ComplaintsforFirst Federal Lakewood

• Initial Complaint

  07/11/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  We have an offer accepted on our new house Sunday 7/9 I work back with ***** ******* on Monday 7/10. Explain that my rate lock with Third Federal expires at 4pm Monday 7/10 and I need to make a decision. 3. ***** states that he will work with his management to try to obtain a better rate for me the morning of Monday 7/10. 4. ***** texts me at 2:53pm Monday 7/10 saying that he can get the rate to 7.0% with no points and no appraisal (reference attached image). 5. On Monday 7/10, I asked ***** about if an escrow will be needed and called *****. Over the phone call, I explained that I would like to lock the 7.0% rate and will forgo my rate with Third Federal which expires at 4pm Monday 7/10. 6. I called my realtor and had my realtor send the purchase agreement to ***** Monday 7/10 at 3:30pm. 7. At 5:30pm on Monday 7/10 I asked ***** what my APR is and if he has heard back on if I need to do the escrow (the 7.0% rate was considered locked but we were figuring out if I need to do an escrow). 8. I text ***** Tuesday 7/11 at 10:42 AM asking for an update on the escrow. ***** ******* states that he has bad news and will call me. 9. ***** calls me and states that he entered my information in the wrong system yesterday and that he cannot honor 7.0% anymore. I ask to speak to his manager, and he says that he will text me his manager's email. I never received his manager's email. 10. I called the main office of First Federal and asked for *****'s boss name. I am informed that it is ******* ****** and they transfer me to *******. I leave a voicemail stating my concerns. 11. ******* ****** calls me back at 12:43pm on Tuesday 7/11 asking me to summarize what happened. I summarize the events and ******* ****** states that ***** ******* never brought up coming down to 7.0% the day before and that offer was never on the table. ******* ****** asks me to send proof of communication between ***** ******* and myself and he will get back with me on the best rate that can be offered.

  

  Business response

  07/19/2023

  Please see attached response to complaint ID: ********. 

• Initial Complaint

  05/02/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I have been asking a copy of all transactions of my closed mortgage account but this bank has not provided me the information yet.

  Customer response

  05/08/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
  
  [To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, we would like to know your view on the matter.]
  
  Regards,
  
  Ben Allen
  
  
  
  
   

  

  Business response

  06/13/2023

  May 4, 2023

  
  Better Business Bureau
  200 Treeworth Blvd.
  Broadview Hts., OH 44147

  
  RE: Complaint ID ********

  
  First Federal Lakewood has been made aware of a complaint to the Better Business Bureau, the compliant ID is
  referenced above.

  
  The customer and his former spouse had a case in Domestic Relations Court and both parties often contacted First
  Federal Lakewood to dispute what the other party was doing as it pertained to the account in question. As such, our
  legal counsel advised us that if either party contacted us, we should refer them to their Domestic Relations Court
  legal representatives. The customer contacted our Customer Relationship Center by phone on 5/13/2022 requesting
  details of the loan payoff transaction and who authorized the transaction since he had not. He was advised to contact
  either his or his former spouse’s attorney with any questions. We have no record of any subsequent requests for
  information.

  
  Respectfully,

  
  ****** *********
  Director of Consumer and Residential Loan Administration
  ***** ******** ******************

• Initial Complaint

  11/18/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I used an ATM at first federal of lakewood that capital one told me i could use to deposit money into my capital one card and there was an error with the first federal of lakewood machine and it ate my money and it didn’t load it onto my account, capital one is refusing to give me my money back and saying my issue lies with first federal of lakewood. And first federal of lakewood didn’t respond when they tried to reach out. I want my $230 back, the bank even told me they could see their atm was over.

  

  Business response

  11/29/2022

  Good afternoon, 

   

  Please see attached response to complaint ID #********.

   

  Thank you

  First Federal Lakewood

  Customer response

  11/30/2022

  [A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. 
  
  Regards,
  
  **** **********
  
  
  

  

  Business response

  11/30/2022

  To Whom It May Concern;

  A review has been conducted on the above noted complaint received by First Federal Lakewood. Due to the
  fact that this individual was not a customer of First Federal Lakewood, she was informed to contact her bank
  to dispute the transaction. A service representative from her bank contacted First Federal Lakewood in
  January 2022 and was advised of the standard network process to be followed for debit card disputes. We will
  reach out to the individual to provide resolution.

  Sincerely,
  ***** ********
  SVP, Director of Bank Operations 

• Initial Complaint

  11/18/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  First Federal Lakewood withdrew my mortgage payment 3 times in one month without my authorization to do so. The have failed to resolve the matter and provide me with the accurate refund. I am a small business owner who is now unable to operate because of this unethical action. I have been trying to resolve this issue for 16 days, and have not resolved it yet. I am incredibly disappointed in their business practices and would like a full refund immediately. The people who were originally helping we are now avoiding my calls, and it is very apparent that the departments within this institution do not have seamless communication.

  

  Business response

  11/22/2022

  Good afternoon,

   

  Please see response to complaint ID #********. 

  

  Business response

  11/22/2022

  To Whom It May Concern;

  A review has been conducted on the above noted complaint received by First Federal Lakewood.
  The customer did submit duplicate payments to their mortgage this month, the duplicate payment
  was returned to the customer upon their request. In an attempt to expedite the return of the
  duplicate payment, an error was made that resulted in a third payment posting to the loan without
  the customer’s authorization. We sincerely apologize for this error and the funds have since been
  returned to the customer.

  Should you have any further questions, please contact me directly at ************ or
  *******************

  Sincerely,
  ****** *********
  VP, Loan Service Manager 

• Initial Complaint

  07/13/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  On June 29, 2022, my home sale closed and my mortgage with First Federal Lakewood (FFL) was paid off. On July 6th, First Federal of Lakewood deducted my account for auto payment for $1,231.91 after my mortgage account was closed. I called FFL on Friday, July 8th to report the error and was told it was my responsibility to cancel my autopay, even though every other responsible company out there who takes auto payments has intelligent algorithims in place to not accept auto payments against zero balances and closed accounts. Not this stupid bank! I canceled the auto payment on 7/8/22 while on the phone with customer service and was told I would receive back my money in 3-5 days. I called for a second time today, July 13th, because FFL still has not returned the $1,231.91 to my bank account. I spoke with Tracy and she could not help me or give me another number to call to get assistance in this matter.

  

  Business response

  07/19/2022

  Please see our response to the complaint attached to this communication.

  

  Business response

  07/22/2022

  On July 19th, 2022 the complainant visited the First Federal Lakewood (FFL) branch located in Lakewood OH and
  alerted a branch representative that they had not received reimbursement for an overpaid residential mortgage
  loan.

  FFL had sent the reimbursement via ***** and was delivered on July 19th, 2022 at 11:53 a.m. to the customer
  address on record. The customer instructed the branch representative to update their current address, and the
  address was updated.

  FFL has placed a stop payment and reissued the check which will be sent via overnight *****.

  A FFL agent reached out to the borrower and spoke with her this morning to apologize for any inconvenience and
  offered her the option of coming into a branch to pick up the check or having it sent *****, the borrower chose
  *****.

  We will monitor the ***** tracking and ensure delivery of the reimbursement has been made.

  Regards,
  **** ** *********, SVP

  Customer response

  07/22/2022

  [A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. 

   

  I finally received a check for reimbursement on July 21st, 2022.

  
  
  Regards,
  
  ******** *****
  
  

  
  

• Initial Complaint

  07/24/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Marina Fiorello; my loan officer from First Federal of Lakewood and I had met and been in contact for over a year and a half as I first pursued a loan with her institution and then began shopping for a house to purchase. On dozens upon dozens of occasions I explicitly informed her that the reason I pursued a mortgage loan with her institution was because I wanted my mortgage to stay with a local bank and I did not want to be involved with a national chain institution. Ms. Fiorello assured me that my mortgage would stay with her institution and, right up until the day before I closed on my home purchase, went into detail about all the benefits I would accrue by keeping my mortgage loan with her local institution. The very next business day after I closed on my house she immediately sold my loan to a national chain. Does this not constitute outright fraud? It has come to my attention that this has occurred numerous times, and what's only worse is that her supervisors condone this.

  

  Business response

  08/03/2021

  Please see the attached response to this complaint.

  

  Business response

  08/18/2021

  August 2, 2021 
  RE: ID#******** 
    
  First Federal did receive a compliant letter from Client ID#******** before reaching out to your agency.  In this letter, 
  under #3, ID# ******** clearly stated he did not want anyone from the bank to contact him.  First Federal did perform 
  an internal investigation and found that all required notifications had been sent and the case was closed due to Client 
  ID#******** refusing any follow up communication.  Below are the notifications received and acknowledged by Client 
  ID# ********. 
  Client ID#******** was provided a Loan Estimated on January 8, 2021 which he signed on January 9, 2021.  This Loan 
  Estimate states on page 3, under “Other Considerations”, under Servicing that we did intend to transfer servicing of his 
  loan.  ID# ******** also signed the Acknowledgement of Receipt of the Loan Estimate on January 9, 2021. 
  Client ID#******** was provided a Servicing Disclosure Statement on January 11, 2021, which he signed on January 11, 
  2021.  This Servicing Disclosure Statement states,” We may assign, sell, or transfer the servicing of your loan while the 
  loan is outstanding, or We do not service mortgage loans of the type of which he applied.  We intend to assign, sell, or 
  transfer the servicing of your mortgage loan before the first payment is due.” 
  On February 19, 2021, Client ID#******** was mailed a Notice of Transfer of Loan Servicing Rights.   
  Lisa Behm 
  NMLS #564084 
  Area Sales Manager 
  First Federal of Lakewood 
  89 First Street Suite #204 
  Hudson, Ohio 44236 
  P* ************ 

• Initial Complaint

  05/29/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On 5/29/21 I went to first federal lakewood at the corner of warren and Detroit to open a new account so that I can cash my paycheck. I had an account with them previously but to my knowledge it had been emptied and closed two years prior. This account had been locked from overdrafts since I had opened it 6-7 years ago. When I tried to open a new account I was pulled to the side and told that I owed them $152 in overdraft fees. I told them that that wasn’t right and that none of my accounts were allowed to be over drafted. They then showed me a statement that showed a $6 payment to apple after I told them to close said account and a long list of consecutive day overdraft fees. At that point I got up and left as the banker said there was nothing she would do. I don’t want another account with them I want them to held responsible for their own shady practices

  

  Business response

  06/29/2021

  Regarding Case ID ********

  Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention. It is our standard procedure that ATM and every day debit transactions
  are declined when funds aren’t sufficient unless the customer authorizes us to allow overdrafts. Your account was indeed
  set to prevent overdrafts from ATM and every day debit transactions.

  In reviewing your account history, transactions posted to your account in January 2020 were presented to us as recurring
  debit card transactions where you provide your card information to the merchant to pay for monthly or periodic recurring
  charges. Recurring debit card transactions are not ATM or every day debit transactions, which we have an opportunity to
  decline in order to prevent an overdraft, and are therefore subject to normal overdraft processing including insufficient
  funds charges. When an account remains overdrawn for 7 days, consecutive day overdraft fees begin to accrue. These
  fees are disclosed in our account opening documents and the fees appeared on the monthly statements mailed to you.

  Our branch account representatives would be happy to discuss a repayment agreement for the amount due.
  We thank you for the opportunity to assist you.

  
  Sincerely,
  
  ********* ** *****
  Director, Retail Operations

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩