Stearns Lending LLC

They are terrible to work with We are in the process of building a home but the closing of the house had to be pushed back because the house wouldn't be done in timeThey would not extend our rate lock and refused to refund us the $We spoke to another bank about our experience and they couldn't believe it This other bank that we spoke to extends rate locks all the time and they do not charge to do so Also, Stearns does NOT offer the lowest interest ratesIt's shocking that they would rather lose our business than to work with us when a house completion is out of our handsDo your research people before you sign on to a lender We did not properly do our research and now we are kicking ourselves! Do not do business with them!

*** *** of Stearns Lending out of Lewisville, TX (972) 521-is a no good lying SOB and Stearns should get rid of himI recently retired from the military and wanted to relocate back to TX where my wife is fromWe ask for a pre approval letter to purchase a new home and per *** we were pre approved for the home we wantedOnce we already left our current home in another state, come to find out everything was not okay when arrived in TXNow me my wife and young daughters are having to live out a hotelWhy because *** lied about the entire processI'm sure glad that I've given many years to my country to be treat like crap by *** *** and Stearns Lending LLCIf you're looking to purchase a home dont use Stearns Lending use someone else or you will end up homeless like myself and family

BEWARE!!!! This company embodies the worst and ugliest side of corporate AmericaI have had so many issues with them and I have done everything I can to work with them butI am reaching a breaking point
First, they send out mortgage payments late- they do!! So when I got to make a payment I have like a day or two and as someone with my own small business I am a busy person and I know to value my clients time and allow for them to make payments to me with ample timeNot with StearnsAnd fyi I have never been late with a payment, everSecond and most infuriating of all- you cannot pay towards your principal online, thats not an option so you HAVE to send it by mailAlso, when you do send anything towards principal even if you select "ADDITIONAL FOR PRINCIPAL" they do not apply it towards principalAnd forget about getting someone online to sort it out, they start bringing up payments from months ago to refresh your memory? Like what is that about yes I paid those and???? They are so infuriating and are only good at making your experience a nightmareI am looking into legal recourse at this time incase my particular issue needs to be escalated into the courts hands
Recommendations for those stuck with Stearns- keep a binder with copies of each monthly payment in chronological orderKeep copies of your checks you have sent them with the pay stub and always, and I do mean always, if you must call them write down the date time of call and the name and number of the Agent

We got a mortgage from Stearns Lending starting in JulyWe immediately arranged auto payments and everything was always on timeIn August, we received paperwork saying Stearns is transferring the management of our mortgage to ***, and beginning with October we should pay ***We knew this is how they did business so we were preparedConnected, got our mortgage payment arranged with *** well in advance of due datesCome October, *** withdrew the mortgage but so did StearnsAfter long calls with both and our bank (and Stearns asking for documents that they have mailed us themselves) we finally got our money back, but we again received paperwork from Stearns saying our payment was returned so now we owed them the mortgage amount + feesCalled, again, they acted all surprised and said to ignore the letterSpecifically wanted them to check with their system to prevent future issues, they were adamant all was taken care ofToday, I got an alert from my credit score tr

horrible company, horrible costumer service,terrible people working , they don't know how to handle a costumer, bad experience with this company,

Horrible

We are responding to the complaint filed against Stearns Lending by *** *** with your agency. Mr*** alleges that after sending documents numerous times that support that his Homestead had been accepted, his taxes have not been loweredWe have contacted LoanCare, the
sub-servicer of Mr***’s loan to assist with this responseLoanCare’s records show that Mr*** contacted them on January 20, via telephone to inform them that he was approved for a tax exemption. He was instructed to provide LoanCare with a copy of his exemption documents so that their records could be updated. Mr*** forwarded the email he received indicating that he was approved for an exemption; however he did not provide the documents. A return email was sent to Mr*** advising that no attachment was received with his requestOn February 5, 2016, Mr*** sent another email following up on the tax adjustment; again the email did not provide the supporting documentation previously requestedLoanCare’s tax department confirmed with the county on February 10, that the taxes were lowered to $4,for the taxes; therefore the tax line was adjusted to this amount until the tax bill is issued. LoanCare received an email on February 17, which included Mr***’s Estimated Tax Calculation statement (attached). The document indicates that the figures are estimates only and that they will most likely change. An escrow analysis was completed on April 8, 2016. The analysis revealed an escrow shortage in the amount of $78.14. The payment effective April 1, was adjusted to $1,Escrow is based on either the current bill or past amount paid for escrowed items. LoanCare is unable to adjust the escrow based on an estimation from the county. Once the actual tax bill is issued and should the amount be higher, the borrower’s escrow account would have a shortageTell us why here

I would not recommend Stearns LendingYou can not get a response from anyone, email or phone They run you through all the hoops and then start all overI have sent all requested info only to have them request it a second and third timeI am so fed up with them I am ready to give up and go elsewhere

My husband and I purchased a house in June of using a VA home loanMy husband had only recently went through the VA disability evaluation and were not VA funding fee exempt at that timeRegardless we closed on the house and made the monthly payments as expectedWe then sold the house in January 2016, but then discovered that Stearns had reported us having consecutive 30-day late payments for November 2015, December and January We have brought this up with the company and they have brushed us off saying that it wasn't a problem with Stearns/Loancare, but a problem with our bank ***WE have stopped fighting that claim because we figured it would cost too many resources and Stearns/Loancare was unwilling to help
Before we closed on selling the house we got back my husband's VA funding fee exempt letter and submitted it around the same time we requested the payoff amountLoancare didn't get back with it until after we had closed on selling the house and the am

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID***, and have since received a check for the overage I find that this resolution satisfactory to me and consider this complaint resolved.
Thank you for acting on this matter urgently
Regards,
*** ***

Run....don't use this company if you want to preserve your health and your sanityThey have the worst customer service!
I had to declare bankruptcy after serious lengthy medical issuesBut I reaffirmed my mortgage with these jokers and so I thought things would finally be ok It has been a year nowThe proceeding has been formally closed for mosAnd Stearns still doesnt send statements and they are reporting my payments as "irregular"Plus my mortgage is being reported as DISCHARGED to the credit bureausAll I get from so called "customer service" is the runaroundNobody has answersThey want my payments and I am glad to give themBut please dont treat me like I'm invisible

Rating 1/star...that is being generousThis firm was my primary mortgage holder until they sold the loan to another mortgage companyIn doing so, they DID NOT identify the new loan number, type of payments acceptable to the new company nor the waiver period should things go wrongWe sent our payment in on time as instructed in our letter and the new company has NO clue where the payment is...we have always sent payments via electronic service via our bank but this new company does NOT accept electronic payment - do you see the picture yet? We have spent hours of our time talking to two different companies and NO ONE can find the payment and its way to late to cancel the paymentDO NOT do business with fly by night companies like stearns or ANY of their affiliates...you will rue the day you do

Incompetence at its BEST!!! Company has no clue on how to handle a mortgagee that owns partial shares in an S-Corp or the concept of phantom income Every day we get asked for another document and now we've been informed (today, December 14) that they may not have our documents ready for the closing on Monday, December 18, because they have a backlog!! REALLY?!!

We've had Stearns for over yearsThis past summer we refi'd with them, since that time & for the last months we have had nothing but problems getting them to accept our mortgages payments on timeIf we send a payment with an extra escrow payment they cash it then lock our account and continually call us to tell us we've missed our paymentThis month we mailed or payment on the 3rd workout any extra for escrowAs of today 12/21/16, they still haven't cashed it or credited our account because they "don't know where we want them to place the funds"They received the check in their "lock box" on 12/but called us again today to tell us we missed a paymentI've called multiples times asking for an investigation and a return call...which still hasn't happenedWe are extremely dissatisfied & frustrated with our dealings with this company All we want to do is pay our mortgage, why is that so hard to figure out?! I would like someone who can actually help us to call me so we can get some resolution

We've had our mortgage with Stearns for 3+ yearsWe found ourselves in a situation days after Christmas when an ice and wind storm blew a 17' diameter tree down in our driveway, taking out the power to 1/of our townWe contacted Stearns to see if we could defer a payment to assist with the cost of tree removal While we were told they don't do deferral, they could split the skipped payment up over the next months, it would show "A" late payment on our credit reportBut at that timewe were in a situation where there were no other options available We agreed to have the next payment auto debited from our account as they HAD to me made on time in order to keep this agreement binding Ok,fineWhat did we find out after the factTHEY REPORTED PAYMENTS LATE ON MY CREDIT REPORT! Not at ALL what I agreed to I have a locked rate, however my payment amount changes every yearThen, out of the blue, I get a call from themWe can refinance your home, lower your interest rate with NO paperwork, just sign and send it back, it's that simplewe're going to lower your rate and take years off your paymentsOH! but your payments are going to go UP! Wait What?? You have late payments reportedOhSorryWe have to wait a year until those are pastedCall us after monthsI didn't call you in the first place Jack!

I had a mortgage with this company also and my payments were going to LoanCare after a whileAfter the hurricane I was asked to get flood insurance in which I did and provided proof and they still added it to my escrow and in the middle of apparently fixing my escrow the loan was now sent to Freedom and I contacted Stearns to get my credit back as Freedom accrued the additional amount ($8000) they added to my mortgageThey gave me the phone number to call for the insurance they purchased and the insurance company said it would be crediting my account back or a check will be mailed and I have received nothing STILLI need to speak to someone that knows what is going on instead of getting the runaround before I contact my attorney to help regarding this matterI am a Veteran and this is a VA Loan and now my mortgage has went up $a month because of this!!!! I expect someone to contact me immediately regarding this matter

I refinanced my Mortgage with this company and have never has such a bad experience with any company as to Stearns Lending LLC Long wait times, problems have never been resolved You are shifted to department after department and after waiting a great of time disconnected No one can give direct answers to any major concerns Their escrow department just made a double payment to my Homeowners Company and I have know idea when my reimbursement will take place Not only the Escrow Dept, but Customer Service has NOT been trained enough to handle any given situationIt has been a complete nightmare for me since July I am going to sick an Attorney to see what I an do Stay clear of this company....!!!!!

As part of a bankruptcy proceeding, I REAFFIRMED my mortgage with Stearns Lending (I have the signed papers to prove it) All correspondence from Stearns stopped in August (which is during the pendency of the proceeding) But they have NEVER restarted Even though my bankruptcy has been closed, I've received NO statements, etcfrom Stearns since August My payments are being made to the lockbox address shown on the back of the last statement received But they are being posted as "irregular payment" I have no idea what that means Furthermore, my mortgage....doesn't exist insofar as credit reporting agencies are concerned In fact, they are reporting that my mortgage was DISCHARGED as part of my bankruptcy I have no idea what is going on REPEATED efforts to contact them by phone results in "dropped" calls (hung up on), "misdirected" calls (we can't help you) Promised are made to respond to me, but they never do

I have a mortgage with Stearns leading however the sold it to another providerI sill had may payment made to stearn electronically from my bankI now have changed may payment to the new provider however I made one extra payment to stearns and have be unable to get them to refund itI have called them times and also sent them an email with the tracking number for the complaintOn my forth call the agent ID *** was a gentleman named *** He was polite but unable to help withe the refund

Attached please find the response mailed to the borrower on September 12, 2014. The borrower had also filed a consumer complaint directly to Stearns
Thank you,
*** ***
Stearns Lending
Consumer & Regulatory Relations Manager
972-521-
September 12,
Mrs***
***
*** *** ***
*** *** ** ***
Stearns Lending, LLC
Re: Property Located at *** *** ***, *** *** ** ***
Dear Mrs***,
Stearns Lending is committed to customer satisfaction and regrets the misunderstanding
that you and your husband experienced when applying for a loanStearns always strives
to provide an unprecedented level of service and attentiveness to our customers
In your letter, you stated that you were "under the impression that we were obtaining a
higher rate year fixed conventional loan without PMIInstead, what we saw in the
requested closing documents from First American Title Company was a different loan than
what was agreed upon."
Early in the loan process, and prior to reaching the closing document stage, disclosures
are sent to a borrower so that they are provided the chance to review the loan product
being offered by the lender and the details of the termsA review of your Stearns loan
records reveals that your initial disclosures were sent to you on April24, The packet
included:
The Federal Truth-In-Lending Disclosure Statement reflecting that Private
Mortgage Insurance was included in the loan product being offered and that the
monthly cost was $489.61;
The Loan Summary which reflected Mortgage Insurance in the estimated monthly
payment; and,
The Good Faith Estimate that reflected your estimated payment including the
Mortgage Insurance
Finally, our records show that you and your husband signed the Federal Truth In Lending
as well as the Notice of Intent to Proceed with Loan Application indicating that you
accepted the terms as presentedI have attached a copy of all four documents for your
convenience
In California, when your down payment is 10%, you are able to forego impounds (taxes
and insurance), as you chose to do, but a borrower cannot choose to do the same with
Mortgage Insurance unless they pay a 20% down paymentAs explained by *** ***,
your Senior Mortgage Loan Originator, the pricing of the Mortgage Insurance is based on
your credit score and does effect your monthly paymentIn addition, your property lies
within a PUD where HOA dues are assessed on each propertyThat also increased your
payments by $per month
Rather than practicing "negligent mortgage practices", the team at Stearns worked
diligently to present you with other options in an attempt to meet your needsYou and
your husband chose to go to another lender which we accept and respect
I hope this has fully addressed your concernsWe are unable to address a conversation
that occurred between you and an executive at your credit unionShould you have any
questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at the number below
Sincerely,
'
Consumer & Regulator/Relations Manager
Stearns Lending
Direct Line: 972-521-
cc: *** ** **, President
attachments
Stearns