Yesterday was not a good day. I want to tell you about it, but it is so convoluted, circular and crazy, I don't know how to begin. It all began back in March 2009 after I was laid off. I knew I was going to run into problems paying my mortgage if I didn't find another job, and I also knew that at age 64 I was probably going to have a hard time finding one.
So I called Wachovia Mortgage and started the conversation about what to do to avoid going into default and eventual foreclosure. I knew to do that because I am a political news junkie. I knew every component of President Obama's Home Affordability and Stability Plan, and I knew I qualified for a loan modification under HASP. Turns out I knew way more about it than did any of the people I would eventually talk to at Wachovia Mortgage. More on that on another day.
Yesterday's issue stemmed from an observation I made on my credit report. Because I have a credit monitoring service that notifies me whenever something changes on my credit report, I was aware that there had been two "hard inquiries" -- one in August 2009 and one in October 2009. Both inquiries were made by RELS Credit Service on behalf of Wells Fargo Bank. Each of these inquiries occurred exactly one day after I had spoken to someone in Wachovia Mortgages Loan Counseling department. Also relevant is the fact that Wachovia Mortgage had been purchased by Wells Fargo Bank and the merge of the two entities was in progress. I figured these inquiries had something to do with my "talks" with Wachovia, but the reason I was concerned is that my credit score was immediately lowered each time they hit.
Back in August, when the first one hit my credit report, I called the bank and asked why there was an unauthorized credit report pulled. They denied having done it, insisted that they never do that without my permission, and suggested I contact the company that made the inquiry. Made sense, right? Problem was that RELS Credit doesn't seem to want to be contacted, because there is no phone number listed in their contact information on the credit report. I Googled the company and found a number of blogs complaining about unauthorized credit report inquiries from RELS Credit. I then checked the Better Business Bureau and found that they were not members and carried a B- rating. Hmmm.
When it happened again on October 2, I assumed it was the result of the Forebearance Agreement I had signed with Wachovia, which was an interim solution while we waited for Wachovia Mortgage to get their act together on their government-mandated Loan Modification program. (I had been given two prior dates by which Wachovia Mortgage would have that program up and running -- both dates slipped. Now they won't state a date -- just that they MUST have it up and running by the end of the year!) But I must have had too much time on my hands yesterday, because the fact that my credit score had dropped 15 points as a direct result of these inquiries suddenly bugged the heck out of me. So I started up again.
Let's just say that, after two hours, calls to both RELS Credit and Wachovia Mortgage (yes, I did find a phone number for RELS Credit on the Better Business Bureau website) and finally screaming at a very rude and sarcastic so-called supervisor at Wachovia Mortgage Loan Counseling after having been transferred five different times and having to start from the beginning each time (what's your name, what are the last 4 digits of your Social Security number, can we call you on your cell phone, etc., etc., etc.) I am in the exact same place I was two hours before -- nowhere.
So, I filed a formal complaint with the Better Business Bureau!
Call Clark Howard's pit bulls.
ReplyDeleteI agree about calling Clark Howard. Yesterday he had a caller who'd gotten her credit report and found some funny stuff. He asked if she'd called them. She said there was no reach number on the report. He went wild. Right away, he said he wanted her to send him copies of the report (with sensitive info blacked out) and then he cut to commercial. His team might be very interested in hearing about RELS, and perhaps the rest of the story. --Ruthlyn
ReplyDeleteRELS credit is a credit reporting agency that gets your report from the credit bureaus. It is also owned by Wells Fargo (as are all the others in "RELS" family).
ReplyDeleteI, also got 2 hard inquiries by RELS "real estate loan on behalf of Wells Fargo", in Feb, May, and Aug 2009. I disputed it with Experian, and got a letter from RELS saying that they are not a furnisher, they are a credit reporting agency, and that Wells Fargo said it has permissible purpose to receive the report. I wrote to Wells Fargo, and they said that "they have no record" of any such inquiries.
Plus, RELS (since they say they are a credit reporting agency) ignored my later letter asking for a copy of the report it has on file for me.
I have never applied for a loan from Wells Fargo - and Experian has also refused to remove the RELS inquiries 3 times, the last time being one month ago - the inquiries are now over 2 years old.
P.S. I'm sorry for the trouble you are going through at your age. You should be kicking back and not have to worry about things like this. It's really a shame what our country has become.
They need to do better. How can simply going into the bank and asking for ways to keep your account in good standing result in a situation like that?
ReplyDeletePeople are doing the right thing when they assess the problem and take steps to solve it before things get bad. However in your situation, it seems like it is better to just avoid them completely.
It's a good thing that you had the credit monitoring service, or you wouldn't even know that they had done that, or had proof that it occurred.
You can find plenty of sites and also companies that will make finding a rental residence much easier previously nowadays. While any person will find a flat and also fill out accommodations program, on the other hand, its not all applicant can be a certified applicant.
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