Wells Fargo Home Mortgage

I wandered into the Camden Ave. branch on a Saturday afternoon to inquire about a refi. I was dreading the process but I wanted to consolidate some student loan debt. I was told their mortgage consultant was not in the branch that day but they would be in touch. That evening at 6:00 pm I was contacted by Elaine Kouretas. I was stunned that anybody in the mortgage industry would be working on a Saturday evening. I was even more stunned by how smooth Elaine made the entire process. Within days I had a rate lock, all doc’s submitted electronically and the process was under way. On a few occasions the underwriters asked for clarification but the process was smooth as Elaine would call each time and explain what they were looking for. As the loan process progressed Elaine noticed I was a union member and called to surprise me with the news that active members get a bonus at closing. At the eleventh hour one particular document needed to be wet signed (everything else to this point had been electronically signed) and Elaine stopped by our house at 8:00 pm to save us a trip. As if that wasn’t enough when it came time to close Elaine arranged for a notary to come to our house at 9:00 am to sign all of the documents as we were racing to head out of town. Outside of my initial inquiry at the branch I never stepped foot back in an office. This was hands down the best experience I have ever had with a financial transaction. I cannot recommend Elaine highly enough!

I worked with Mark Shaheen for our mortgage, double charge on my rate lock, many phone calls and emails later. I keep getting lies and lies. My house was close 4/​1, mark agree to issue refund will be process as ⁴⁄₁. Then dead silent for weeks, not return phone calls or emails. Then I get the story that he was in the hospital. It’s very clear that he didn’t issue any refund, I got emails keep telling me it’s done now. So I lost my faith, I called my credit card company to dispute the charge. Mark didn’t even bother to contact me to work this out since he is the one who didn’t full fill his promise, he just went ahead and cancel my refund request so he said. I still don’t know if he ever request the refund at all. I contacted his boss Yvonne Myer. She was helping from the beginning, then again stop returning phone calls. Since they over charge me, why am I the one who have to make so much effort for the money that was suppose to refund to me at the first place? Last email I have gotten from Yvonne was saying that wells reverse the charge on my credit card, she suggest that I check with my credit company, I placed another call to my credit card company. There was nothing pending, then my bank called into Wells Fargo, they don’t see any pending refund either. If you are me as a regular consumer. What would you do? Do you like Wells Fargo rip you off and continue allow them to make money off your monthly mortgage. Be aware before you choose a bank to handle your mortgage. I might never get my money back from them, but I will fill a complain with BBB and other resources so this won’t happen to anyone else.

I recently endured a divorce in which I chose to buy my husband out of our residence. To do this I needed a mortgage, and I instinctively went with Wells Fargo, my bank since grad school days at Stanford. Back then it was the only ATM on campus, and I was new to California. But what luck! WF has served my needs from being a student, to getting married, to now divorcing. WF weathered the 2008 financial crisis well. WF helped me teach my children about money management when I opened teenage accounts for them. A trusted friend placed his entire, substantial retirement savings with their money managers. So I had a good feeling going in. But this was my first mortgage as a ‘single’ person and I was nervous.
Elaine Kouretas from the Blossom Hill office was my Mortgage Consultant. She listened sympathetically to my story, walked me through several loan calculations, told me what was possible, and guided me through the documentation requirements. She emailed me, she called me, she introduced me to the on-​line application system. She prompted my timely responses. When things stalled, she requested an extension on my rate lock. She stayed in touch with the underwriter while my application was being reviewed, and requested updated documentation when it was needed. It may sound like I’m not so savvy, like I need a lot of handholding, but not true. I’m smart. I work a job with significant travel. I was in a divorce with substantial legal activity. I was just busy. But Elaine stayed on top of my case; even put me in touch with the Board who reviews special cases like mine, so I could understand why approval was taking so long. Can you imagine a high level lending manager taking the time to talk to a borrower? Elaine arranged that. My anxiety was soon eased. They approved, and I signed. It was a ~3-​month process with a happy outcome.
If I need a mortgage in the future, I would return to this Wells Fargo Home Mortgage office, and to Elaine in a heartbeat. It’s a bank with strong financials, backed by real, compassionate people. Elaine Kouretas is a thoughtful, diligent professional who gets the job done. No regrets.