Consumer complaint received 2021-01-24
Company: NAVY FEDERAL CREDIT UNION
State: VA
Product: Mortgage
Sub-product: Conventional home mortgage
Issue: Applying for a mortgage or refinancing an existing mortgage

Complaint:
I am a XXXX year old, XXXXAmerican male with a XXXX credit score, full-time employment, and a home that I have lived in and paid a mortgage for over 15 years. My LTV is approximately 60 % - excellent from an underwriting standpoint. I was referred to Navy Federal Credit Union ( NFCU ) for refinancing because of their low rates and reported good customer service. I applied and was approved to refinance my current 30 year fixed mortgage into a 15 year fixed. I learned that NFCU had a loan match program where they would provide a comparable rate from another lender. I was offered a 2.25 % /0 % Discount Points/0.25 Origination fee loan on XX/XX/XXXX by XXXX XXXX XXXX Mortgage Refinance Originator - see Exhibit 1. 

I was then assigned to XXXX XXXX, Mortgage Processor|NMLS : XXXX, to close my refinancing. I had questions almost immediately because my loan was classified as a jumbo, but my county ( XXXX County in Virginia XXXX has homes with high appraised values. I emailed Ms. XXXX on XX/XX/XXXX in regards to this concern. She promised to call me on Friday XX/XX/XXXX, but I did not hear from her. I followed up with her on XXXX, XX/XX/XXXX, and XX/XX/XXXX to no avail - see Exhibit 2. This would become a pattern for my interactions with Ms. XXXX. She would go weeks without responding to emails or telephone calls. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I emailed XXXX XXXX and told her that I had questions and could not reach Ms. XXXX - see Exhibit 4. Ms. XXXX responded that she forwarded my request to Ms. XXXX and " reached out to her directly requesting that she contact [ me ] ''. I still did not receive a response from Ms. XXXX and on XX/XX/XXXX, I emailed Ms. XXXX requesting a manager that " I can call '' - Exhibit 4, page 3. I emailed MsXXXX XXXX one last time on XX/XX/XXXX - Exhibit 4, page 4, stating that I would seek out another lender if I wasn't contacted that day. Ms. XXXX never responded. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I emailed XXXX XXXX - see Exhibit # 3 about my inability to " get into contact with XXXX XXXX '' and I also stated that I had some questions about my refinancing. I told her that I was disappointed with NFCU and would seek another lender if no one from NFCU gets into contact with me " in the next 24 hours ''. I had previously left phone messages for Ms. XXXX, Ms. XXXX, and MsXXXX XXXX. 

At some point, Ms. XXXX contacted me and stated that my loan was an " easy '' one as I had stellar credit, dependable employment, and a low LTV. We discussed loan structures as well. 

After thinking about my loan, I wanted to find out if I could get a lower rate without changing the cost structure of my loan. I emailed MsXXXX XXXX on XX/XX/XXXX, requesting this information - see Exhibit 5. I spoke with her about this and decided that I would buy down my loan so that it would no longer be a jumbo and I would get a rate of 1.875 %. I specifically stated that I wanted to keep the same cost structure as my original offer from Ms. XXXX i.e. 0 % Discount Points and XXXX origination fee. I agreed to the lower rate. 

On XXXX, XXXX, XXXX, I emailed Ms. XXXX - see Exhibit 6, noting that the Federal Housing Finance Agency had increased the conforming loan limit to {$540000.00} in XXXX. I also requested written confirmation that I could receive the 1.875 % rate beginning XX/XX/XXXX without paying the extra closing costs. Ms. XXXX did not respond. I emailed her again on XX/XX/XXXX - see Exhibit 6, page 2 and again on XX/XX/XXXX. Ms. XXXX finally responded on XX/XX/XXXX, but did not even answer my question about my loan and the increase in the conforming loan limit. I emailed her as such on XX/XX/XXXX, the same day. She did not respond. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I emailed Ms. XXXX again - see Exhibit 7 and left her a voicemail regarding the conforming loan limit increase. Yet again, she did not respond. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I emailed both XXXX XXXX and XXXX XXXX about my refinancing - see Exhibit 8. Neither responded. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I emailed XXXX XXXX, Mortgage Production Supervisor, about my difficulty getting in contact with XXXX XXXX - see Exhibit 9. I had spoken to Ms. XXXX the previous week and she told me Ms. XXXX was " out of the office ''. In my email, I requested a point of contact going forward. Ms. XXXX, after having listened to my complaint about Ms. XXXX 's poor customer service and lack of response to my questions about the terms of my loan, informed me that " XXXX XXXX is [ my ] processor and will be [ my ] point of contact going forward. '' I couldn't believe that a supervisor would learn the level of dissatisfaction from a customer and keep the infracting employee on the same assignment. I wanted to cancel my application after this grossly inadequate response, but I felt I was near closing and perhaps Ms. XXXX would now provide at least adequate service. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I asked Mr. XXXX for a closing timeline - see Exhibit 10. As I stated, I wanted to close as soon as possible. Again, Mr. XXXX never responded. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I asked Ms. XXXX to contact me about my loan - see Exhibit 11. She responded at XXXX the following day that she would call me in the morning. After another email exchange, I eventually spoke to her. She told me that she was leaving town again and would not be back until XX/XX/XXXX. She said that I was scheduled to close on Wednesday, XX/XX/XXXX, which would provide her time to finalize any last minute details. She also said " I must be the worst loan processor you ever had '', to which I could not deny. 

On XX/XX/XXXX and XXXX, XXXX, I again emailed Ms. XXXX asking about my closing status - see Exhibit 12. Again, she did not respond. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I emailed XXXX XXXX - see Exhibit 13 and filed a formal " Customer Service Complaint '' detailing the lack of responsiveness from XXXX XXXX - note I mistakenly put " Dees '' in my email, and XXXX XXXX. I informed her of my intention to file a complaint with the CFPB due to the poor customer service and repeated delays in closing. I also requested to close my refinancing " this week ''. 

On XX/XX/XXXX and XXXX, I emailed both XXXX XXXX and XXXX XXXX regarding my closing date. I requested to close by the XXXX. Neither of them responded. I later learned that Ms. XXXX was not in the office, but she did not have an auto " out of the office '' reply message activated on her email address. 

On XX/XX/XXXX at XXXX, Ms. XXXX left a voicemail for me. I returned her call at XXXX and XXXXleaving two voicemail messages for her. I spoke with XXXX XXXX on XX/XX/XXXX at XXXX. In this conversation, I detailed the deplorable customer service I have received from NFCU. I also expressed my frustration with not being able to get responses to questions about my refinancing. I told her that I was extremely unhappy and that this had been a " terrible experience '' for me and my family. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I was supposed to close on my refinancing, but upon review of the costs, I realized that my prior questions about the terms were not resolved. Specifically, I was being charged discount points and a higher origination fee, which would cost me thousands of dollars more, so I emailed Ms. XXXX - see Exhibit 14. Ms. XXXX responded - 17 hours later and 2 hours before my scheduled closing that the costs were correct and I agreed to them that I agreed to the cost structure on XX/XX/XXXX when I e-signed the document. Please see my XX/XX/XXXX email where I informed Ms. XXXX that I did not e-sign the documents. I did say I wanted to move forward with a conventional loan at 1.875 %, but I never mentioned a change in price structure - see Exhibit 16. MsXXXX XXXX conveniently forgets the numerous unanswered emails to her from me in XXXX, XXXX, and XXXX regarding the new conforming loan limits and my closing costs. 

Ms. XXXX stated that she was " not going to do this back and fourth with [ me ] '' - but isn't that her job? To explain and answer questions is what I was told her responsibilities are. This was totally unprofessional. Had she gone back and forth with me previously, this whole situation would have been avoided and I would have closed months ago! 

XXXX XXXX called me after my emails in Exhibit 14. She acknowledged that Ms. XXXX did not follow proper NFCU protocols and certainly did not live up to their customer service standards. I told Ms. XXXX that she was to blame as well as I had reached out to her directly and she didn't respond. She only called when I stated my intention to inform CRPB and the National Credit Union Administration. I told her the only resolution is to " make it right '' by me. 


Ms. XXXX is guilty of misrepresentation, negligence, grossly inadequate customer service, unprofessionalism and attempting to force me to sign a contract that I did not understand as exhibited by my numerous unanswered inquiries to her. She is not solely culpable, as her supervisors and colleagues were also made aware of her incompetent handling of my refinancing. 

I have suffered from extreme stress and anxiety surrounding this experience with NFCU. My credit has been lowered as Ms. XXXX 's delays caused my credit report to expire and have to be pulled again. 

I question why a customer like myself with sterling credit, a low LTV, full-time employment, bank savings, and a stock portfolio would be treated in such a manner. I begrudgingly supplied racial background information to NFCU and I can't help but to wonder if that played a factor in my treatment here. Ms. XXXX herself stated that my loan was " easy ''. Why did NFCU make it so hard for me???

Company public response: Company believes it acted appropriately as authorized by contract or law
Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation