Consumer complaint received 2021-05-04
Company: CITIBANK, N.A.
State: FL
Product: Mortgage
Sub-product: Conventional home mortgage
Issue: Closing on a mortgage

Complaint:
On XX/XX/XXXX, XXXX, I received and email from XXXX XXXX ( CitiMortgage ), XXXX, asking me to contact her regarding a mortgage inquire I wondered few days before at XXXX XXXX XXXX We spoke over the phone with her and she wrote another email the same day asking for initial information from me and my wife to start the process. 
The initial closing date in the offer accepted by the seller was XX/XX/2021. However, XXXX XXXX, asked for more time in order to make it possible to process the Loan successfully. We asked the seller, and XX/XX/2021 was accepted and I sent the amendment to XXXX XXXX on XX/XX/2021. 
We were offered 2.375 % interest rate but then we were told we needed to LOCK the rate for a fee. I decided not to do it until we were close to the closing date in case interest rates plummet. XXXX weeks before we LOCKED the rate at 2,5 % Since the very first day we received inquires from XXXX XXXX and in each one of them, our response was submitted within a 24 hours time frame. 
During the last week of XXXX, XXXX started asking for documents that were already submitted. We resent them within the same time frame of 24 hours XXXX asked us to provide proof that other properties we owned were Mortgage free and said we need to have our lawyer to contact a title company to produce that certificate, we did it at a cost of USDXXXX. Also, XXXX started asking that every document already sent needed to be in .PDF format, making the process slower. 
Seller asked and extension of 11 more days for the closing date, We accepted, and notified Citi Mortgage, that they will have 11 more days to arrive safe at closing. The new closing date was XX/XX/2021 One week before closing I wrote and email alerting that we only had seven days and I had not received any information about approval or rejection of the loan. Then Citi Mortgage started to ask for more documents and repeating inquires for documents already submitted. I wrote a bunch of emails resending the information, establishing that they were being resent and noticing the dates they were originally sent, and 3 days before the closing date they stop answering my calls and sending more documents inquires. 
In total I sent to CITI MORTGAGE 95 emails containing all the required information to approve or reject the loan. However, Citi Mortgage response was not to show at Closing. Leaving us total defenseless before the compromise we had to pay for our house on XX/XX/2021. 
I decided to use my savings at Citibank, to pay for the house in cash in order to avoid losing USDXXXX  we had deposit as a guarantee for the transaction I complained to XXXX XXXX XXXX at Citi Mortgage XXXX Area Lending Manager MD/DC/NOVA Citibank , N.A . C : XXXX F : XXXX NMLS XXXX XXXX, and he apologized to me in the name of CITI MORTGAGE and offered me a remedy to this very uncomfortable situation. He said a Citi Mortgage more experienced employee from CITI Mortgage in Washington DC was going to contact me to offered me the solution to the problem generated by them. 
XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX Lending XXXX, NMLS XXXX, Cell XXXX, Email : XXXX offered me a refinancing of my house at a higher rate, near to 4 %, and paying for the closing fees again. I said that I understand this as a Bait and Switch and that I was not interested. I also asked him for reimburse for all expenses I had incurred during the FAILED MORTGAGE PROCCESS. 
XXXX XXXX, evidently offended for my mention of the BAIT and SWICHT, ordered his employees to close the process and reimburse me only for the expenses I paid Citi Mortgage and not for CPA XXXX they asked me to get signatures and certifications from, Title Company they asked me to certify that my other properties were mortgage free, etc. 
I do not only want all my monies back, but also I ask for an investigation of this situation in order to prevent other people to become victims of this negligent, inefficient and wrongful practice. 
I formulate the following questions : What would have happened if I did not have the funds to buy the house at closing? For sure I would have lost USD XXXX, and the possibility to buy the house that We, at our family, decided to buy. Would CITI MORTGAGE be held responsible for USD XXXX? How can we calculate the damage produce by CITI MORTGAGE in the hypothetical event that we could not pay for the house in cash at closing? 
I have all the emails available for submission as per regulators request. As follows my request for reimbursement : XX/XX/2021 XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX {$970.00} XX/XX/2021 CITIBANK NA {$860.00} XX/XX/2021 RAPID TITLE SEARCH ON XXXX XXXX AND XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX TO DEMONSTRATE NO MORTGAGE WERE IN PLACE. XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX {$500.00} XX/XX/2021 CERTIFIED ACCOUNTANT FEES {$2000.00} TOTAL EXPENSES INCURRED ON CITI FAILURE MORTGAGE {$4300.00} Regards XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX

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