Biz reporter gets call from mortgage holder who got her number from bank

Karen Gilblom of the Puget Sound Business Journal notes that she received a call recently from a Wells Fargo mortgage customer — who says she got the reporters number from the bank — about modifying her mortgage.

Gilblom writes, “McCague said Parker spent nearly five hours with her on the phone sorting through mortgage issues. At the end of the conversation, McCague faxed the bank more than 100 documents that were needed to resolve the confusion over her mortgage. However, the talk was not entirely positive.

“‘They were very concerned I had reached out to you,’ McCague told me, in a follow-up call. ‘They said: ‘Penny, why would you call the media over this?’’

“That struck me as odd, of course, since McCague thought she was calling a mortgage modification helpline when she dialed my number. Further, she called my number at the instruction of a bank employee.

“That prompted me to make a second call to the Seattle-area Wells Fargo spokeswoman. After having to leave voicemail, I got a call back a few hours later – but from an Iowa-based Wells Fargo Home Mortgage Division spokesperson who asked for a couple days to look into the matter.”

Read more here.