Consumer complaint received 2024-02-08 00:00:00
Product: Mortgage — Home equity loan or line of credit (HELOC)
Issue: Applying for a mortgage or refinancing an existing mortgage — Delays in the application process
Company: CITIBANK, N.A.
State: MD

Complaint narrative:
In XX/XX/XXXX, I started my pursuit to refinance and purchase a new property. The title company that has been assisting me with the process advised me that Citibank has a lien on my property. I once had a 2nd mortgage ( HELOC ) that went into default. The default resulted in a XXXX being issued in XX/XX/XXXX. After I received the 1099, a letter should have been issued to the XXXX XXXX County Circuit Court, releasing me from the debt, or a letter of satisfaction placed in my files. This never happened. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I spoke to a representative who provided me with instructions. The instructions were ( 1 ) Information on where to fax an authorization letter so that a 3rd party could verify that the debt was indeed released ; ( 2 ) information that my case would be sent to management so that a letter of satisfaction could be provided to me and the Title company. On XX/XX/XXXX, I received an email from XXXX XXXX Support, advising me that Citi was no longer collecting the remaining balance. The letter did not satisfy the Title Company, because no documents were sent to the courts. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, the Title company called Citi Centralized Recovery Department at XXXX ( XXXX ) XXXX, to verify there was no balance and was told they could not provide any information on my account even though I provided the required documents per the representative. This is unacceptable. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I called to inquire about my case because my closing date is scheduled for Friday, XX/XX/XXXX, and a representative advised me that there was no movement, even though she confirmed the loan had been forgiven in the system. 

The representative told me that it is customary for the Title " stain to sit there on record until the customer calls or tries to sell their home. Another time when I called the representative was complaining to me that there was an extensive backlog, which had nothing to do with me. The lack of records management and care has caused me to miss my closing appointment. This is unacceptable. 

My complaint is why has it taken Citi close to 5 years, to send my documents to the courts, since I have already resolved the balance. As a result, I am not able to refinance or sell my home because of the hardship Citi has inflicted on me, and probably countless others who are trying to move on with their life. The representative told me to call back at the end of XXXX to see if my documents were sent to the county and that maybe she would have a Letter of Satisfaction to share with me and the Title Company. I asked for a telephone number to an official above her business line of authority and she could only provide me with an address to write, which further delay the process. This is unacceptable. 

Can someone assist me?

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 non-monetary relief