Consumer complaint received 2025-06-06 00:00:00
Product: Mortgage — Conventional home mortgage
Issue: Closing on a mortgage — Changes in loan terms during or after closing
Company: M&T BANK CORPORATION
State: MA

Complaint narrative:
Dear to whom this might concern, I am filing this complaint regarding the mishandling of my mortgage application by M & T Bank. My concerns are not primarily about pricing, but about the mismanagement of the loan process including lack of transparency, repeated delays, poor communication, and pressure to accept a higher-cost portfolio product under duress. 

My mortgage contingency was XX/XX/XXXX and closing date was XX/XX/XXXX. On XX/XX/XXXX, I started following up on a clean commitment letter. On XX/XX/XXXX, I was informed that M & T had flagged the condo project as non-warrantable for two separate issues and placed it under Exception Review. I immediately requested written clarification about what was needed to reverse this determination. I was told multiple times that the issue was being worked through, ( see attachment XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX ) but ultimately the condo was denied without clear explanation. 

Critically, the underwriting team did not reach out to the condo 's HOA contact to obtain information before denying warrantability a basic step that other lenders took. I provided names of five lenders that had successfully financed all the other units in the same building as warrantable. I also contacted those lenders directly and confirmed all treated the building as warrantable.

Despite this, my loan officer dismissed the input and told me I wouldnt find better rates anywhere at this time and that that's the lender 's final decision. ( See attached text ) He did not engage with the XXXX, contact peer lenders, or offer clarity on what might change the decision. He also failed to respond in a timely manner to critical questions, contributing to significant stress, delays, and uncertainty. This behavior reflects a broader lack of borrower advocacy and transparency at M & T. 

Only after I escalated to an XXXX -- through a channel I was not supposed to have had access to or use ( see attachment XXXX  4 ), did the bank agree to review HOA documents. One of the two exceptions was resolved on the day of my mortgage contingency deadline. The second issue was only re-reviewed after further pressure. These delays seriously jeopardized my ability to close and created housing uncertainty for me and my XXXX son. 

There were additional inefficiencies, including : a. My Closing XXXX ( XXXX ) was issued just two business days before closing, despite repeated follow-ups. 

b. I asked on XX/XX/XXXX and XX/XX/XXXX whether an XXXX insurance policy was required. I received no reply until XX/XX/XXXX, just two days before closing, and after my contingency deadline had passed.

The overall experience reflects a troubling pattern of bait and switch tactics, lack of transparency, poor coordination, and disregard for borrower timelines. 

I paid {$1000.00} in application and appraisal fees and was ultimately forced to restart my mortgage process with a different lender. I submitted a formal complaint to a local branch manager, but the banks final response focused solely on pricing adjustments and ignored the process failures that caused financial loss, emotional stress, and disrupted housing plans.

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