Consumer complaint received 2018-09-02
Company: CITIBANK, N.A.
State: MA
Product: Mortgage
Sub-product: Conventional home mortgage
Issue: Applying for a mortgage or refinancing an existing mortgage

Complaint:
I'm working with XXXX best in America mortgage company as they like to call themselves. " Economic Justice through home ownership '' as they describe themselves. I first went to the worshop on XX/XX/XXXX. Then I made an appointment for an intake for XX/XX/XXXX. After providing all requested documentation such as my husband 's pay stubs, my pay stubs, children SSI award letters, credit card statements, a {$25.00} fee, a {$34.00} fee for credit check, and many other documentation, it was all sent to underwriting. In two weeks I received the news that I was XXXX qualify so I could start home searching. I went to a second workshop for 1 hour to help us through home searching. After finding house that we liked, we put an offer of {$160000.00} and it was accepted. I did the inspection within the 7 days for {$500.00} and I gave a {$1000.00} deposit to the seller. After finding the house, completing the inspection, and signing the purchase and sales agreement, XXXX again have to do another credit check, income check, and I had to send more documents for " Credit Access '' which requires underwriting approval. Once again I was approved. My husband and I on Wednesday XX/XX/XXXX, went to XXXX XXXX, Connecticut office to meet with counselor XXXX XXXX to sign the mortgage application which was about 50 pages long. On XX/XX/XXXX, we received a lot of lender, Citibank, conditions/requirements which require us to provide more documentation such as pay stubs, bank statements, children SSI award letters, children 's birth certificates and many other documents. Everything was quiet after that although every two to three days I would ask XXXX, my closing coordinator, for updates. For the past week and a half I do not hear from XXXX or anybody. Lack of communication was a big issue because I didn't know where the mortgage process was standing. I asked my realtor to email my closing coordinator, XXXX, my counselor XXXX, and my attorney, XXXX XXXX, but did not hear anything back from any of them. My realtor and I went ahead and requested a mortgage contingency extension for another week. Still one more week and I didn't hear from anybody. On XX/XX/XXXX, the lender, Citibank, decided to denied my loan or mortgage for the simple fact that they will not count the children SSI as part of the household income. Citibank rejected my Award letter verifying SSI income, birth certificate and bank statements showing the deposits. They said that if I do not use the SSI money, my income to debt ratio will be 49.96 % and the ratio is 43 %. ( Im not sure why I wouldn't use that income! ) What I don't understand is why they don't want to count the SSI income if I was able to prove per their request that the kids are XXXX and XXXX years old by giving them birth certificates, also I provided award letters, and bank statements for the last 3 months showing that the income is receive in a regular basis in the bank account. They are discriminating my family from getting a mortgage loan just because I'm counting on my children SSI income. I don't understand how I went through underwriting twice before getting to the lender, Citibank, and I was approved those two times. I am XXXX, low-income family trying to get better and own a home. My XXXX children have XXXX and they receive Social Security for their XXXX. They are only XXXX years old and XXXX years old so they will get SSI for at 3+ years which is what they require to count SSI as income to apply for mortgage. The reason why I was able to be XXXX qualify, and then Credit Access was approved it's because I was able to prove that the kids SSI was likely to continue for the next three years by providing their birth certificates. I feel like my family and I were discriminated. Please help my family and I achieve this goal of becoming homeowners.

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