Consumer complaint received 2022-01-21
Company: WELLS FARGO & COMPANY
State: WA
Product: Mortgage
Sub-product: Conventional home mortgage
Issue: Applying for a mortgage or refinancing an existing mortgage

Complaint:
My wife and I are in the process of obtaining a mortgage loan from Wells Fargo bank. We have excellent credit and more than sufficient funds to ckose. The XXXX XXXX Iowa branch that deals with mortgage loans is engaging in unnecessarily hostile and threatening behavior to manipulate and coerce borrowers into unreasonable terms. The Manager, XXXX XXXX and his processor XXXX XXXX exhibit an exceptional degree of loathing towards citizens that is sanctioned by Wells Fargo higher leadership. 

It needs to be noted that this Wells Fargo branch in XXXX XXXX, Iowa is actually their debt collection office that is cross-utilized for mortgage processing, and has a notorious reputation online for hostility and threatening behavior towards citizens. That can be the only explanation in my opinion for the threatening and intimidating behavior exhibited by the employees towards regular clients who are simply looking for a loan with good credit. 


Our concern presently is that Wells Fargo is going to cost us the loss of our earnest money of {$3000.00} and the appraisal fee of about {$900.00} which Wells Fargo has already charged us -- all in the name of their vindictive and retaliatory spirit in trying to intimidate applicants into unfavorable terms. In addition to this we also stand to lose the property we are about to purchase, that we got at a very good deal. 


We are currently dealing with a pair of very difficult and obstructive employees, XXXX XXXX XXXX, Manager and XXXX XXXX, Processor who work in the same office. They are currently attempting to sabotage our loan application by using techniques of miscommunication, suspicion, false accusations, argumentative behavior, finger pointing and blaming and several other tricks in their bag -- - to get what they want. They are engaging in illegal behavior that needs to be stopped. 



The following is a transcript of the conversation I had with XXXX XXXX on XXXX XX/XX/XXXX, in the afternoon at XXXX XXXX  for 14 min 52 sec. I sent this to him as well as his superiors listed below his title. 





XXXX XXXX XXXX Loan Administration Manager ( Supervisor to XXXX XXXX ) Wells Fargo Bank Mortgage XXXX XXXX, Iowa ( XXXX ) XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX Loan Servicing  XXXX XXXX, Home Lending XXXX XXXX XXXX, Consumer Lending You started the phone call without a proper introduction of who you were, or notifying me that we could be on a recorded line, which is Wells Fargo policy. You refused to give your last name but in a blurb half-way through this conversation. 


You started by talking about how you find XXXX XXXX as one of your best producers and one of your most experienced workers, and how much you admire and honor his work. I let you speak uninterrupted despite the fact that the phone call should have been about moving our loan process forward and solving the problems. This behaviour exposed the toxic office environment you're in and put me in a defensive posture. Your statements, innuendos and questions perfectly mirrored that of XXXX XXXX, that gave the impression of a play-book being used to replicate tactics to confuse and intimidate clients. Your behaviour consisted of repeatedly and forcefully talking over clients, exhibiting a patronizing demeanor to intimidate clients, threatening the loan process to intimidate clients, claiming documents that were sent several times were never received to harass clients ... all that painted a picture in my mind of a tight-knit pack of tyrannical individuals in your office who are unwilling to change or improve the customer service experience while manipulating clients into unfavorable terms to the banks advantage. 


After hearing my fill of your aggrandization of XXXX XXXX, I decided to interrupt your monoloue and turned it towards the business subject matter, which is the loan application. You also stated that despite the bad relations that already exist you would not take XXXX XXXX off the process, despite your reasonable awareness that it was a plan to failure. That was clear indication to me that you wanted the process to fail, since you knew, or should have known, we were not having meaningful communication with XXXX XXXX. 



We focued on the main issue of the insurance coverage and the Title documents, as well as the resale certificate for the subject property in XXXX. But just like XXXX XXXX you were unable to delineate in your mind the difference between hazard insurance and property maintenance. You were also unable to accept the fact that some HOA, like the one in XXXX, have an insurance policy through the HOA for the entire building, and not individual policies carried by homeowners. 



You keep talking forcefully over me, repeatedly interrupting and refusing to give me an opportunity to talk -- which exhibited very poor customer service and problem solving skills. I expressed to you that the behavior and culture you were exhibiting is part of the problem that got Wells Fargo into trouble recently and that I would appreciate some space to talk. There were several occasions when you just rambled on even as I was talking because you did not want to hear what the customer had to say. 


You then proceeded to threaten me with canceling the loan application and I told you that you don't have the authority or the permission to do so. You repeatedly suggested several times, and even tried to egg me on, to leave Wells Fargo and go to a different bank, and I repeatedly told you that I will not stop the process of applying for a loan from Wells Fargo bank. 


I also cautioned you about retaliation and vindictive behavior of trying to sabotage the loan application process, because of the unproductive conversation you and I were having, and your unreceptive / uncooperative demeanor that you exhibited. 



You tried to interrupt the conversation and tried to hang up at least twice, when I repeatedly told you to stay on the line, do not hang up, and that I still have issues to communicate to you. I continued to caution you about retaliatory and vindictive behavior in trying to sabotage the loan, and that if you did take adverse action that I would file a complaint with the CFPB and the Washington State Attorney General, at which point you said you didn't care. 




I then brought up a new issue about how XXXX XXXX insisted that my wife XXXX " call him every time '' before she sent something electronically, and I asked you why we should be making phone calls to XXXX when everything is electronically communicated? You did not answer that question but instead used that as an excuse to damage or sabotage the loan process by saying that you would not be able to communicate with me regarding the loan -- - that was retaliatory and vindictive behavior that Is further proof of the toxic culture in your office. 



You then tried to use that as an excuse to stop communicating with me and my wife and sabotage the loan process, and I firmly told you at that point that you can communicate through any channel but we don't want any " personal level calls '' that XXXX was trying to establish, or make any uncomfortable phone calls to my wife, and that you can still communicate with us on a " professional level ''. 



I then continued to ask you what more you needed that we have not already sent and that if you had already read XXXX XXXX 's email, you would have seen the latest final 3 attachments. You first remained silent, then admitted you were not aware of what more you wanted. 


I then said you now have everything you want, if there's anything else, send me an email. You stated you would be sending me an email between an hour and the end of your business day. Our conversation was about XXXX o'clock PST in the afternoon, it is now past XXXX o'clock PST, and there is no email from you regarding any issues that are stopping you from going to underwriting. 



( The preceeding is a truthful account of the 2 phone conversations I had with XXXX XXXX XXXX, to the best of my knowledge and recollection, transcribed today XXXX XXXX, XXXX, at XXXX. ) XXXX XXXX Wells Fargo customer since 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 explanation