Consumer complaint received 2022-08-09
Company: CULLEN/FROST BANKERS, INC.
State: TX
Product: Checking or savings account
Sub-product: Checking account
Issue: Problem with a lender or other company charging your account
Sub-issue: Money was taken from your account on the wrong day or for the wrong amount

Complaint:
I applied to lease an apartment from XXXX XXXX, XXXX at their XXXXXXXX XXXX location in XXXX on XX/XX/XXXX. I was told by XXXX, the leasing agent, that the application fee was {$65.00}. Knowing from recent experience in applying for apartments, I was aware that the application fee pays for the cost of the full background check including credit, criminal, and public records searches. Application fees range in XXXX from {$18.00} per person to {$60.00} per person. I thought {$65.00} was a bit high but factored in growing inflation to explain why they are charging more than other complexes. I understood XXXX to say that there is a {$150.00} admin fee charged after application acceptance. With this in mind, I applied and agreed to pay the {$65.00} fee which was not shown prior to inputting my debit card information. I was left to rely on XXXX 's information prior to applying. The receipt returned a charge of {$210.00}, which included the post-application acceptance admin fee of {$150.00}. I was shocked, no other complex charges {$210.00} to apply for an apartment, and knew when I saw it that XXXX had deliberately led me into a fee scam. I immediately called XXXX and asked for an explanation, and she lied telling me that the application fee does not cover the credit, criminal, and public records search fees, that the fee only opens the application to be filled out. Another absolute lie. All I had to do was click on their Lease Now/Apply Now button from their website to open the application to fill it out. She said they charge the {$150.00} admin fee because this fee pays for all the background checks. Yet another absolute lie. XXXX knew or should have known that the {$65.00} fee covers all of the checks. This is very reason for charging the background check fee to the applicant by calling it an application fee. Afterward, I called her back to ask why I received notice that the processing of my application was delayed. She said that I needed to upload additional information including proof of ID and proof that a deleted debt still showing on my credit was actually deleted. She instructed me to go back into the application and upload the requested documents. When I attempted to reenter the application my login information had been purged preventing me from uploading XXXX 's requested information. I called XXXX again and reported the login issue, to which she said, " Uh huh. '' Understanding the sarcasm, I said, Oh I see you deleted my login information so I can't upload the information you requested. Again, " Uh huh. '' I said, so you've already made a decision -- - abiased decision against me without the information you requested. You've developed a bias against me because you saw that a deleted debt is still on my account. She said, " It came up red! You can send the information to us in an email and we'll put it in for you. '' Realizing my fate was likely doomed, I said, I'll send it to you and I'm going to file a dispute with my bank for a full refund of my {$210.00}. '' She did not comment. This morning I received notice from XXXX that my application was denied. Within the 3 reasons they provided it is apparent that due to XXXX 's bias, despite that I provided by email documentation from the 3 credit bureaus that the adverse account was deleted on XX/XX/XXXX, due to actual fraud from a previous landlord, that she deliberately failed to upload those documents into my application for the specific purpose of precluding XXXX from making a fair and just decision. Further knowing that the absence of the documents I provided to her in email, would cause them to make a decision based on untruth and non-factual information, to promulgate a wrongful denial and to foster housing discrimination. To make matters worse, on that same day, XX/XX/XXXX, I applied for another apartment, which charged only {$50.00} for the application fee. The application enabled me to provide the additional information, the same information I emailed to XXXX, directly to the apartment manager, and on Monday XX/XX/XXXX I was accepted. This week we are in the process of setting up my resident account and signing the lease agreement documents. XXXX XXXX, XXXX and its subsidiary, XXXX XXXX in XXXX. are clearly actively engaged in an alternative and hidden tax-exempt business which engages in wrongfully denying applications and charging excessive and unauthorized fees to applicants seeking to lease with them, for the specific purpose of making untolled proft, which falls well under the radar of the Internal Revenue Service . They garner these profits by creating an environment of bias and prejudice against certain applicants who they determine to be undesirable for various reasons. As it pertains to my case, they knew that I had proof from the credit bureaus which shows a deleted adverse account from a previouos landlord who committed actual fraud. To prevent me from showing proof, they blocked me from reentering my application, due to bias, prejudice, and to commit an act of housing crimination against me. Doing the math, for every 100 applications they recieve, XXXX XXXX, XXXX. collects {$21000.00}. In this market, they easily receive hundreds of applications per month. Denying applications is apparently a secret tax-free cash-cow haven for this company.

Company response to consumer: Closed with monetary relief