In our XXXX end-of-year escrow statement, SLS told us that we had a shortage in our impounded funds ( due to reassessed property tax ), and told us what our new payment would be. On XXXX XXXX, XXXX, SLS acknowledged receipt of a letter from us disputing the amount being demanded and offering an alternative payment plan. On XXXX XXXX, XXXX, SLS sent us a letter turning down our alternative plan and demanding the original amount. 
While this payment amount was in dispute, we made our XXXX XXXX payment on XXXX XXXX, XXXX. We paid {$2700.00}, which was not the new amount SLS told us to pay, but was more than enough to cover our principal and interest due for XXXX XXXX, as well as an increased amount for our escrow account. 
However, SLS did not apply the funds we sent to our account. Instead of paying first the interest, then the principal and then putting whatever was left into the escrow account -- which SLS holds as a service to us -- the entire amount was put into " unidentified funds unapplied. '' This, in turn, made it look as if we had not made our XXXX payment -- although again I emphasize that there was more than enough to cover our principal and interest -- and we were charged a late fee, which I paid. 
I have been a homeowner since XXXX XXXX, and I have never once had a late payment. My husband owned a home for four years and never once had a late payment. NEVER. 
And we did n't make this payment late, either. The issue is the order in which the funds were applied. 
When our loan was first transferred to SLS, in XXXX XXXX, both our old mortgage company and our new company paid our homeowners insurance. XXXX sent me a refund check for the second payment, and I sent it to SLS to be reapplied to our escrow account. It took three months and numerous phone calls to get that simple thing done correctly. 
