What is the most commonly reported complaint related to mortgage lending?

Asked by: Gerson Yost  |  Last update: October 7, 2025
Score: 4.6/5 (21 votes)

Poor communication, or a lack of responsiveness, is the most common complaint in the mortgage lending process. Both borrowers and referral partners, namely Realtors, want to know that the lines of communication are open when they have a question or need an update.

What are the most common mortgage frauds?

Income fraud

This is one of the most common mortgage fraud schemes, says the American Land Title Association (ALTA). Income fraud is simply when a buyer lies about their level of income and debt to obtain a mortgage loan. They may inflate their salary, make up an employer or fabricate pay stubs.

What are the most complaints received by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau?

The three most common issues reported to the CFPB related to credit reporting were incorrect information on credit reports (30.8% of complaints), improper use of credit reports (27.6%), and problems with a credit reporting agency's investigation into a complaint (21.9%).

What are examples of mortgage discrimination?

Examples of Lending Discrimination

Providing a different customer service experience to mortgage applicants depending on their race, color, religion, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), familial status, national origin or disability.

Who holds mortgage companies accountable?

HUD takes strong action to hold the mortgage industry accountable for the products and services they provide to families who are either seeking to buy or rent a home or struggling to keep the home they have. For example, HUD constantly monitors lenders who are approved by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA).

How To Complain About Your Lender and Win

29 related questions found

What can I sue my mortgage company for?

Common Types of Mortgage Errors
  • Improperly applied or credited payments.
  • Not providing an accurate payoff balance upon request.
  • Wrongful foreclosure without proper cause or in violation of mortgage servicing laws.
  • Denying a loan modification request without proper reasoning.
  • Neglecting to pay insurance or taxes.

What are mortgage servicing rights?

Mortgage Servicing Rights (MSRs) are assets on the books of the failed institution with responsibilities to administer and manage mortgage loan portfolios owned by others—typically single-family residential loans—in exchange for a servicing fee.

What are the 3 types of lending discrimination?

Types of Lending Discrimination

Overt evidence of disparate treatment; • Comparative evidence of disparate treatment; and • Evidence of disparate impact.

What is mortgage lender negligence?

Negligence: Breach of the lender duty of care that leads to damage such as financial trouble for the borrower.

What is the Red Flags rule mortgage?

The Red Flags Rule requires specified firms to create a written Identity Theft Prevention Program (ITPP) designed to identify, detect and respond to “red flags”—patterns, practices or specific activities—that could indicate identity theft.

Does filing a complaint with the CFPB do anything?

Consistent with applicable law, we securely share complaints with other state and federal agencies to, among other things, facilitate: supervision activities, enforcement activities, and. monitor the market for consumer financial products and services.

Which bank has the most customer complaints?

Wells Fargo Bank, Bank of America, and JPMorgan Chase were the most complained-about banks in the United States, as measured by total number of complaints. They are also the nation's three largest banks based on the size of their deposits.

What is an instrumental complaint?

An instrumental complaint is a complaint made to a person or organization that could take some action and bring about a specific remedy. An expressive complaint is a complaint made for the purpose of expressing feelings, without any realistic chance of anything being done.

What are the four C's of lending?

Character, capital, capacity, and collateral – purpose isn't tied entirely to any one of the four Cs of credit worthiness. If your business is lacking in one of the Cs, it doesn't mean it has a weak purpose, and vice versa.

What is a straw buyer in real estate?

A straw buyer is a person who buys something on behalf of another person who has a reason (legitimate or not) why they can't make the purchase themselves. A straw buyer may be a willing participant in the arrangement, or they may be tricked into a fraudulent straw purchasing scheme.

What makes a mortgage invalid?

The Lot or Block number could be wrong, the name of the subdivision could be misspelled, or the legal description for a completely different property could be accidentally placed on the mortgage. Banks solve problems or typos in the legal description through Reformation.

Can you sue your mortgage lender?

The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) prohibits mortgage lenders and servicers from using abusive, unfair, or deceptive practices in consumer loans. The FDCPA applies to making and processing mortgage loans so that you can sue your lender or servicer in federal court.

What prohibits unfair mortgage lending practices?

The Fair Housing Act (FHA) and the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA) protect consumers by prohibiting unfair and discriminatory practices.

What is the fiduciary duty of a mortgage lender?

This fiduciary duty includes a requirement that the mortgage broker place the economic interest of the borrower ahead of his or her own economic interest.

What are the 3 C's of lending?

Students classify those characteristics based on the three C's of credit (capacity, character, and collateral), assess the riskiness of lending to that individual based on these characteristics, and then decide whether or not to approve or deny the loan request.

What are the 4 fair lending laws?

Fair lending prohibits lenders from considering your race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status, or disability when applying for residential mortgage loans.

What is a black loan?

These are loans offered by government entities like the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and lenders like Accion Opportunity Fund. They're specifically designed to provide funding support to minority groups like Native Americans, Asian Americans, or, in this case, African Americans.

Who oversees mortgage companies?

The FTC enforces laws that protect consumers from deceptive mortgage practices by certain kinds of lenders. The FTC also takes action when companies use illegal tactics directed to people facing foreclosure.

What are the main federal laws that prohibit discrimination in mortgage lending and servicing?

The federal fair lending laws—the Equal Credit Opportunity Act and the Fair Housing Act—prohibit discrimination in credit transactions, including transactions related to residential real estate.

What are the responsibilities of the mortgage servicer?

Mortgage servicers collect homeowners' mortgage payments and pass on those payments to investors, tax authorities, and insurers, often through escrow accounts. Servicers also work to protect investors' interests in mortgaged properties, for example, by ensuring homeowners maintain proper insurance coverage.