I have 8 short sales currently in process with Countrywide. Lately they have instituted a telephone routing system in which a “customer service rep” first takes the call and notes all the details, then routes it to the Loss Mitigator assigned to the loan. In some cases, depending on the nature of the call, the customer service rep bypasses the Loss Mitigator or routes the call to a different department.
For some reason, Countrywide thinks this is a more efficient way of dealing with short sales and loan mods - involve 3-4 more people than the Loss Mitigator. In the past month, this has resulted in A LOT of repeating of messages, both on my part and on Countrywide’s. So for the last 2 weeks, I have resorted to communicating with Countrywide IN WRITING ONLY.
This means I send a fax directly to the Loss Mitigator assigned to the loan. I repeat the message on an emal and attach any documents to the email also directly to the LM and inform them that I have a fax confirmation that the hard copy went thru via fax. This has effectively cut out everyone except for the LM assigned to the loan. So far, it has been FASTER and MORE EFFICIENT than talking to anyone over the phone at Countrywide!
So, for anyone having to maneuver the Countrywide bureaucracy, I offer this experience and suggest that you take the extra step of sending all correspondence for short sale and loan mods to them in writing.
Unless you’ve received the fax number for closing purposes, the fax that you’re most likely sending it to is an imaging system.
Any faxes that I receive at my building (that aren’t for a closing) are thrown away as SPAM. Same way with any emails. The only thing that prompts me to open a file is an email escalation, a foreclosure sale date or my tasks that I’ve set. Otherwise, the negotiator has no way of knowing when any agents fax any documents into the system until they manually check the file.
Yes, this is what the CS told me as well. The last one I talked to did say that as long as there is a specific LM’s name on the fax, it will get routed to them - eventually. That is why I have to double the effort with a follow up email.
One of my ss got scheduled for an appraisal twice. One was arranged by the CSR and the other was done by the LM. Interested to see if the 2 appraisers got the same result being scheduled 3 weeks apart.
It’s been over a month since we have been assigned, and we have yet to hear one response to numerous phone calls from our loss mitigator (who had up to 5 business days to respond to any messages). So basically it’s like just a big black hole of an answering service
We have gone WAY beyond the 5 business days for an appraiser to call us :bs
Lost one of our three offers since it expired - the other two will expire 5/5 & 5/15.
As the homeowner - I am done pushing.
I will sit here rent free and let them figure out when is a good time to get going on the SS, or just let them foreclose :biggrin
Keep sleeping Countrywide, I am going on vacation next :cool
Deal Hunter - thank you for all your past advice - good luck to you on your dealings w/CW. I consider you to be “the Man” when it comes to SS , so if anyone can get it done it would be my bet on you!
30 days from date assigned to negotiator unless foreclosure date in this time period to review file and make contact with agent/borrower. Unfortunately, you’re falling in the middle of the big huge shift at end of March/beginning of April when all workout files were transferred between different department/locations. You most likely had a negotiator in March who lost file first couple days of April. Your new negotiator probably was someone that did DIL or modifications who had to go through training for short sales and is just now touching their portfolio of files that were already in the process and new files that had yet to be started. Or the file could have been assigned to someone in DIL who was mistakenly given short sales. Portfolios are still being sorted out & there are still hundreds of files that are still pending even assignment
On top of this short sales is now a part of the foreclosure division within the company instead of Workout, so additional training could be required for their new department that they’ve joined.
Unfortunately, this doesn’t make it any easier for buyer, sellers, agents, or investors. The short sale process is never something easy and even without all the changes it’s sometimes very difficult to get one completed. I’m lucky in a month to have 20 completed every month. Management is trying to make the process more streamlined with being able to approve all the short sales at one site instead of sending them back and forth between Cali, Arizona, and Texas- but it causes a delay while the changes are taking place.
Also, a customer service line is telling people that they will be contacted within 5 days for an appraisal-- this is incorrect and isn’t happening. When you call in you’re told that customer service can send a message that your negotiator will have 5 days to respond to. That system is also no longer in use-- hasn’t been for two months. Getting everybody on the same page is proving a little more difficult than you’d think. Best bet is for the CS rep to email the negotiator directly.
We were assigned March 18th.
A phone call message on 3/21 stated that an appraiser wb calling within 5 business days to make appointment for appraisal. Nothing happened.
3/28 broker called and left message with CS at CW - CS said they were sending negotiator an email.
3/31/08 I phoned loss mitigation - got CS and was told already a message into negotiator and that she had 5 business days to respond to 1st message from broker.
4/2 - received letter from CW explaing basic SS process and timeframe - letter was dated 3/28/08 and it also stated that an appriaser wb contacting us within 5 business days from the date of the letter (3/28) to make appointment. STILL nothing.
4/11/08 broker called CW and got CS - asked for a supervisor, no can do - left another message with CS they would email negotiator.
That was where we have left it off.
Not ONE phone call returned, and no appraiser EVER called.
We got offers extended, and now they are starting to expire again…since CW would be getting almost a full payoff, you would think this deal would move along before all buyers walk.
HSBC is the 2nd and they won’t do anything till CW submits thier offer/payoff in writing to HSBC.
I give up - I am tired of trying to negotiate - time to sit back and watch the paint dry (and crack).