WAMU Mortgage Plus

Just a couple of things today. First of all I did make it through my 4th and final interview for my second job. I will start as soon as I begin receiving program notifications. Woo Hoo! I really want/need to add an additional $1000 to my income. This will really jump start my plans. So, this is good and we’ll see how it goes. The recruiter says I should begin to receive the program notifications beginning next week.

To date I have still not heard a word from Countrywide. If I can find a way I am going to move both my loans away from them. I have contacted two people and no response. I’m gong to start digging to find out the contact information of people above the loan processing drones. Anyway, I am looking at the new product that WAMU is offering. It’s called Mortgage Plus. Here’s the information from their web site.

WaMu Mortgage Plus™

A mortgage and line of credit in one!

• No closing fees or mortgage insurance
• Easy to change your interest rate
• Access to equity without additional paperwork
• Flexible payments

Have questions?
Call us toll free at 800.933.3590—we’re happy to answer any questions you have.

WaMu Mortgage Plus™ details:
Use WaMu Mortgage Plus whether you’re buying a home or refinancing. It’s the ultimate financial tool. This two-in-one product combines a mortgage with the flexibility of a line of credit. Access equity as you build it by paying down the principal on your mortgage. Spend the cash however you wish!

• Switch to lower interest rates—the first time’s free, after that it’s $250
• Customize your payments to help with cash flow (including interest-only or principal payments). You can even pay interest only whether you choose a fixed or variable rate

Want to find out more? To figure out the available equity in your home, use our quick and easy Calculator.

This first-lien line of credit product allows you to obtain both variable rate advances and fixed rate loans. The Annual Percentage Rate (APR) for variable rate advances on lines greater than or equal to $250,000 is as low as Prime Rate – 0.65%, which is 7.60% as of 03/01/2007. The APR as of the same date for fixed rate loans of at least $250,000 is 6.75% for a five-year interest only fixed rate loan option. APRs quoted are available for our most creditworthy borrowers who have combined loan-to-values (CLTVs) of up to 80%. APR may be higher for other loan amounts, CLTVs and credit qualifications. Maximum APR is 18%. Transaction fee of 4% applies to non-credit-card advances of less than $100. A fee of 2% applies to each credit card cash advance, or $2.00, whichever is greater. Card access not available in CT. There is a $250 fee to obtain each fixed rate loan (other than the first fixed rate loan). For credit lines secured by your primary residence, we pay or waive typical costs and fees relating to opening your account, except for taxes, interest, fees not directly related to the credit transaction, or fees for additional products and services you voluntarily elect to obtain. You will be required to maintain property insurance on your residence at your own expense. A cancellation fee of the greater of $1,000 or 1% of the original credit limit will apply if the account is closed within the first 36 months. This account allows you to make minimum interest-only payments, which will not be sufficient to repay principal outstanding on your line. You will be required to pay the entire outstanding balance in a single payment upon the earlier of account closure or maturity. Other limitations apply. Rates and terms are subject to change without notice. Offer not available in Texas. Washington Mutual Bank has loan offices and accepts loan applications in many states. Washington Mutual Bank fsb has loan offices and accepts loan applications in ID, MT and UT.

I think this will be the first option I will look at. I bank at Bank of America and they offer a “sort of” Mortgage Plus. Here’s what they have to say. I could not tell if this was for new mortgages only or if it included refinances. I’m not thrilled with Bank of America so I don’t know if this would work.

So, with that said I’ll contact WAMU first and then decide what my next move is. It might be better with Bank of America if they will drop the rate by at least 1/2% because I am a current customer. But, that remains to be seen.

Here’s another tidbit. T-Mobile and sneaky charges. I just received my monthly statement and saw a .10 charge for an incoming text message. The destination on the text message was 501. From experience I’ve found that these are system messages from T-mobile and should not be charged for. So, I contacted customer service requesting a credit as I do not use text messaging and this message was sent from T-Mobile. Here’s the response I received from them. Check out the red text! I could not find information about this type of charge on their web site and if you click on the forgot password there is no indication, as of this morning, that there would be a charge for retrieving your password. Sneaky, stinky and just plain SUCKS!

Thank you for taking the time to contact T-Mobile Customer Care. My name is Jane and I am pleased to assist you today. We are here to help you with your service-related questions and concerns.

Your recent email advised that you do not use text messaging and that you are upset over a charge of $0.10 on your last statement and requesting a credit to resolve this. I am delighted to look into your account today and see just what I can do to resolve this for
you.

I have made an adjustment of the charge of $0.10 that was billed to your service on April 21, 2007. I hope that you will find this acceptable. You will see the adjustment noted on your next statement covering the billing period of May 10 to June 9, 2007. This is a one-time adjustment.

For future reference, the only time that you will be billed for an incoming text message is when you have forgotten your online password and click on the link FORGOT PASSWORD. This will cause a charge.

Effective June 1, 2007 the charge will increase to $0.15 per message. This type of message is the only one that will bill you when sent from T-Mobile. Should you ever receive a message regarding a special deal or something to do with your payments you will not be billed.

While accessing your account today I saw that you have made a
payment of $46.11 and would like to thank you for keeping your account current. We do appreciate this.

If you have any further questions or concerns feel free to contact us at anytime. Our Customer Care Department number is 1-800-937-8997 or you may dial 611 (send) from your handset. Our agents are available to serve you twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Also, you may reply directly to this email. Our email address is:
customercare@t-mobilesupport.com.

Thank you very much for giving me the opportunity to help you today, and I thank you for being a valued and loyal T-Mobile customer . We look forward to providing you with many more years of wonderful service.

Sincerely,
Jane M, Rep #7208985

Customer Care Specialist
T-Mobile USA