Consumer complaint received 2026-03-09 00:00:00
Product: Mortgage — Conventional home mortgage
Issue: Closing on a mortgage — Changes in loan terms during or after closing
Company: JHL, LLC
State: FL

Complaint narrative:
I am submitting this complaint regarding serious failures in the mortgage lending and closing process that caused significant and preventable financial harm. On XX/XX/XXXX, I provided tax returns and debt documentation to the lender prior to fully applying for the loan, specifically to confirm eligibility before making irreversible housing decisions. I was initially issued a pre-approval for a conventional mortgage, and the lender was aware from the outset that gifted funds would be required to close. This was reflected in the postpre-approval document checklist, which specifically requested a gift funds letter. I am a single parent and the sole provider for my XXXX child, and the lender was aware that accurate upfront eligibility review was critical before I committed to a move. All parties were also aware from the beginning that my sister was the real estate agent on the transaction. This was openly discussed during offer negotiations, at which time I made clear that my sister was already gifting funds to assist me and that I would not reduce her commission, particularly given that she was helping me relocate from a safety-driven situation involving stalking and a prior physical attack. Despite this information being known and documented from the outset, the lender failed to properly enter the gifted funds into the loan system. This failure was not identified until approximately XXXX days before closing, when the lenders assistant entered the gifted funds and the system fully declined the loan and was unable to generate a pre-approval. Only at that point did it become clear that I had been placed in a loan product for which I did not qualify, and that the file had not been properly underwritten at any earlier stage. By the time this issue was discovered, I had already relied on the lenders representations to secure a tenant for my prior residence, vacate my home, schedule movers, and commit to a closing timeline. This reliance was driven by repeated assurances of eligibility and by my need to relocate with my minor child for safety reasons, which the lender and builder were aware of. Once underwriting review finally occurred only days before closing, the loan was restructured in a compressed timeframe. As a result, I experienced multiple cash-to-close increases, including XXXX increases on the intended day of closing itself, when my belongings were already loaded on a moving truck and I had no practical ability to delay or unwind the transaction. The financial impact was substantial and unexpected : I paid a {$5000.00} binder and was told I would owe an additional {$8300.00} at closing, plus {$19000.00} in planned gift funds from my sister. These funds were represented as sufficient not only to close, but also to pay off existing debts at closing, including a golf cart loan with a balance of approximately {$8600.00} and a credit card balance of approximately {$1200.00}, as part of the approved loan structure. Due to the lenders late discovery that I was in the wrong loan productcaused by the failure to enter the gifted funds disclosed from the beginningand the resulting loan switch, all available funds were required to be applied to the down payment instead, and none of the planned debt payoff occurred. As a result, I was left in a worse post-closing financial position, with higher ongoing monthly obligations, and my available savings were reduced to approximately {$1900.00}, effectively depleting my financial reserves. The lender was aware that I was already absorbing a monthly shortfall on my prior residence due to market conditions as it transitioned to a rental, and that it was critical for this transaction to be structured in a way that left me financially stable after closing. Instead, the lenders errors compounded my financial exposure. I was required to wire {$18000.00} at the last minute, an unexpected increase of {$9600.00} beyond the originally disclosed {$8300.00}. My sister was forced to increase her contribution from {$19000.00} to {$25000.00} due to XXXX late-stage increases. My mother, who was never intended to assist, was forced to wire {$16000.00} at the last minute so that my child and I would not be displaced, creating financial strain on her as well. On the day of closing, a {$4200.00} shortfall also remained unresolved. While I was distressed and attempting to understand how the transaction could proceed, the builders site agentwho was not involved in loan origination or underwritingexpressed concern and made a personal offer to cover the amount once he was paid. This offer was not accepted, and after closing I expressly declined it in writing due to the lenders errors. This interaction reflects the level of distress and pressure present at closing, not any attempt to resolve lending deficiencies through improper means. After I had already signed all of the closing documents on the day of closing, the closing process was stopped when I was informed that the gifted funds could not be shown as coming directly from my sister, despite the fact that all parties had been aware of her role from the outset. At that point, my mother had already wired her own last-minute funds, despite never having been intended as a gift source, due solely to the repeated cash-to-close increases. With the title company and lender present and aware, I was then guided by the lender and title company on how the funds should be routed so that they could be accepted, even though the underlying source of the funds did not change. Specifically, I was instructed that funds already wired from my sister should be returned to her, then wired to my mother, and then wired from my mother to the title company. As a result, the transaction reflects a documented trail of funds moving from the title company back to my sister, then from my sister to my mother, and then from my mother back to the title company as a second wire, in the amount originally provided by my sister. These instructions were given after execution of the documents, under time pressure, as a means of proceeding with the transaction after repeated last-minute cash-to-close increases and the lenders inability to accept the funds as originally sourced. Even after execution of the closing documents, the cash-to-close amount remained inaccurate and required correction before funding could proceed. After closing, the lender issued refunds totaling {$670.00}, characterizing them as technical adjustments. In a written response dated XX/XX/XXXX, the lender also acknowledged that employee access to my financial and IRS accounts using login credentials and multi-factor authentication codes was not consistent with company policy, though no remediation was offered. Had the lender performed timely underwriting review, properly entered the gifted funds disclosed from the beginning, and confirmed loan eligibility at the outset, I would have delayed closing, saved additional funds, avoided placing my prior home into a lease prematurely, and ensured my debt obligations were properly addressed. As a sole parent responsible for a minor child, the harm I experienced was foreseeable and preventable, and by the time these issues were disclosed days before closing, I had no practical choice but to proceed in order to ensure safety and housing stability for my child. I am requesting that the lender be required to address this consumer harm and provide financial restitution to make me whole.

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