Bank of America said late Wednesday that it mistakenly mailed almost 5,000 Oregonians letters claiming they owe property taxes and might be risking foreclosure when they, in fact, don't.
According to combined press reports, Washington County Department of Assessment and Taxation director Rich Hobernicht said his office has fielded roughly 1,000 calls since Monday from homeowners who received letters from BAC Tax Services Corp., a unit of B of A's servicing division.
In Multnomah County, the nation's largest servicer said it sent 1,600 letters in error, according to county spokesman Shawn Cunningham.
"We sincerely apologize to those who received the letter in error," said mortgage unit spokeswoman Jumana Bauwens. She said the servicer is in the process of notifying affected customers in 14 Oregon counties where the erroneous letters went out.
Judy Crawford of Aloha and Sharyn Rowe of Bethany told reporters in Oregon that letters they received indicated they were delinquent on their property taxes - but neither of them are.
The letter from the servicing department said they had 30 days to pay the bill or the bank might do it for them and impose an escrow account to cover its costs, raising their monthly payment. "We have always been in good standing in the 15 years we've owned our home," Crawford told The Oregonian. "My husband and I are truly furious."
Rowe, who happens to be a tax analyst for Clackamas County's Assessment & Taxation office, said she paid her 2010-11 property taxes in full and on time in three installments. She has now had to fax the bank a receipt of her tax payment to clear up the matter.
Bauwens said the erroneous letter went to customers who pay taxes in installments.
B of A is the nation's largest servicer of home mortgages with $2 trillion in receivables and a nationwide market share of 21.34%, according to figures compiled by National Mortgage News and the Quarterly Data Report.
