Consumer complaint received 2025-05-07 00:00:00
Product: Mortgage — Conventional home mortgage
Issue: Applying for a mortgage or refinancing an existing mortgage — Negative impact of inaccurate appraisal
Company: SCHOOLSFIRST FEDERAL CREDIT UNION
State: CA

Complaint narrative:
Summary of Complaint I am filing this complaint due to repeated instances of loan steering and retaliatory behavior by SchoolsFirst Credit Union, particularly by loan officer XXXX XXXX, during two separate mortgage-related applicationsone in XX/XX/XXXX ( HELOC ) and another in XX/XX/XXXX ( home purchase loan ). These actions have delayed my access to fair financing and appear retaliatory in response to a prior complaint I made about misleading and unethical behavior. 



Details XX/XX/XXXX ( HELOC Application ) I initiated a HELOC loan through SchoolsFirst Credit Union and was assigned to XXXX XXXX. 
XXXX contacted me by phone, asking why I chose a HELOC and immediately began recommending a cash-out refinance insteadattempting to steer me into a different product without knowing my full financial goals or situation. 
I declined the alternative product, and we continued with the HELOC process. My file was forwarded to a processor named XXXX, and an appraisal was ordered. 
The same day the appraisal was ordered, XXXX called and falsely claimed that the value of my home came back at {$360000.00}. This estimate contradicted XXXX, XXXX, and XXXX data, all of which valued the home closer to {$460000.00} {$500000.00}. 
I emailed XXXX expressing concern and requested a licensed appraiser be used due to the clear discrepancy and possible misrepresentation. 
Days later, XXXX confirmed the actual licensed appraisal came back at approximately {$480000.00}, revealing that XXXX had relayed inaccurate, misleading information that could have significantly impacted the terms of my loan. 
I filed an internal complaint and requested XXXX be removed from my file, which was honored. The XXXX closed without further incident. 



Details XX/XX/XXXX ( Home Purchase Loan ) and Retaliation In XX/XX/XXXX, I returned to SchoolsFirst to initiate a home purchase loan for a property located over 30 minutes away in a different city, which I intended to occupy as my primary residence. 
The online system again assigned my application to XXXX XXXX, despite my prior complaint. 
Within one business day of uploading documentation, I received both a call and email from XXXX stating that because I already owned a property, this new loan would need to be treated as an investment property, requiring a 20 % down payment, and he would be switching the loan type accordingly. 
I immediately responded in writing, correcting the false assumption, stating that : This was a primary residence purchase. 
The property is not in the same area as our current home. 
I did not authorize any changes to my application. 
Realizing this was the same person from the prior incident, I contacted XXXX ( a manager ) and shared the full background. She assured me she would escalate the issue and request the file be transferred to another loan officer. 
The next day, I was contacted by XXXX, who requested a few more documents and promised a pre-approval letter by end of day. He asked for a written explanation of our relocation, which I promptly submitted ( and which had already been shared with XXXX as well ). 



Retaliation and Delays After submitting documents to XXXX and allowing time for review, we received a message that XXXX was suddenly out of the office, with instructions to contact an associate. 
My husband attempted to do XXXX calls were returned. 
That evening, XXXX emailed again, requesting duplicate documents we had already uploaded and sought information about our business statusagain, already provided. 
I replied expressing concern over the delays and lack of responsiveness. 
It took over 20 hours to receive a response, and to date, there have been no meaningful updates or timely actions to complete our loan process. 



Why This is Retaliation and Steering This sequence of events strongly suggests that : I was targeted and delayed because of my previous complaint about XXXX misconduct in XXXX. 
I was steered toward less favorable loan terms without proper cause or explanationtwice. 
My loan process is being stonewalled or slowed without justification, and I am being forced to repeatedly re-submit the same information. 
My family is being unfairly penalized for asserting our rights and advocating for fair treatment. 



Request for Relief I respectfully request : 1. A formal investigation into SchoolsFirst Credit Unions conduct, including the actions of XXXX XXXX. 
2. Protection under the Fair Housing Act and Equal Credit Opportunity Act for retaliation and discriminatory steering.

3. A review of all communications, loan recommendations, and internal documentation for compliance.

4. A resolution of my pending home loan without further retaliation or delay. 



Thank you for your attention to this serious matter.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation