There are excellent provisions in RESPA dealing with Qualified Written Requests. Today, we are going to elaborate on these provisions. However, they are not all inclusive. Section 6 of RESPA provides borrowers with important consumer protections relating to the servicing of their loans. Under Section 6 of RESPA, borrowers who have a problem with the servicing of their loan (including escrow account questions), should contact their loan servicer in writing, outlining the nature of their complaint. The servicer must acknowledge the complaint in writing within 20 business days of receipt of the complaint. Within 60 business days the servicer must resolve the complaint by correcting the account or giving a statement of the reasons for its position. This does not absolve borrowers from continuing the payments. They are no defense to payments.
The Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA) is a consumer protection statute, first passed in 1974. RESPA covers loans secured with a mortgage placed on a one-to-four family residential property. These include most purchase loans, assumptions, refinances, property improvement loans, and equity lines of credit.

Loan servicing complaints

A borrower may bring a private law suit, or a group of borrowers may bring a class action suit, within three years, against a servicer who fails to comply with Section 6’s provisions. Borrowers may obtain actual damages, as well as additional damages if there is a pattern of noncompliance. The following is a sample qualified written request from you, the borrower, to a lender.

However, as usual, use of this is not equivalent substitute of a licensed Nevada attorney.
Attention Customer Service:
Subject: [Your loan number]
[Names on loan documents]
[Property and/or mailing address]

This is a “qualified written request” under Section 6 of the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA).
I am writing because:
-Describe the issue or the question you have and/or what action you believe the lender should take.
-Attach copies of any related written materials.
-Describe any conversations with customer service regarding the issue and to whom you spoke recently.
-Describe any previous steps you have taken or attempts to resolve the issue.
-List a day time telephone number in case a customer service representative wishes to contact you.
I understand that under Section 6 of RESPA you are required to acknowledge my request within 20 business days and must try to resolve the issue within 60 business days.

Sincerely,

[Your name]

Here is another example:

Attention Customer Service:
Subject: Loan number xxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxx xxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxx
x xxxxxxx
Xxxxxxxx, CA xxxxx
This is a “Qualified Written Request” under Section 6 of the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA).

I am writing to request:

(1) Copies of all documents pertaining to the origination of my mortgage including my loan application, Right to Cancel, Deed of Trust, note, adjustable rate note, addendum to the note for the interest only payment period, Truth in Lending statements, Good Faith Estimate (GFE), HUD 1, appraisal, and all required disclosures and rate sheets associated with this transaction for the above referenced loan. The copies should be legible and all documents shall be copied in their entirety.

(2) A copy of the loan history including all payments made, all fees incurred, what has been paid out of the escrow account, and how all payments were applied. This information should cover the entire life of the loan.

(3) We have reasons to believe that the loan terms were misrepresented to us at the time of application and further obscured and/or modified prior to signing. I believe that our income was inflated on the application. I also have reason to believe that certain statements were not provided for my approval prior to closing, and that signatures may have been forged on various documents. It is also my /ours belief that certain documents may have not presented at all. Additionally, I believe that a notary was not present to witness my signatures on several pertinent documents and that this transaction did not take place in a legitimate title/escrow/real-estate office with any title/escrow/real-estate professionals therefore leaving us ill advised at the time of closing.

I/we started the process of trying to renegotiate this loan————when I spoke with your HOPE department. On ——-, I faxed a letter of hardship, along with bank statements and pay stubs as she recommended. I was advised that someone would contact me within 7-10 working days and there would be no problem getting assistance to bring the account current and capitalize the negative escrow. On ——-, I called back, as I hadn’t heard from anyone. I was told my payment was going to be ——

Give details, more details, specific facts here about your dealing with your lender on each time you called them.

Most recently you COUNTRYWIDE have sent a demand for payment. This is an enormous amount which just cannot be paid at this time due to very hardship. The situation is urgent. We and COUNTRYWIDE can not drag there feet in this process. We do not want to incur further inflated fees by our home going into foreclosure.

We are very proactive in keeping our family home. This is our primary homes by all means. We do not want to loose it nor do we have to we can make a reasonable payment.

We have been given the runaround by the voice recognition call routing system on numerous occasions.

We have talked to various agents with different versions of what the loan modification process really entails.

We have been re-routed to the wrong department or individual at dozens of times.

We have been disconnected from helpful individuals, when I unsuccessfully tried to call her back I am told it is because she has no extension.

We have been told that the negotiator handling my loan is unavailable to speak to anyone via telephone. All of these calls are documented in your records.

The customer service provided to us has been less than adequate.

We understand that under Section 6 of RESPA you are required to acknowledge our request within 20 business days and must try to resolve the issue within 60 business days.

In closing, we want a payment we know we can live with one that will not get us in trouble again

Sincerely,

REMEMBER: This letter SHOULD NOT be included with your mortgage payment, but should be sent separately to the customer service address.

You SHOULD continue to make the required mortgage and escrow payment until the request is resolved.

You may bring a private right of action under Section 6, if you suffer damages due to the lender’s servicing of the loan. See the RESPA statute and regulations.

Filing a RESPA complaint

Persons who believe a settlement service provider has violated RESPA in an area in which the Department has enforcement authority (primarily sections 6, 8 and 9), may wish to file a complaint. The complaint should outline the violation and identify the violators by name, address and phone number. Complainants should also provide their own name and phone number for follow up questions from HUD. Requests for confidentiality will be honored. Complaints should be sent to:

Director, Office of RESPA and Interstate Land Sales
US Department of Housing and Urban Development
Room 9154
451 7th Street, SW
Washington, DC 20410
Important Tips From HUD:

What Are the Duties of Loan Servicer to Respond to Borrower Inquiries

-(1) Notice of receipt of inquiry
-(A) In general
-If any servicer of a federally related mortgage loan receives a qualified written request from the borrower (or an agent of the borrower) for information relating to the servicing of such loan, the servicer shall provide a written response acknowledging receipt of the correspondence within 20 days (excluding legal public holidays, Saturdays, and Sundays) unless the action requested is taken within such period.
-(B) Qualified written request
For purposes of this subsection, a qualified written request shall be a written correspondence, other than notice on a payment coupon or other payment medium supplied by the servicer, that–
(i) includes, or otherwise enables the servicer to identify, the name and account of the borrower; and
(ii) includes a statement of the reasons for the belief of the borrower, to the extent applicable, that the account is in error or provides sufficient detail to the servicer regarding other information sought by the borrower.
(2) Action with respect to inquiry
Not later than 60 days (excluding legal public holidays, Saturdays, and Sundays) after the receipt from any borrower of any qualified written request under paragraph (1) and, if applicable, before taking any action with respect to the inquiry of the borrower, the servicer shall–
(A) make appropriate corrections in the account of the borrower, including the crediting of any late charges or penalties, and transmit to the borrower a written notification of such correction (which shall include the name and telephone number of a representative of the servicer who can provide assistance to the borrower);
(B) after conducting an investigation, provide the borrower with a written explanation or clarification that includes–
(i) to the extent applicable, a statement of the reasons for which the servicer believes the account of the borrower is correct as determined by the servicer; and
(ii) the name and telephone number of an individual employed by, or the office or department of, the servicer who can provide assistance to the borrower; or
(C) after conducting an investigation, provide the borrower with a written explanation or clarification that includes–
(i) information requested by the borrower or an explanation of why the information requested is unavailable or cannot be obtained by the servicer; and
(ii) the name and telephone number of an individual employed by, or the office or department of, the servicer who can provide assistance to the borrower.
(3) Protection of credit rating
During the 60-day period beginning on the date of the servicer’s receipt from any borrower of a qualified written request relating to a dispute regarding the borrower’s payments, a servicer may not provide information regarding any overdue payment, owed by such borrower and relating to such period or qualified written request, to any consumer reporting agency (as such term is defined under section 1681a of title 15).

(f) Damages and costs
Whoever fails to comply with any provision of this section shall be liable to the borrower for each such failure in the following amounts:
(1) Individuals
In the case of any action by an individual, an amount equal to the sum of–
(A) any actual damages to the borrower as a result of the failure; and
(B) any additional damages, as the court may allow, in the case of a pattern or practice of noncompliance with the requirements of this section, in an amount not to exceed $1,000.
(2) Class actions
In the case of a class action, an amount equal to the sum of–
(A) any actual damages to each of the borrowers in the class as a result of the failure; and
(B) any additional damages, as the court may allow, in the case of a pattern or practice of noncompliance with the requirements of this section, in an amount not greater than $1,000 for each member of the class, except that the total amount of damages under this subparagraph in any class action may not exceed the lesser of–
(i) $500,000; or
(ii) 1 percent of the net worth of the servicer.
(3) Costs
In addition to the amounts under paragraph (1) or (2), in the case of any successful action under this section, the costs of the action, together with any attorneys fees incurred in connection with such action as the court may determine to be reasonable under the circumstances.
(4) Nonliability
A transferor or transferee servicer shall not be liable under this subsection for any failure to comply with any requirement under this section if, within 60 days after discovering an error (whether pursuant to a final written examination report or the servicer’s own procedures) and before the commencement of an action under this subsection and the receipt of written notice of the error from the borrower, the servicer notifies the person concerned of the error and makes whatever adjustments are necessary in the appropriate account to ensure that the person will not be required to pay an amount in excess of any amount that the person otherwise would have paid.
(g) Administration of escrow accounts

If the terms of any federally related mortgage loan require the borrower to make payments to the servicer of the loan for deposit into an escrow account for the purpose of assuring payment of taxes, insurance premiums, and other charges with respect to the property, the servicer shall make payments from the escrow account for such taxes,insurance premiums, and other charges in a timely manner as such payments become due.
(h) Preemption of conflicting State laws

Notwithstanding any provision of any law or regulation of any State, a person who makes a federally related mortgage loan or a servicer shall be considered to have complied with the provisions of any such State law or regulation requiring notice to a borrower at the time of application for a loan or transfer of the servicing of a loan if such person or servicer complies with the requirements under this section regarding timing, content, and procedures for notification of the borrower.

The Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA) is a consumer protection statute, first passed in 1974. RESPA covers loans secured with a mortgage placed on a one-to-four family residential property. These include most purchase loans, assumptions, refinances, property improvement loans, and equity lines of credit. HUD’s Office of RESPA and Interstate Land Sales is responsible for enforcing RESPA.

Loan servicing complaints

A borrower may bring a private law suit, or a group of borrowers may bring a class action suit, within three years, against a servicer who fails to comply with Section 6’s provisions. Borrowers may obtain actual damages, as well as additional damages if there is a pattern of noncompliance.

The following is a sample qualified written request from you, the borrower, to a lender. Use this format to address complaints under the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA). Be sure to read more about RESPA, and your rights under this Act, elsewhere on the RESPA site.

Attention Customer Service:
Subject: [Your loan number]
[Names on loan documents]
[Property and/or mailing address]
This is a “qualified written request” under Section 6 of the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA).

I am writing because:
-Describe the issue or the question you have and/or what action you believe the lender should take.
-Attach copies of any related written materials.
-Describe any conversations with customer service regarding the issue and to whom you spoke.
-Describe any previous steps you have taken or attempts to resolve the issue.
-List a day time telephone number in case a customer service representative wishes to contact you.
-I understand that under Section 6 of RESPA you are required to acknowledge my request within 20 business days and must try to resolve the issue within 60 business days.

Sincerely,

[Your name]

For a more comprehensive ‘Trial Ready’ Qualified Written Request that is inclusive in your Foreclosure Defense package, please visit http://www.fightforeclosure.net