Consumer complaint received 2020-07-21
Company: SANTANDER BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
State: MA
Product: Mortgage
Sub-product: Home equity loan or line of credit (HELOC)
Issue: Closing on a mortgage

Complaint:
I am the personal representative for the estate of my father. I am writing about the incredibly poor business practices, miscommunication, unacceptable customer service, and improper waste of time I have received from Santander Bank, XXXX XXXX. XXXX XXXX, XXXX, XXXX  XXXX. 

We recently sold my father 's home in XXXX, XXXX. In order to close on the house sale and legally recorded the sale, we needed a pay-off statement and discharge statement from Santander. On XX/XX/XXXX, my attorney sent to the pay-off department ( XXXX ) the required documents ( death certificate and probate letter ) to receive a fax of the payoff statement. The fax cost {$20.00}. 

On XX/XX/XXXX I called to ask a question about the pay-off amount and was told that the loan department would not talk to me because they did not have the death certificate and probate letter. I then re-sent Santander the death certificate and copy of the probate letter with the raised seal shaded in so they could see the seal was real ( as per their instructions ). According to their notes on XX/XX/XXXX they received the death certificate and the probate letter, and I was confirmed as the personal representative to discuss my father 's HELOC. On XX/XX/XXXX, we closed on the sale of my father 's house. In early XXXX, after waiting on hold for 1 hour, I spoke to Santander customer service to find out when the discharge statement would be sent to the XXXX XXXX registry of deeds. I was told that no one could give me that information because I was not authorized as the personal representative. I explained that I had been authorized and if they only looked under my father 's record, they would see that all paper work was submitted and approved. The representative said that I WAS NOT approved, and she could not speak to me about this matter!!! The only thing I could do was speak with the collections department ( XXXX ). I then called the collections department and they said that they could not speak to me about the loan and I would need to mail or fax a copy of the death certificate and probate letter with a shaded raise seal in order for them to speak with me. I then tried faxing the required document to fax number XXXX and XXXX four times. The fax would not receive the document. I then called collections back and was told that the fax was broken. I was amazed that a bank as large as Santander would only have one fax machine and allow it to go unserviced for more than 10 minutes. I was informed to instead mail the documents to Collections Department. I then immediately mailed via US mail the documents, which was over 2 1/2 weeks ago. I then called on XX/XX/XXXX to see if they had received my documentation. The person that answered said I was not an authorized to receive any information about whether the documents were received nor could she speak to me about the loan as I was not an authorized party. She would not even be able to tell me if the documents were received. She advised faxing the documents again. I tried to do so but the fax was still broken. Again, I can not fathom that a major institution functions with a broken fax machine. On Monday, XX/XX/XXXX, I called again to the collection department, was hung up on, then called and spoke to a XXXX. I was again told he was not allowed to disclose to me if the documents were or were not received nor could he answer any question about the discharge statement. I asked if he could please speak with his supervisor to see if there was some way for the department to at least tell me if the documents I mailed over 2 1/2 weeks ago were received. He refused to get his supervisor on the line. He explained that she would not be able to provide any more information than he could. He also explained that he was working from home because of COVID-19 and I should just be patient. I explained that I was also working from home but needed to find out if a discharge was sent to the registry of deeds on a house sale. He said he couldn't help me. I then decided on XX/XX/XXXX to see my local Santander bank manager and have him send the death certificate and probate letter internally to the collections department. I then met, in person, with a Mr. XXXX XXXX Branch Manager, XXXX, NMLS ID XXXX, XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX  XXXX. When I arrived at the bank Mr. XXXX asked me what I wanted to speak with him about and I requested that he please send over the death certificate and probate letter notifying Santander that I was the personal representative. I explained that I tried to fax and send this via US mail as instructed but no one would inform me if the documents were received and their fax was broken. He promptly informed me that I was not allowed to fax or send these documents via US mail as Santander would never accept such documents via fax or US mail because I could be falsely impersonating someone and that I should have come in the branch in person in the first place. Also he doubted that the fax machine was broken. I explained that that was not the information that I was told repeatedly. He then kindly scanned my documents to the legal department, which needed to review the documents and approve if I was truly the personal representative and then could discuss with Santander about my father 's HELOC discharge statement and whether it was sent to the Registry of Deeds. I then asked him to please call the collections department and verify if I could or could not fax or send via US mail the documents because he claimed that was not correct, and I felt like I was being told I was a liar. Mr. XXXX did agree to call and was informed that yes, I could send the documents via fax or US Mail as instructed. He then explained to them that I had tried to do this multiple times ( via fax ) and US mail, but they could not tell him if any of the documents were received and suggested he call customer service at XXXX. Mr. XXXX explained that he was concerned that I was not being treated properly and agreed to call customer service. While he waited on hold for 15 minutes, he decided to see what he could find out about the required documents by looking at my father 's account. He was quickly able to see that on XX/XX/XXXX they had received the death certificate and on that date requested the probate letter XXXX even though I had sent it at the same time ). He then saw that on XX/XX/XXXX, Santander had received a second copy of the death certificate and the probate letter, and I was approved to speak to any representative about my father 's accounts. I then realized that all this time, the bank had the required documentation that Santander kept requesting. I had therefore wasted time, energy and attorney fees about documents that the bank already had. 

When the customer service representative finally got on the line, Mr. XXXX asked her to review the same notes with him, date by date, which was very nice and proper business practice. The customer service representative XXXX or XXXX in Colorado agreed that all documentation had been properly received on XX/XX/XXXX. She also explained to Mr. XXXX that I should have never spoken with the Collections Department since they do not handle closed accounts and wanted to know why I spoke with collections in the first place. I explained that I was told by customer service in early XXXX to submit documentation to the Collections Department. Again I felt like I was seen as a liar. She explained that that information was incorrect and even if Collections received the documentation they would discard it because the HELOC was paid off. She then said that she could see the account was closed in early XXXX and that the discharge statement was sent 3rd class mail to the registry of deeds. The registry of deeds has not yet receive this. 

I am absolutely beside myself for how I have been treated by Santander. Time and again I was given incorrect information, passed off to the wrong departments, wasted hours and hours of my time trying to send in documentation that the bank already had, wasted money speaking with my attorney, and was treated with incredible rudeness as I was just yet one more annoying, incompetent customer. This bank has only added to my grief over the loss of my father. They have called me a liar on multiple occasions, accused me of directing my issue to the wrong department and not doing what they asked even though I tried in all manners possible to get the documentation to the bank and have someone speak with me. In the end they had all needed documentation but NO ONE bothered to take one moment to open my father 's record to see that all the documentation they asked me for was there all along. In addition, it is inconceivable that a billion dollar corporation relies on one fax that is always broken.

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 explanation