I’ve closed a few Freedom mortgage loans and actually like their name:). “Freedom”. 
I thought they are professional and efficient.
My question is did someone from freedom told you that it was you fault or did the borrower told you that the person at freedom mortgage said it was your fault? The don’t think the lender or the title co expect you the notary to do their job like instructing the borrower to place a stop on their auto-pay, etc. They know, that would be totally out of your scope of practice.
You did not do anything wrong! I would let go and move on.
1 Like
Thank you mglatfelter. I hope they refund them soon as this family is cutting things a bit tight financially. I agree about the legal advice. I advised them to call their LO to find out what is really going on.
Freedom Mortgage is a disaster company. I refuse to do any signings where they are the lender. If I get an assignment and find out after they are the lender, I tell title or the 3rd party company to find another notary. Have had way too many issues with their docs, them changing the CD and the first time the borrower sees it is at closing, etc. Not worth the aggravation for me.
1 Like
I’ve closed their loans through Amrock only and all were great.
1 Like
VIPnotaryCO it was the borrower that told me that Freedom Mortgage blamed me. I did ask the signing company to check into it but they were reluctant to “poke the bear”.
1 Like
blongtin1, I have closed others for Freedom Mortgage and between them, the title company, and this perticular closing company, I ALWAYS feel like I earned that paycheck and more. It’s seldom smooth.
I have done many Freedom Mortgage signings. The worst thing about them is the title company always requires faxbacks. It’s a nightmare especially during this COVID19 crisis. Who’s got time to fax 50+ pages? As far as the payment issue, no it is definitely not the notary’s fault that the Lender took the payment. When I am with the Borrowers and there is a question about when the first payment is due, I usually ask the Borrowers if they want to sign up for auto pay. Within that conversation, I ask if they currently have auto pay. If so, I suggest that they cancel the auto pay to make sure another payment doesn’t get applied. It only takes a moment to have that conversation and avoids potential issues for the Borrowers. I know it’s not my job to advise them of this, but I think it helps them in the end. Also, if the payment was taken and applied to the old loan balance, when the payoff is sent at disbursement, any overages has to come back to the Borrowers. They can only charge interest until the loan payoff is received. In your case, I’m sure the excess payoff was returned to the Borrowers just like any excess escrow would be returned.
1 Like
Thank you for your response SandraMcMiller. I do a similar presentation about the 1st payment, usually when we get to the Note. I am in the habit of scanning all docs back even if they are not asked for.
Once you finish the signing and send the documents back, your obligatons are over. It is ridiculous to blame the notary for something that is clearly between the borrower and the lender.
1 Like
I agree steves11. I was just out-right shocked to receive the phone call from the signer.
I agree with steves11 as well. It’s the lender who should have told the borrower to cancel their auto pay because that is exactly what happened. Their old loan had not been paid off yet and they didn’t cancel their auto pay so that payment was taken. In escrow, I would tell the borrower or seller to stop their autopay as a courtesy but it was not my job.
What’s likely to happen is if the new and old lender are different, they will get it refunded after the payoff is done, from the old lender.
That makes perfect sense tlwmomof3. Thanks for your reply.
bob4realty, you’re welcome! But you are oh, so right. You are absolutely not responsible for telling them any of that and they should not have blamed you.
You the Notary have nothing to do with the borrowers payment. Over paids happen all the time and Freedom must refund the borrowers. I don’t even get this lame scenario. Notaries have no responsibility in monies changing hands.
Thank you cnelson. The thing is the Signer believed it. Loan officers win the trust of the Signer/Borrower or they wouldn’t do business together thus this loan officer put me and my company in a bad light. When friends of the Signer ask how the loan went he is going to tell them about that horrible notary that coast him a months premium even though we know that is ridicules.
Hi, Bob4. I do a lot of Freedom Mortgage signings. Sounds like your borrower had an automatic payment set up on their old loan (the one being paid off) and did not think to cancel that payment prior to the “pull” date (example: the 5th of the month, the 7th of the month, etc.).
As the payoff statement would have been issued roughly 10 days prior to the closing, and the payoff amount will therefore make that final payment moot, the borrowers will receive a refund from Freedom for any amount paid to the old loan in excess of the amount due on the payoff statement. Of course, (sigh), there may be a fee charged to do that, but it will happen.
Do not worry about your lender/escrow/loan officer clients holding this story against you. They have all been blamed for things that were not their fault. They all know the responsibilities of the NSA. They all know that you have nothing to do with collecting monthly payments or with issuing refunds.
One more thing: In over 1,000 signings with Freedom Mortgage, they have never blamed “the notary” for anything. While the company can be slow and cumbersome at times, they are also consistent in their documentation and protocols, professional in their communications, and… best of all… they always pay promptly every week.
I would say that this is a case of the borrower trying to get you to resolve this issue for them by “firing you up”.
Not your circus, not your monkeys.
1 Like
I agree judikidd. I could tell by the signers voice and attitude (questioning) that he didn’t feel the info he was given was correct but he just wanted to hear it from me.
judikidd, I to have done many signings for Freedom Mortgage however my attitude is that they are a big lender and most likely go through many employees just like any other big company. Not every LO is a saint and this one may have been ill trained or, heaven forbid, an ass.
No way freedom.mortgage took the money out. It was your old mortgage company. It is up to you to stop money from coming out of your account. You have to call your bank and the old lender to get it stopped. The money will be returned when the loan is payed off or they call there old lender and ask for it back! I am pretty sure they won’t return it until old lender has the check. Sorry!