What should I do if my lender goes quiet during my mortgage process? I feel like I am bothering my lender by asking for updates but they have stopped responding to me and I do not know what to do.
I understand situations like the one you describe are very frustrating. In short, you are the customer and you hired the lender so they should be responsive to your questions and concerns. The lender works for you and not the other way around. You should never feel like you are bothering your lender because you want an update on your mortgage process.
Consistent, clear and timely communication is a matter of good customer service. The mortgage process can be very stressful and it is important to stay updated. If your lender is not providing good customer service or failing to deliver on their promises, you can cancel your mortgage and switch lenders any time before you sign loan documents for a home purchase loan or up to three business days after you sign loan documents for a refinance.
With that in mind, there are several reasons why a lender "goes silent" during the mortgage process. Sometimes this happens because the loan officer has submitted your loan application to underwriting and it can take several days or several weeks for the underwriter to process your loan, depending on the type of loan, how busy the lender is and the complexity of your application.
The loan officer may feel like there is nothing to update you on until the underwriting process is complete so you may not hear back from her or him. I am not saying that is the right way to communicate but it is one possible reason, especially if your loan officer is very busy and more focused on generated new mortgages than maintaining existing relationships. This is the most positive possible reason why a lender pauses communicating during the mortgage process.
Another possible reason why a lender goes quiet is if there is an issue with your loan, such as a concern raised by underwriting that your loan officer was unaware of. Some loan officers are less skilled at qualifying borrowers up-front and become unresponsive if a qualification or eligibility issue arises when a loan is processed. Simply put, you stop hearing from your lender because they do not think your mortgage is going to be approved.
Instead of letting you know that your mortgage is likely to be declined, the lender stops returning your phone calls and emails and basically disappears. In short, rather than communicate bad news, the loan officer communicates nothing at all.
This is an unfortunate outcome but I have seen it many times. Most borrowers would prefer that lenders communicate information directly even if it is not a positive message but unfortunately mortgage lenders do not always possess the best people skills or provide the highest level of customer service.
If your lender goes quiet during the mortgage process, my recommendation is that you contact your loan officer immediately and politely demand an explanation and request better communication going forward. If your loan officer is not responsive, contact her or his supervisor and communicate your concerns. It is your right to know what is going on with your loan and always remember: you are the customer.
If you are not satisfied with the explanation or the level of customer service you receive then you should consider canceling the loan and switching lenders. If you decide to change lenders, we recommend that you contact multiple lenders in the table below to understand how they would handle your unique situation. Shopping several lenders is important because qualification guidelines vary plus it is important to find a lender that provides the high level of service you deserve .
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