Oviedo widow avoids foreclosure after calling News 6

Mortgage company calls $18,000 bill a 'mistake'

OVIEDO, Fla. – Bay Sherrod said she is still reeling from the demand letter asking for more than $18,000 in deferred mortgage payments, because she thought everything was fine. 

“They would not talk to me, they said there was nothing they could do for me,” she said. “They were going to sell my house and that was it.”

The respiratory technical specialist said the deferred payments were offered by Nationstar Mortgage LLC aka Mr. Cooper, after Central Florida was declared a federal disaster area following Hurricane Irma in September.

[READ: Tips for choosing the right mortgage]

Sherrod, a widow with three teens and an ailing mother on dialysis at home, was told the payments would be placed at the back end of the mortgage.

On May 4, Sherrod received a letter stating “all payments from and including September 1, 2017” had
to be paid in full by June 3, 2018, or the lender would foreclose on the property.

Sherrod said she lived in her Oviedo home since 2013 and never missed a payment.

When she asked the company when she should start making payments again, they told her they were “working something out.” 

Her mother said Sherrod was looking for loans to pay the $18,000 bill but couldn’t find an affordable option.
News 6 contacted the mortgage company and within 24 hours, Mr. Cooper reviewed the situation and started to develop some options.

The company called her and said the letter was a “mistake” and that a new program had just become available.

[READ: Getting a mortgage: 5 steps for ease and success]      

Last week, Sherrod received an offer of a 30-year fixed mortgage, with lower interest rate and monthly payments.

“I’m so grateful, before you got involved they were very threatening on the phone,” she said.

Sherrod said a mortgage representative had her “write down the offer” to make sure she understood the mortgage.

“It was a really, really great deal," she said. “I think News 6 definitely got results, I think that’s an appropriate statement, getting results, because prior to you getting involved I felt like I was being ignored.” 

If you are facing foreclosure, click here or here.


About the Author

News 6’s Emmy Award-winning Investigative Reporter Mike Holfeld has made Central Florida history with major investigations that have led to new policies, legislative proposals and even -- state and national laws. If you have an issue or story idea, call Mike's office at 407-521-1322.

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