Mortgage Express WONT help in hard time - any advise please?

[Googley2]

We are in problems with our repayment mortgage due to drop in income and thought I had arranged to switch to interest only. Now Mortgage Express say I am 3 months in arrears even though I paid the interest part as an agreed concession and are refusing any other form of help or reduced mortgage payments - its like they deliberately want to make me homeless. I was under the impression they had to try and help people who try and have signed up to the Homeowner Mortgage Support scheme but do nothing. The monthly mortgage is £875 and all these months they have been claiming that much whilst I thought they had reduced it to £375 and that was what I had paid.

 

Does anyone know if I can do anything about this - no point in complaining to FOS as they take months to reply and I dont have months to sort this out.

 

Thanks

[Ell-enn]

Hi there, did you get anything in writing from them confirming the change to interest only?

[Googley2]

No they dont give anything in writing usually. Its all done on the phone and recorded but each time I speak to them I get told different advise:

First - yes pay £375 for 3 months and if ok we will do it for longer term

Second - Yes you paid £375 but where's the other £500 a month - WHAT THATS NO HELP OR DEAL

Third - Pay the arrears and you can go interest only (last week) now pay the arrears and you go back on £875 a month automatically

Latest - You cant have interest only - sell up and move.

 

I know ME have been taken over by Bradford & Bingley and are trying to close ME mortgage accounts but surely this isnt the way to do it. I can switch to another company as credit rating is not good at the moment.

 

Having looked through some of the other threads would it be possible to issue a N244 Form to force ME to change to account to interest only??????????

Willing to try if it will help, only got the court fee to lose but may save my home which as a disabled mother with young child is very important to me.

 

Thanks

[Ell-enn]

Hi there, the court can't alter the terms and conditions of your mortgage, so a judge wouldn't be able to order ME to change your mortgage to interest only. However, ME are required to follow the Mortgage Arrears Protocols and consider all options to assist you if you are experiencing difficulty in paying.

 

Best advice is to write to them reminding them of their obligation to follow the Protocols and consider changing your mortgage that way they will have to respond in writing to you. If they don't respond and start action for possession, a judge would not be best pleased with them.

 

If you need help constructing a letter to them please let me know and I'll draft one for you.

[Googley2]

Hi El-len

 

It would be great if you could draft me a letter as they are just trying to confuse me on everything and help with nothing.

 

Thanks a lot

[Googley2]

Hi El-len

 

It would be great if you could draft me a letter as they are just trying to confuse me on everything and help with nothing. I really want them to turn the mortgage into an interest only one until things improve but they are refusing and telling me to sell the house when I wouldnt have to if they changed the mortgage.

 

Thanks a lot

[Ell-enn]

OK, I'll get onto it

[Ell-enn]

Hi, affixed is the letter. You need to fill in your name and address, ME's address (make sure you have the right address and department) and the mortgage account no. When you print it out make sure your printer is set for A4 paper (not Letter size) and that all the text stays on one page.

 

Send by recorded delivery and keep a copy of the letter for yourselves. Also, check on the royalmail website in a few days to print off the signed for receipt - staple the receipt to your copy of the letter, we may need to prove they received it.

Googley2 letter.doc

[davey0001]

I was wondering what happened after this?

 

I have found myself in exactly the same position with Mortgage Express. They told me they would move my mortgage to Interest Only if I could prove that DWP would make the payments.

 

I got these payments organised and indeed the DWP have paid direct to ME for months. Now ME are telling me I owe them for the difference and no Interest Only mortgage is in place.

 

They refuse to send out correspondence yet then say that no agreement is definite unless they send out confirmation in the post.

 

I can see they are engineering themselves out of my loan and trying to make me sell up and move on, but this just isn't an option and will render me homeless.

 

Did this letter work?

[Googley2]

Update, to keep it simple ME insisted on ALL the arrears had to be paid up before we could TEMPORARILY transfer to an interest only mortgage. I didnt know that they were still building arrears while I was on a payment plan - nothing was put in writing until the end, the even sent out a debt collector to the house when we were uptodate on the payments. Every conversation was different and went back on the last conversation. We had to find over £6,000 to pay the arrears to go onto interest only which we are now doing. Dreading every day that passes as they said they would only do interest only until the arrears were paid off (which was in their letter but not on the phone) or for 12 months which will be up soon. Was told quite often to go to the Councils Mortgage Rescue Scheme where they buy your house off you but we were not suitable for their conditions otherwise ME are quite happy to see you on the streets. Their rules change according to who you speak too and they are great at telling you "how they are bending over backwards to help you in your difficult times" when really they have done nothing. Even though I had not a single penny income they still insisted I should pay £875 per month to them and when I agreed on the interest only the repayment part was quietly building into arrears which nobody told me they were doing - what help they give is beyond me but we cant change as got bad credit record now. Dont trust what they say and they are very quick with charges again put onto the account so they can earn interest on that as well. All calls are recorded and I think you have a right on a copy of the recordings but they dont put it into writing very easily.

[davey0001]

Oh god - this is not good news. I have been under the impression that they had already agreed to the interest only. They've even been taking the money from the DWP.

 

I totally now see that each bit of correspondence is different to the last and their story changes with each phone call.

 

Oh god.

[Googley2]

You might have more ground to stand on since they are getting payments direct from DWP. Phone up and ask them for a current statement and see what that says. We were getting phone calls from their debt dept for the arrears which I just didnt understand why as we were paying every month as agreed. Get the statement and if it looks wrong just take it to the Citizen Advice Bureau and get them to ring them. Beaware of their phone number as well (0870) as it cost me £15-£18 each month ringing them, there is a cheaper number on the website "SaynoTo0870" which will save you as well.

 

Just dont trust what you are being told as they will go back on it.

 

The last statement I remember is "YOU CANT STAY ON INTEREST ONLY MORTGAGE AS ITS NOT VIABLE IN THE LONG TERM" (in other words they might as well just kick me out now!!)

 

Bradford & Bingley want to close down the ME mortgage accounts so their not worried about what happens to you.