Consumer complaint received 2021-01-15
Company: CITIBANK, N.A.
State: ID
Product: Mortgage
Sub-product: Conventional home mortgage
Issue: Applying for a mortgage or refinancing an existing mortgage

Complaint:
I have been engaged in a refi process with Citi Mortgage ( loan number XXXX XXXX since XX/XX/XXXX. I had my credit checked, submitted all of the requested paperwork right away, and worked with my loan officer and the underwriting department to answer any questions they had. I asked them if I needed to have an appraisal. Since I live in Idaho and the home is in Virginia, I wanted to schedule the appraisal when I would be on the east coast, as I was there for two months from XXXX  to XXXX. However, my loan officer said that they only needed an external appraisal and I didn't need to worry about it. Then I was told the first week of XX/XX/XXXXthat my refinance was approved, all documents were in hand, and someone would be calling me that week to schedule my closing. Several months went by and no progress was made. When I asked, I was told that they were still working on the loan, that my closing was imminent, but they were extremely backed up due to heavy volume because of low interest rates. In XXXX, my credit was pulled AGAIN without my authorization, which I did not appreciate since it affects my credit score. I shouldn't have to have my credit pulled again because they took on too many customers and can't properly attend to my file. They also asked me to re-upload the same documents that I had already uploaded to the loan portal several times, which I did again. In addition, my loan officer suddenly told me that they needed to schedule an appraisal, which was very frustrating since, back in XXXX, he told me I didn't need one. I told him that I am in Idaho and wouldn't be back to Virginia until  XXXX due to my work schedule and COVID-related travel restrictions, and I asked what the options were. I expressed my frustration that they were asking for an appraisal now when they insisted in XX/XX/XXXXthat they didn't need one. If they had worked on my file between XX/XX/XXXXand XX/XX/XXXX, they would have been able to notify me of their mistake while I was on the east coast. In XXXX, I suddenly received a letter saying that my refi was now being denied with no explanation. I have emailed and called multiple times over the last two months and I cant get an email or phone call back from the loan officer, his supervisor, the underwriting department, or anyone else. When I called today, they said that my file said it was being denied because of my income ; however, I have been paying this mortgage with Citi Bank / XXXX  since XXXX, the new payment after the refi is roughly the same as the mortgage, and my income is about six times more than when I first got the mortgage, so I know my income and/or my monthly DTI is not the problem. However, I can't get an explanation as to what the problem actually is because every time I call or email, I get no response or I am not allowed to speak to a supervisor who could actually answer my questions or help me. This is extremely frustrating, so I have no choice but to file a complaint and to try to get the inquiries removed from my credit report, especially the second inquiry which I did not authorize.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation