title incapable of reading and responding to a “multi-point” email – Would focus on one point and ignore the rest – Quality, Competence and Negligent Disregard for DetailDesired Settlement: I am seeking a your assistance in obtaining a refund for escrow fees due to repeated lack of performed services and poor performance and unresolved issues regarding the above referenced escrow. Please refund $550.00 Settlement Closing fee due to the negligent and incompetent handling of my loan refinancing.

Business

Response:

November 1, 2013 c/o [redacted]

Revdex.com of Metro Washington DC and Eastern Pennsylvania

1411 K Street, NW, 10th floor Washington, DC 20005-3404

RE: Complaint

Dear [redacted]. [redacted]s,

I am writing to you in response to the letter dated October 28th, 2013. Regarding the complaint from [redacted], whom is not a party to the transaction. He is the husband of the borrower [redacted]. [redacted]. [redacted] communicated on every thought. We communicated back to her immediately with all information pertaining to the closing transactions. Her property was in TRUST and as part of the transaction a Deed had to be done to transfer from Trust to her personally. The Deed was recorded and the clerk did not return the Deed to her. We paid for a Certified True copy and sent it to the borrower. We will refund her back the funds requested, however I want to make it clear that closing delay was the lender not our company, the funds sent to the correct company she thought were lost were never lost, the taxes were the requirement of the lender and were not paid at the time of closing therefore collected, her complaints are not

valid.

I have outlined the complaints and answers below.

([redacted]) we’ve reviewed the allegations and have found the following:

Complaint 1: Delays in signing due to at least two rounds of erroneous documents and missed three scheduled loan document signings. Documents created erroneously with my husbands as deed owner.

Answers: This was all lender error. We do not prepare the lenders package and had provided correct title work in order for the lender to prepare their package therefore we were not responsible for the document preparation being done incorrectly.

Review: Documents included a HELOC payoff letter when I did not have a previous HELOC.

Answers: This is a title document that prints in our batch set for our closings and to remove it when we batched in the PDF the documents to the closer. It was blank and just needed to be disregarded. This was not done intentionally and we knew she didn’t have an existing HELOC.

Review: Erroneously collected and double paid the property taxes.

Answer: Taxes were paid per [redacted] County 01/07/13 and our settlement date was 01/04/13.

So her tax payment was posted to the tax account 3 days after closing. We had to collect the payment since there was no evidence of payment received by the county as this is the on the lenders instructions as a requirement. We of course were able to refund her once we had proof that payment had been posted to her account.

Review: I funded the escrow account with my funds to cover the closing 5 days in advance via wire however the escrow company couldn’t seem to find the funds.

Answer: The borrower sent funds to our Nevada escrow vendor as requested by our title processor Client was asking our office in [redacted] if we have received her funds and we had not since they were not sent to us. We advised the client that the funds were with Placer title and [redacted] was the contact. Funds were never lost for 5 days.

Review: Document prepared with wrong postal mailing address.

Answer: Processor advised Placer Escrow Company to prepare deed according to the client’s instructions and apparently they missed the information for the return to address adjustment.

Review: First Title neglected to include the Trust Certification document with the closing package.

Answer: [redacted]. [redacted] who had immediately left for Asia after the signing so there was a delay in reaching her and receiving the document back. We corrected as soon as we could.

Review: Closing and payoff of old loan delayed.

Answer: Placer Escrow Company would not fund until the Trust Certification document was received. This was explained to [redacted]. [redacted] thoroughly and the delay was on her end as she went in Asia right after closing.

Review: Never received original signed grant deed back.

Answer: Placer title recorded this Deed of Trust online with the county. [redacted]. [redacted] was provided this information and multiple true certified copies from the clerk’s office and from Placer.

Review: Escrow refunds Check delayed:

Answer: Checks came from Placer Escrow Company not our company.

Review: Had to request a copy of signed documents.

Answer: A copy was sent to settlement but a new package was sent to closing to be printed due to lender errors so our copy package was no longer needed. New copies were requested before settlement was complete so we weren’t given the opportunity to send as we had already to do so after settlement.

Review: First Title gave her double talk and could not respond to multi point email

Answer: We all gave the client a clear and precise response every time we received an email. In every email we answered all questions pertaining to her needs and what we were handling. We could not respond on behalf of the Nevada Escrow Company nor the Lenders office which we stated multiple times to her and she had everyone’s contact. Placer responded to her many times as well. Everyone else involved answered her questions timely and to the best of our ability. After every response she would not acknowledge the information provided and would email back the same questions. She repeatedly told us what we all had done wrong but she had everyone’s roles mixed up so there was a clear lack of understanding on her part. There were over 16 emails to her from our office with document copies which we had to send repeatedly because she continued to ask for them after we have already sent.

Sincerely,