Troy Harlow has always made sure to pay his mortgage on time. Wells Fargo had other plans for him. [View all]

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CORONAVIRUS
Troy Harlow has always made sure to pay his mortgage on time. Wells Fargo had other plans for him.

Lawyers say they've found cases in 11 states in which Wells Fargo has wrongly claimed borrowers asked to pause mortgage payments during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Troy Harlow has always made sure to pay his monthly mortgage bill on time, even after he filed for personal bankruptcy protection in late 2017 following a kidney transplant that put him on permanent disability.

"I needed to have a place to live," Harlow said in an interview. "I keep everything paid because I know it has to be paid."


But Wells Fargo, the bank that handles Harlow's mortgage, had other ideas for him.

On April 29, without Harlow's knowledge or permission, Wells Fargo told the bankruptcy court overseeing his payment plan that he had asked the bank to pause his mortgage payments because he had been hurt by COVID-19. Harlow, 48, of Buchanan, Virginia, made no such request and had continued to forward the full amount owed on his mortgage to Wells Fargo, court documents show.

The bank claimed that it had placed Harlow in a forbearance program, a temporary arrangement under the CARES Act aimed at helping borrowers who attest to financial hardship related to the coronavirus. Under the program, borrowers whose loans are financed by government-sponsored entities like Fannie Mae and Ginnie Mae can stop making payments for up to a year. Harlow's mortgage was originated by the Federal Housing Administration and went into a pool of loans sold to investors by Ginnie Mae.

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"I was just astounded that this was going on behind my back," Harlow said. "I hope we can get this straight, because I do not want to lose my house."


https://www.nbcnews.com/business/personal-finance/troy-harlow-has-always-made-sure-pay-his-mortgage-time-n1233635