Consumer complaint received 2023-11-17
Company: DHI Mortgage Company
State: FL
Product: Mortgage
Sub-product: FHA mortgage
Issue: Applying for a mortgage or refinancing an existing mortgage
Sub-issue: Trying to communicate with the company to fix an issue with the application process

Complaint:
My Formal Complaint Against DHI Mortgage Company I am writing to file a formal complaint against DHI Mortgage Company, detailing concerns related to unfair and deceptive lending practices as well as discriminatory behavior. I believe these actions violate ethical business standards and demand a thorough investigation. I have spoken with the Customer Care Department who has been unresponsive to my calls and emails and refused to provide me any insight into the investigation that was supposed to be conducted. 

I applied with DHI mortgage on XXXX and shortly after received the Purchase Agreement from DR Horton to begin the process of applying for an FHA loan for the home I was interested in purchasing. The process began and I was assigned a Loan Officer - XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX # XXXX. She reached out to me and told me that my application was in progress. A few days later I received the Initial Disclosures and various documents that needed to be signed. I didnt receive any follow up call from XXXX advising what I am signing and I made numerous attempts to reach her. After speaking with my real estate agent and DR Horton Rep, she finally texted me advising she was going to call and address questions that I have. She called and I got my initial questions answered after a couple days of waiting. On XXXX I received an email and call from XXXX XXXX - XXXX # XXXX ( Loan Processor ) stating that I was Conditionally Approved and she provided me a list of conditions/requirements that would need to be satisfied prior to the closing of the Home. Please note that prior to receiving the conditional approval, no call or email was provided to me advising that certain items will need to be addressed to obtain the loan. Apparently, this expectation was supposed to be set during the application/ preliminary phase. The conditional approval also set a tentative closing date of XXXX 

The first list of conditions ( Containing 20+ required items ) required me to pay off outstanding credit accounts/debts and provide bank statements that correspond with the payments. Additionally, on the first list of conditions, there were items that I was required to pay off that were not even debts or mandatory obligations. Once I made the DHI team aware, these were removed from the list. As of the evening on XX/XX/XXXX, I worked diligently to upload all of the requested documentation and these efforts carried on for several days as I had to involve other companies to obtain the requested documents. There was a lot of back and forth between the Underwriting Team, the Loan Processor and myself as they kept requesting more documentation over and over. One thing to note is that I submitted the application and was preapproved for the home using XXXXXXXX XXXX  account. During this process, I was instructed that I had to produce bank statements for ALL of my bank accounts and heavy scrutiny has been placed on those additional accounts that were not even in Scope for purposes of me obtaining the loan. The back and forth cadence continued for several days between the Loan Processor and Underwriting. I also received a Gift from my parents and this process was very rigorous to say the least. My mom was able to transfer the money with no problem but they were unable to accept the gift from my father. They decided to review and vet both of my parents ' personal accounts and stated they would accept my moms gift but refuse my fathers AFTER stating they only needed the last 10 Transactions. 

My father and I had a conversation with the loan processor prior to him giftings me money and the information she provided on the phone was inaccurate because we received different information after them saying they were refusing my fathers gift. Nonetheless, my mom was able to provide me with another gift and associated bank documents. Concurrently, I had received more requests to sign documents without explanation and these documents contained information about the interest rate. The only reason I went with DHI Mortgage was due to the incentives they were offering on the purchase of a new DR Horton home. I was given misinformation about how the incentives work and it was never explained to me correctly from the beginning of this process. The documents I was being coerced to sign were basically forcing me to use a huge part of my incentive to buy interest points. During this time, I was making multiple attempts to reach out to XXXX - Loan Originator to discuss the new loan disclosures and she was unresponsive. I later found out that she was out of the office sick. I understood, but I figured someone would reach out to me to continue the process as there was no concrete ETA of when she would return. 

There was a holding pattern until XX/XX/XXXX and I received an email from XXXX XXXX - Loan processor stating that Underwriting needed an additional 21 items of documentation. I again worked diligently that evening to provide all of the requested documents and get them uploaded. During this time, I got paired with another Loan Originator - XXXX XXXX XXXX # XXXX who was working on behalf of XXXX in her absence. My father and I voiced our concerns to her regarding the documents I received and the misinformation I had received regarding the interest rate. She advised she would be escalating to upper management. During this call, I received an email with another 30 items of documentation that would be required for Underwriting to review. I followed up again via email to XXXX advising that I hadnt received a call and she stated I would receive a call on XXXX 

On the morning of XX/XX/XXXX, I received a call from XXXX, a Branch manager and again had to voice my concerns about the process and the lack of communication and customer care I had been receiving thus far. She advised me that I would receive a call back after she investigates. 

The next day, I didn't receive a call from her but I received a call from XXXX XXXX - Branch Manager XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX who called me and said he was willing to answer any questions I have about the interest rate. My father had been a part of every phone conversation at this point and has had visibility on issues up to this point. His tone and demeanor during this conversation was very condescending and he was trying to justify every action in regards to the concerns I was having and additionally told me that I am not being discriminated against. My father and I also explained to him that there seems to be requests alluding to Over Documentation after reviewing various guidelines set forth by FHA. 

Once I advised him AGAIN that I was being discriminated against for being a minority and trying to purchase a home on my own, he stated that he could no longer talk to me and my father, and he would escalate it to the customer care team that handles discrimination claims. 


That evening I scrambled to gather all 30 + items of documentation. A couple days go by and I receive a call from XXXX XXXX - DHI Customer Care Specialist on Monday XX/XX/XXXX and again my father and I voiced our concerns and I gave multiple occurrences of Discriminatory actions, intrusive and irrelevant requests for documentation and other information. He advised an internal investigation would occur in relation to what has happened and for me to keep him informed on any shortcomings that occur after our call. 


On XX/XX/XXXX, I received an email from XXXX XXXX stating that all the documentation was pending review from the Underwriting department and he will reach out once he receives feedback. Two days go by and it's now XX/XX/XXXX and I receive another email from XXXX XXXX with another 19 items of documentation that needed to be reviewed. This time, I identified items that were out of scope or items that I already provided and he advised he would escalate to the Loan Processing Team Lead - XXXX XXXX. She called me that same afternoon and was extremely rude and disrespectful to my father and I. Also she advised that I can disregard the email sent and to delete the email as the list of items was then reduced down to 12. This was a clear indication of Over Documentation and had I not said anything, there would have been excessive scrutiny on the additional documents provided. 

As of XX/XX/XXXX, I provided the additional documentation and didnt hear anything back until XX/XX/XXXX from XXXX XXXX XXXX He stated that the fulfillment team will review within 24 hours and will reach out if anything else additional is needed. As of XX/XX/XXXX, I received an email from XXXX XXXX stating that the additional documentation is back with Underwriting and they will have feedback on Tuesday XX/XX/XXXX which was my expected closing date. 


This lender has displayed nothing but injustice towards me and my family. As a minority, we should not have to face this type of treatment and this has been a very discouraging and daunting experience for me as a First Time Homebuyer. I would be curious to know what other minorities have faced some of this same behavior because it is not right and I was taught to speak up when things are not right. This has caused TRAUMA for me and my family and I am demanding JUSTICE for the type of experience I have been provided to date. I have not been able to reach XXXX XXXX since our first conversation and I am done trying to conform and allow DHI Mortgage to continue these egregious actions. 


Thank you for your attention to this matter. 

XXXX XXXX First Time Home Buyer

Company public response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
Company response to consumer: Closed with monetary relief