Consumer complaint received 2024-07-10 00:00:00
Product: Mortgage — Conventional home mortgage
Issue: Applying for a mortgage or refinancing an existing mortgage — Trying to communicate with the company to fix an issue with the application process
Company: AMERIS BANCORP
State: FL

Complaint narrative:
On XX/XX/XXXX, I spoke with one of Ameris Bank 's lenders about the Ameris Choice Mortgage program. 

I submitted my application and all required documentation, including 2 years of W-2s and tax returns ( business and personal ), pay stubs, and bank statements on XX/XX/XXXX. 

After submission, I did not receive any communication from the lender despite a few follow-up calls and messages. It was only after contacting one of the lender 's colleagues that I finally received a call back from the original lender on XX/XX/XXXX, confirming my pre-qualification for {$230000.00}. With this pre-qualification, I proceeded to make an offer on a home, which was accepted. 

To my shock and dismay, I was informed by the lender on XXXX that underwriting said my debt-to-income ratio was too high and that my income, based on the last two years of tax returns, was insufficient for the home I am under contract for. I was asked by the lender to provide her with documentation from my student loan company verifying my loan payments per month, so that she can attempt to approve me for a FHA loan, to which XXXX reminder her about the conversation we had about not being able to go that route due to my high student loan balance. She then asked if I had a co-borrower, which I believe should have been an option explored beforehand. 

My realtor explained to me that the lender had qualified me based on my reported current monthly income listed on my application, not my tax returns, which led to an inaccurate pre-qualification amount. 

My contention is had the lender thoroughly reviewed my financial information initially, I would have been qualified for a more accurate amount or possibly not qualified at all. This gross oversight has caused me unnecessary financial hardship and emotional distress. I incurred various costs including the home inspection and earnest money deposit, amounting to {$2600.00} that I can not get back. I am also concerned about the ramifications for asking the buyer to put on a new roof as a part of an over-asking price offer and if I'll be on the hook for the cost of the roof because the loan did not go through.

After sending an email early 7/9 to the branch manager and copying the CEO and head of community development at Ameris, I received a call on the afternoon of XXXX from the branch manager. While the conversation seemed genuine at first as if there was an attempt to assist me with my mortgage issue, I was unfortunately questioned, patronized, and gaslit the entire exchange. Instead of admitting to the oversight, apologizing and focusing more on how to assist me, the branch manager insisted and insinuated it was my realtors fault. He advised my realtor pressured the lender into submitting incorrect income information, that she was not timely with submitting the contract to Ameris for underwriting review, and that she should have warned me when our time was drawing close to potentially extend the time for securing funding to avoid me losing our on my earnest funds. There was no admission of wrong doing on the part of the loan officer when it is clear she did not do her due diligence from the beginning to set me up for success.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation