We refinanced with Bank of America because it was going to be the lowest overall cost when you take into account the interest rate & the closing costs. We had a dickens of a time with the old loan (from Dec 2009 to March 2010). But we thought it would be okay because of two things: 1) We got out of them escrowing our homeowners insurance and property taxes and 2) We signed up for autopay.
Well, here I am in the fortunate situation to want to pay some extra principal on the mortgage. My question was how to do this. Back in the day at Washington Mutual (*tear*), I just went into the branch and made an extra payment with the same teller I always visited.
Today we got our mortgage statement, and it was advertising a way to pay online!!!! Woohoo! It would be so awesome if I could make an extra payment that way. I had checked within the past month, and I hadn't been able to. But I had some faith as I logged in & followed the directions it had. Unfortunately I could only get to Step 3, as I didn't have the option it said to click on. Alas, I relearned that Washington State is on a different system as the rest of the country. They started on the east coast and worked their way west and then the financial markets tanked in 2008 and then their priorities changed, but Washington was still on the old system...blah blah blah blah blah.
So I can't pay my extra payment online.
I can do it through the telephone, but I'm charged $20.
Then I take another look at that dang statement. There is NO address for payments to be mailed. I don't know if it's because we're on autopay or what. It's not like I was excited about mailing in a payment anyway because remember how Bank of America lost the half a million dollar check last time. I'm sure I could call or look on their website to get an address, but I'm not sure it's worth dealing with their idiotic payment department when they inevitably lose yet another check.
So that only leaves me the branch option. I'm not even sure you can make a payment in the branch. Then there comes the problem of how do I do this. I do have a Bank of America checking account - that one I didn't want, but I was forced to have in order to see my account online. It's not like I can DO anything with my account online, but at least I can see the current balance and stuff. That checking account has $19 in it. So if I want to make the payment, don't I have to use that checking account? The last time I used my Chase account at Bank of America, they (I'm not sure which bank) charged me a cash advance fee. That twirked me off, and I eventually got a refund but still...grrrr. I can move money from Chase electronically, but there's a fee for that. I suppose I could go to Chase and withdraw the money in cash, then walk across the street and deposit it in Bank of America. That's stupid though.
I miss Washington Mutual. A lot.
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