Citizens Bank, N.A.

Financing Pulled Last Minute Due To Covid Virus

Worst mortgage experience of our life that we will be reeling from for years. Citizens Bank pulled their financing after issuing a commitment just days before our closing in late March after the Covid virus temporarily shut down our business. We had 130% of the entire purchase price in liquid savings and would have been able to make years worth of on-time monthly payments from our savings in a worst case scenario. Citizens officials treated it as if our business would never reopen again. Citizens treated the situation as if we were abruptly closed permanently. Agents were extremely busy juggling multiple deals and would re-ask for the same documents multiple times over which wasted much time. Communication was good, but you have to stay on top of them to move the process along, which was difficult. Underwriter was extremely tedious to a point that they acted like they were looking for an excuse to kill our deal even with 800 credit scores and substantial savings. Once they pulled their commitment, we even offered to put a significantly larger downpayment and even pay a higher interest rate to save the deal, but it did us no good. Citizens Bank completely kicked us to the curb last minute when the Covid virus struck us, and now we are in litigation with the seller for a missed closing deadline. We are now paying litigation legal fees that would equal months worth of mortgage payments. Please AVOID using Citizens Bank for your mortgage and home financing needs at all costs. Biggest mistake of our lives was to work with Citizens Bank based on a personal relationship we had with their agent from knowing them for years. Never again.

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Poor Experience

It has been 1 1/2 months we have all our paperwork in and approved. Little to no correspondence to finalize this line of credit. Very frustrating we are trying to get renovations done on our home and using up our saving to do so.

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Shameful and Predatory Service

I have been a customer of Citizens Bank since 2005, or maybe before that. I have a checking account that I use profusely for Work direct deposit and payment of all bills. I had issues before with their predatory overdraft fees that are out of control and after complaining I got a letter from the office of the Chairman that did nothing for me. But, this is another matter.
I also have a Home Equity Line of Credit. I had some financial difficulties so I got behind two payments. Last week, they sent me a foreclosure package about options that I have to keep my house, etc. Now that I got back on my feet I was ready to resume payments so I called the number they have on the package to discuss either lump sum payment or two payment installments. When I dialed the number they have on the letter, it asked to dial the extension number (no extension was given on the letter) or zero for the operator. I dialed zero but a recorder came up asking to leave a message. I did leave an urgent message to call me back immediately since I was obviously anxious about losing my house. That was a week ago. To this writing the HELOC did not even contact me once. I guess they are waiting to pass the time so they can foreclose on the house, and this is apparently not an urgent and important matter to Citizens Bank. Yesterday, 03/06/2020 on Friday night, I went to the branch in Dearborn Heights, MI. The Personal Banker was nice and she called the same number on the letter and had the same experienced I faced. She used her internal number and they gave her a Consumer Finance Line 800*********. However, this was Collections for vehicles and personal loans. They told her that Equity department was closed (it was after 5:00 P.M.) now and they will be open Saturday from 8:00 A.M. to 12:00 P.M. On the next day Saturday, I called at 9:30 A.M. Again, it was the Collections Department for Vehicle loans and personal loans. The person who answered said I called the wrong number (!) but Equity Collections is closed anyways on Saturday and they will open from Monday to Friday. This is contradictory, chaotic, and non-professional. I am wasting and losing precious time on what? not being able to call and talk to someone who is threatening to foreclose on my house because of a stupid Equity Line?
I hung up and dialed the so-called Office of the Chairman trying to talk to his secretary about this quagmire but, of course, she was not available until Monday. Now, I have to overcome my anxiety over the weekend. It's time to get rid of this bank and I hope all can see the shoddy and bad service I experienced. For what I faced this Bank deserves less than one star.

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HORRIBLE

This bank mortgage process was AWFUL.
I was called and asked if I wanted to refinance my mortgage that I already had with them for a lower rate. I agreed if I was assured that the process would not be cumbersome. I paid for an appraisal and title search after which the nightmare began.
The processors would ask for information and when I responded they would clearly not read what I had sent. The were unresponsive and difficult to work with. At one point I was asked to explain an alleged $2.00 (yes two dollar) past due account. The past due did not exist. I repeatedly responded yet they continued to ask me about the same questions.
They asked for ridiculous information and even after responding over and over, I was asked again.
I finally told them I was withdrawing the application. A month later they had the audacity to send me a notice that I was denied a loan for not responding to requests for information. THIS BANK and its procedures are awful - Do not start the process, Go to a local credit union it will be less expensive and more customer oriented. When I did complain, they did not care

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Experienced, professional and efficient

We worked with Mr. Galatt twice in the last five years. He has remained consistently professional and uniquely helpful with our home mortgage and refinance, offering not only terrific terms but reassurance when needed. His team is polite, and gets the necessary tasks done without ever being intrusive.

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Excellent experience

David assisted us with a recently completed refinancing. He was very helpful and responsive through out the process. I've since referred a number of friends to him and give him a great recommendation.

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Caveat Emptor

Citizens One Home Loans has proven to be less-than integral. Not only did two-year tax returns not reach its proper destination for a few days (I watched my tax consultant fax the document to the proper number) and then suddenly appear, our loan officer took it upon himself to restructure our loan while stating that my wife had agreed for him to assume her personal debt into the loan (when she never spoke to him), and I was presented with a loan several thousands dollars more than the original and a $10,000.00 closing cost. I was livid and flatly turned down the loan! Weeks later we received a statement saying that the application was declined because the credit application was incomplete. No we dropped them! There is a silver lining, however. After escalating my complaint we received our appraisal fee in full in a timely manner.

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