Consumer complaint received 2020-07-16
Company: CITIBANK, N.A.
State: PA
Product: Student loan
Sub-product: Private student loan
Issue: Dealing with your lender or servicer
Sub-issue: Need information about your loan balance or loan terms

Complaint:
At the time of my graduation from a graduate program in XXXX, the lender ( Citi ) did not have a student loan department and was using XXXX XXXX to collect payments on the loan. XXXX XXXX demanded payment for the loan on the date of my graduation on XX/XX/XXXX but did not have direct access to my promissory note, and the Citi student loan department did not have a phone or e-mail for me to contact them- the department did not exist. I attended an undergrad program fromXX/XX/XXXX-XX/XX/XXXX, post-baccalaureate program from XXXX XXXX of XXXX, and XXXX program from XX/XX/XXXX-XX/XX/XXXX. The date the loan was disbursed was XX/XX/XXXX. The promissory note states I am entitled to a period of deferment of 6 months for undergraduate school AND graduate school, not to exceed a total duration from the disbursement date of the loan of 10 years plus 6 months for graduate AND 4 years plus 6 months from graduate school. By sending the loan to collections on XX/XX/XXXX, Citi student loans failed to honor the 6 months of deferment after graduation from a graduate program and failed to honor the 10 year plus 6 month maximum amount of time for interim period/deferment period for undergrad and 4 years plus 6 months of interim period for graduate program. 

The loan is currently in collections. I sent an email to Citi XX/XX/XXXX asking for clarification and received an automatic reply stating there are increased processing times due to COVID. I also left a voicemail on XX/XX/XXXX. On XX/XX/XXXX, I missed a call from a XXXX from Citi student loans department. He did not leave a return phone number so I sent ANOTHER email response and left another voicemail. I did not receive any responses via email. I got another return call from Citi about 1 week after my call on XX/XX/XXXX. The loan agent explained that I used all my deferment and was not eligible for the 6 month grace period after graduation from a graduate program. Upon further review, I have found this information directly contradicts the details in my promissory note. Again, I have e-mailed and left a voicemail for Citi student loan department today XX/XX/XXXX. 

This loan should NOT be in collections evidenced by wording in my promissory note, the unavailability of the Citi student loan department from XXXX when the loan was sent to collections, and the inability of XXXX XXXX ( the servicer acting on behalf of Citibank student loans ) to view or explain any details of my promissory note. Discussion with XXXX XXXX today confirms that XXXX XXXX still does not have access to my promissory note and can not provide guidance as to my deferment or grace periods. 

I would like an expedient resolution to this matter, as Citibank did not honor the details of the contract and is unwilling to rectify the situation. Multiple attempts to contact Citi via email have failed and the only way to discuss with a Citi agent is to leave a voicemail and wait up to a week for them to return the call. There is a serious lack of communication from Citibank and their resolution/explanation of the issue is inaccurate and inadequate.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation