If you are in the area that would be "serviced" (that's what they call it..servicing...like their customers are farm animals) by the New Orleans office of Standard Mortgage I highly recommend that you find another mortgage company.
First, let me be clear. We took out a mortgage on our home and paid the loan in full. I have been late with the payment (2 weeks) once in 28 years. This loan was never in default. We never had a check bounce.The loan was paid per our agreement year after year.
I had some water damage in the house a couple of years ago. Yes. My problems with this company have been going on for that long. I repaired the damage. I paid for the repairs. Standard Mortgage did NOT give me one cent to repair my damages. I do not know if other mortgage companies pay for their loan holders' home repairs but I do know that Standard Mortgage did not pay for my mine.
In fact, Standard Mortgage did not even KNOW that I had water damage in the house. We had learned during Hurricane Katrina when we did not even know if the house was still standing that Standard Mortgage was not in the least bit interested in the condition of the house. They told us after Katrina that it made no difference to them if the house still existed because the LOAN did, so pay it...on time..or else. They were lovely. Fine.
We paid the loan. However, this is why I know for a fact that they knew nothing of the water damage: I never told them. I got my estimates and paid for the repairs. I paid for the repairs. No one else.
My partial reimbursement of the damage costs was sent to me by my insurance company. The check was made out to Standard Mortgage. I called Standard Mortgage and asked why the check was made out to them if they didn't pay for the repairs. The woman told me this, "Does the check have Standard Mortgage on it? If it does, it belongs to us." Why I asked. I am not in arrears on my loan. Why is this check yours?
She replied, "Does the check have Standard Mortgage on it? If it does, it belongs to us." She repeated this verbatim to every question I asked. Over and over. No matter what number you call to contact someone elsewhere in the company, the call rolls back to the same person. Therefore, you have no way of moving your issue up the chain of command. They are able to make themselves clear..."Does the check have Standard Mortgage on it? If it does, it belongs to us." What you can't find out is WHY it belongs to them. I never did figure this out as, I imagine, was their intent. Perhaps the idea was to bully people into sending them extra money. What a horrible way to treat people.
So now the loan, I think, is paid off. They kept the reimbursement check saying they "paid for your insurance with the check." Well, no, you did not because the loan is paid off and the insurance is paid by me now. After all of this, it is no longer worth the $800.00 they kept. Keep the money. I just want to be done with them.
Unfortunately, I can't seem to get rid of these people. They have kept my legal documents (succession papers...very expensive in the area..."Why did you send them? Because you TOLD me to!), they have kept my check, they have kept the documents I need to remove them from my house title....even though...the loan is paid in full. Well, more than in full since they have kept an additional $800.00. Why would they need my $800.00? Perhaps they share what they bully out of people as a tax-free bonus. My apologies for my rudeness.
The documents I need to remove their name from my house title, "are not here. We don't have them." Okay. What do I do? No response. Do I need to hire legal representation to sever this relationship since paying off the loan in full has not been successful? No response. Are you going to answer me? No response. Are you really not going to answer me? No response. Unless you count the conversation they were having with each other in the office about who knows what as I asked for an answer over and over.
So, the bottom line here is that if you want this kind of treatment even though you will pay your loan for 28 years, will never default, will never send a bad check, and pay your balance in full, will never want to clear your house title after you paid off the lien, Standard Mortgage is the one for you. That is my opinion based on my many experiences with this company. I thought I would be done with them upon pay off but apparently not.
They are excellent at cashing checks, those that belong to them as well as those that do not. They are also good at not demonstrating even the smallest degree of courtesy when talking with a customer regardless of the situation. What they are NOT good at is customer service, timely response, availability of higher level personnel to sort out problems with local employees, and just about anything besides cashing checks. read more