Northern Rock Mortgage Review

Overall Rating

None really - completely messed around.

Customer service.
Their underwriting department.

Please find details up-to-date in a letter I am currently sending to Northern Rock:

With reference to the complaint case raised on the above application in joint names, I refer to my last call with yourselves on the 21st of February, where I was cut off during conversation at approximately 15:45 hours.
I had advised you at this point that I would like to raise a complaint regarding the issues I had with the above mentioned application.
The points I raised were that I had received a mortgage offer in principal for up to £142500.00 in joint names with my partner.

The mortgage offer in principal is something of which you describe as being proof to estate agents and vendors alike that you are in a position to buy a property, and all the financial side of things have been agreed.

However, this is not the case is it?, as I have recently found out. And since raising a complaint regarding this matter and my application process, I have never been more appalled with the customer service I have been met with regarding this matter.

A diary of events as follows :-

21st February 2007. Telephone conversation with yourselves was cut off and my telephone call was not returned.

21st February 2007. I sent an e mail to you on two occasions that evening. In both mails it was requested for a read receipt and also a return call at your earliest convenience, to which neither request was met.

22nd February 2007. Telephoned the home mover team (team 5) where the gentleman I spoke to works and requested to speak to him, I was advised that he was not available at the present moment in time, and my telephone number was taken at that point. I was advised I would receive a return call. This request was not met.

23rd February 2007. I telephoned in the morning regarding the complaint I had raised, and after 18 minutes on hold at 9:55am, I managed to speak to a lady who advised me she was a manager in this area and would look into the facts and get back to me that afternoon. Also during the day I received a call from a gentleman called in the customer service department advising me that the complaint had finally now been logged (taking some three days to actually log a complaint), and that I should receive a follow up call that afternoon regarding the matter and an explanation as to what was happening. Neither call from the manager nor customer service were returned that day as I was advised.

26th February 2007. This morning I spoke with a gentleman at 9:50am, who, when I spoke about the previous episodes, admitted that there had been a catalogue of errors on Northern Rocks behalf, and he was very apologetic and advised he would look into the matter and I would receive a call back.
At 10:15am I received a call from a lady, who also apologised and advised that she would look into the matter and call me back later on in the afternoon.

By 16:40 hours I had received no call, so again I had to call to try and find out what was happening, as when I spoke with her on the Friday prior, being the 23rd of February 2007, I was advised that the issue would try to be sorted out with the underwriting department, and I would be advised as to what is happening.
This time I spoke with another gentleman in the customer services department, and he has advised that no other decision has been made by your underwriting department other than previous.

The facts being, which I can't comprehend on the current decision are:-

1). During the telephone call with your mortgage advisor, I disclosed all information reference 3 months arrears last year, which was being related to my house being burgled and bank accounts being frozen etc,. being a question in the mortgage interview, I did not hide the fact. However, this appears to be the reason for not giving me the full funding as initially promised, despite disclosing these factors.

2). I was made an offer in principal based on the facts I had disclosed in the telephone interview of £142500.00 based on a joint income with my partner and I of in the region of £50,000.00. The maximum requested of this amount being £130,00.00 at the most.

3). After having received this offer, on the strength of this, and being only a layperson in the world of finance and mortgages, and going off the advice given by you, I enter into contracts on the sale of my house and also the purchase of another property, instructing solicitors and such in the process, and incurring costs and faced with considerable costs, and the only option of temporary rented accommodation should I not be able to complete, as a direct result of your actions. After all, you advertise this as being a certificate to show estate agents and sellers that one is in a position to buy, and being led into the belief of being in possession of such a document that I was in a position to do this, being advised nothing different by yourselves.

4). I currently have a mortgage with Northern Rock for £97,000 on my own salary of £25,000.
The expenses of a joint mortgage with my partner would half my monthly outgoings, and I would find this option more affordable if anything.

I am rapidly losing faith in the Northern Rock building society, its products, it procedures, its policies, and its processes.
The only term I feel I can use is that I feel like I am being held in a financial head lock, being penalised for an early repayment on my mortgage following the sale of my house for 3% of the loan, and the refund of help with costs, thinking that you have been most unfair, and unresponsive in this whole matter. It is not by choice that we would choose another lender, and it was not our initial plan. However, due to your actions and lack of action we feel pushed into this option and penalised for it.

Myself and my partner are both going through very much upset because of this whole matter, and it is now 5 days since I initially requested that a complaint be raised, so I feel I have no other choice but to take the matter further, as I feel I have given you enough time for this to be dealt with. However, I just wonder how many telephone calls etc it would take to your company to get a straight answer instead of just failed return calls etc.

I shall look forward to your response in this matter.

Kind regards