What to Do If a Mortgage Servicer Comes for You.

• Author: Parry, Thomas Fox
• Position: Brief article

Document any errors and respond in writing. First, you should get "transfer" and "welcome" letters from your lender and the servicer. Check for inaccuracies there and in the servicer's first mortgage statement. Errors at this stage are widespread, says Rachel Labush, an attorney for Community Legal Services of Philadelphia, a civil legal aid organization that, among other things, defends homeowners facing foreclosure. Dispute the errors in a letter to the servicer. Labush recommends putting at least one of the following phrases at the top: "Qualified Written Request," "Notice of Error," or "Request for Information." The servicer is supposed to correct the errors in thirty days or face potential fines and legal liability.

Submit a complaint with the errors, and any other hinky stuff, to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. It's good for documentation. Also, the...