Complain about a product or service

Lending Tree

Amber of Rio Linda CA (06/25/08)
In June of 2008 my boyfriend went to Lending Tree to try and refinance. He was told the cheapest way to go would be through them he just needed to give them a 600 down payment that would be applied back towards the loan. He told them he wasn't sure if the house would appraise at what they were shooting for and was told not to worry! These things have a way of working out and he would be pleasantly surprised.

So he fell for these lies. They came out under appraised the house and on June 24th we received the call so sorry no loan we can't help you but hey thanks for the 600 have a great day. Is there a lawsuit going against them?

Kathy of Spirit Lake IA (06/23/08)
I inquired on their website, never went through with anything and they sold my personal information to companies,who looke up my credit report without my permission, my score has dropped by 80 points, I may not get refinanced now, and all my credit cards have raised my interest rate to around 28.99% because my fica score dropped! Interest is killing me, and Lending Tree sent me a letter admitting it, saying sorry about your luck were suing on our own behalf. Iam going to sue them. If nothing else I suggest suing them in small claims court for $5,000. I want more this has hurt my life a lot!

Cameron of Independence MO (06/06/08)
I am finishing my PhD in Europe, and had a contract for a tenure-track position at a state university in the US. Lending Tree said that if I demonstrated evidence of being in a PhD program and a contract, they would give me the loan. I provided the necessary documentation. They knew the whole situation up front. Then, suddenly, they sent an email stating they were canceling the load. I could not get ANYONE to pick up the phone. We put a downpayment equal to 1/3 the value of the house, and had and excellent credit rating. I guess the first person just promised us what they could not fulfill. Beware!

Our loan was delayed (a local bank has agreed to take it up) which means that the rates have gone up costing us a significant amount of money.

Edward of Waterford MI (06/04/08)
They undervalue your home just to scam you out of the supposedly totally refundable $600.00 up front fee then tell you it's not refundable. They appraised my house at 120,000 when it's been appraised by everyone else at 160,000 and up, suing them now!

Merry of Lake Worth FL (06/02/08)
Applied for a mortgage and during the 11th hour (the day before closing) was informed that different type of documentation was needed. Encouraged me to seek full time employment even if it was not full time. I am a teacher and like most teacher have the summer off, even though I am paid through August. Contact with this person has been almost none existant. She has lied regarding sending documentation to attorny or realtor regarding closing. Closing time has come and gone and still have not heard from Lending Tree.

On the house I wish to buy I have paid for appraisel, inspection, termite inspection, application fee putting me out $2000. Lending Tree has also pulled my credit report, again, lowering my FICO to 619, whereas it started out a 648. With all there inquiries they have gotten the FICO too low to qualify for a mortgage. I have lost the house of my dreams. I feel that the Lending Tree associate has discriminated against me due to sexual orientatiion.

Danielle of Lynn MA (05/13/08)
I received emails stating their current issue of employees hacking into personal information and releasing it to unauthorized personnel. The first e-mail mentioned that they would provide ONE free credit report, yet I should monitor my credit due to this for at least 24 months, at my own expense.

The 2nd email now mentions to place a security freeze on my credit with all 3 bureas, explains how to do so, and then says it's also at my own expense. All documentation available. I further read into their FAQ's which state that they only sent these emails to those they thought may be at risk.

Furthermore, I have read articles that inform one that when contacting Lending Tree, despite the numerous times that the calls get disconnected, they do not provide names, email addresses or telephone numbers for any of their legal department. If you ask to have your files removed it is being noted they they refuse to and will ramble of state regulations, but cannot provide any further information. I feel that it is not fair of this business to be aware of a problem that was a result of their own employees and not compensate affected people.

Requires to monitor credit for minimum of 24 months at my expense because of their mistake. Suggests the highest protection is for me to place security freeze on credit, also at my own expense.

Anthony of Arlington VA (05/13/08)
After several phone calls with LendingTree, I was confirmed (Transcripts of phone calls are available) that my promotion code was switched to the appropriate promotion code because my loan was not closed or funded. This was quoted by a representative. The switch never took place and customer relations refused to honor the desired promotion even with evidence. Isn't it unlawful to not honor the original terms and agreement when authorizing the loan to be funded?

I lost 10,000 Continental miles (a market value of $250). I could have just canceled the loan and reapplied under the correct promotion before authorizing my equity loan to be funded.

Stephen of Crockett CA (05/13/08)
We were looking to Refinance in order to save $75-$100 per month on our current mortgage payments and decided to contact Lendingtree via their website to see what kind of offers we could get. A few minutes later we were contacted by phone from one of their sales persons. He told us that Lendingtree itself had the best loan to offer us, so we proceeded with the application. After running a credit check and a preliminary appraisal check, he assured us that with the numbers he was seeing, that he was confident that that we would definitely be saving $85.00 per month with the new loan . He again assured us that because of our excellent credit and high equity ratio, that we qualified for $217,000 loan 30 yr fixed rate loan at 5.5% with 2.145 discount points. He went on to say , that even if the appraisal came back lower, there would be no problem because everything else looked excellent. The total fees associated with the loan would be appx $3600 for closing costs and 4600 for a total of $8200.00

We were then told that in order to lock in this fantastic rate we would first have to pay $600.00 to Lock-in the rate We were told that the $600 would be credited back to the closing costs after the loan closed. At that time, I made a point of asking the sales person, what if the terms of the loan change and I decide I want to cancel this loan? His response ( which was supposed t be audio taped was If you change your mind the $600.00 will be credited back to your credit card. Like an idiot I agreed without reading the fine print and before I knew it, I had signed an electronic form and the $600.00 was immediately debited from my charge card.

To make a long story short, the appraisal came back $100,000 less than the salesmen himself said it would, which now changed all the terms of the loan completely. Naturally , we protested the validity of the appraisers finding, but Lending tree refused to have it re-evaluated by a 3rd party . As a result, The discount points jumped to 2.5 and The total cost of the loan was now $9800 with an expected monthly saving of only $55.00 a month. At that point I decided to cancel further processing of the loan which was due to close the next day. When I asked for my $600 back, of course they refused, stating that unless the loan was canceled due to their fault, that the $600.00 was not refundable.

The reason I am complaining and want my money back, is that I believe, that indeed, it was their fault. I contend , that they knew all along that the terms of the loan would be grossly different than what they quoted us, but that they stirred us toward it anyway. The salesmen used high pressure boiler room tactics to get us to fork over the $600.00 fee ,when he knew along that the terms of the loan were ridiculous. Who in their right mind would spend $10,000 over the life of the loan to save $55.00 a month.

Company will not refund one penny the so- called $600.00 lock in fee. Quoting that its clear stated in their disclaimer We do not give refunds. As of this time, they refuse to answer the question about weather or not all of the phone conversations being taped. This would prove beyond a doubt,that we were lied to.

Jennifer of Washington DC (05/08/08)
I received a letter date April 21, 2008 from Lending Tree. The letter indicated that former employers of Lending Tree may have given my information (name, address, phone number, SSN#, income and employment information) to non-authorized mortgage lenders. The letter suggested that I continually monitor my credit and to obtain a copy of my free annual credit report, which I did.

The problem is that I have no assurance that my information is safe within Lending Tree. I know it is out there and not safe because of the information theft. I called Lending Tree to request that they eliminate my data from their records. I was told by numerous customer service reps that they could not do this. When I asked why, they cited state and federal regulations. When I asked WHICH state and federal regulations prevented this, each staff at Lending Tree told me the did not have access to that information. When I asked who at Lending Tree did have access to that information, I was told to send a letter to their legal department. I asked if that could be expedited via email and was told no. I asked if I could speak to someone in the legal department and was told that nobody can call the legal department. I persisted with getting answers to my question and was subsequently hung up on three times, twice by a manager.

I then pushed for, and obtained the names of two senior level employees, have left messages and have heard nothing back. It is apparent that Lending Tree did not have secure measures in place of safeguarding my information. Upon realizing this, it is apparent that Lending Tree believes that it is only my responsibility for tracking potential damages that may occur to my credit (and at my expense). Finally, it is apparent that Lending Tree will not relinquish my personal information, though requested, for legal reasons they cannot cite.

I have had exceptional credit my entire life. I now run the risk of having my credit record tarnished do to their lack of security processes. I also understand that I must pay (time and money) to continually monitor my credit.

Christopher of Las Vegas NV (05/07/08)
I just wanted to let people know of my Lending Tree troubles. Mid Last year we inquired to lending tree with about wanting a loan. We were in the Market to buy a mobile home.The guy we spoke to couldn't be bothered with only a twenty thousand dollar loan. So we moved on and in febuary bought a mobile home outright. 2 Days ago we received a letter from LENDING Tree at our new address(which by the way we didn't give them) Letting us know about our file being hacked.I was curious as to why we were getting phone calls 3-5 times a week from mortgage company's.

Today May 7th 2008 I called up Lending tree trying to get some info to better protect us. I asked, when did Lending tree find out about the BREACH------would not tell me I asked, who iniated the breach the Mortgage company or the former employees------would not tell me. I then asked to speak to a manager and was passed to someone called NIKITA. Very pleasantly I asked the same questions. I was told that is not our business and to just let it go. I then asked for their lawyers telephone # and she HUNG UP on me. I than called back and asked to speak to NIKITA and was put on hold for about 5 minutes. When NIKITA picked up the line and I asked her to explain why she hung up on me she said this matter does not concern you. When I asked her to give me lending tree's lawyer telephone # she said i can give you an addrress. I said I want the telephone # to the LENDING TREE'S LAWYERS----------SHE SAID NO AND HUNG UP AGAIN.

Guess RUINED CREDIT OF so many People Doesn't MATTER TO lENDING TREE. The fact that ID can be stolen, INQUIRIES will hurt credit and the fact for the next 2 years we have to spend our own money to monitor our credit and that might still not work and could destroy our lives is NOTHING to Lending Tree. Is their anything we the people can do? Their lack of compassion is ASTOUNDING. PLEASE CAN SOMEONE HELP.

Economic Consequence could be catastrophic. Not to mention if our I:D is stolen, someone could commit crimes in our name. My wife was working so hard on building up good credit since she never had any before that all her work is most likely ruined. The not knowing is what worries us the most.

Nalini of Bloomfield NJ (05/01/08)
A few months ago I decided to shop around to see if I could get a good deal on a home equity line of credit. I decided to use Lending Tree. I immediately starting getting calls from mortgage companies and I specifically asked them not to run my credit since I had decided to go with my own Bank who gave me a better deal. A few months later I decided to apply for a loan and was shocked when I was turned down. I asked why and was told that I had too many inquiries on my credit report. I pulled my credit and was astonished to find that many inquiries had been made for my credit report and all of them had been from mortgage companies. I called Lending Tree to complain since aside from my bank they were the only ones I had ever contacted.

Lending tree customer service was unapologetic and said that this was basically how their company operated and that I should not be surprised to see inquires. I informed them that a number of companies that were not even on the list sent to me by Lending Tree had made inquiries. They did not care and again reiterated that this is normal. A few weeks ago I got an e-mail from Lending Tree informing me that some employees had stolen my data and that I should monitor my credit.

I called their customer service and indicated that these companies had adversely affected my credit score. All the customer service guy could tell me was to run my credit and monitor to see if any fradulent activities had occurred. I asked is they could at least offer to pay a credit monitoring agency to monitor my credit since it is impossible for me to do so on my own. They said they could not help me at all. I am so upset, my social security all my data was stolen and the company responsible for this is unwilling to even pay for credit monitoring.

I lost the opportunity to obtain a loan since the number of credit inquiries caused my credit score to fall. All my data was stolen and I can be a victim of identity theft because of Lending Tree's breach of security.

Scott of Portland OR (04/27/08)
I too received the same letter as Michelle (see: Michelle of Conway SC (04/25/08)) from Lending Tree stating that they had several employees release company passwords which gave access to all inquires to LendingTree, which included names, addresses, employment history and soc. sec. numbers to unauthorized brokerage houses. I too, did not retain LendingTree for any of it's services. As I spoke with various individuals at LendingTree, I was basically told to constantly monitor my credit report to ensure that my credit was not being compromised. I am fully aware that this is the new way to commit crime in this century.

However, I was just appalled that LendingTree is taking NO ACCOUNTABILITY in at least offering some kind of identity theft credit monitoring service to those that may have been effected due to their negligence in having some kind of identity theft implementation program in place. Due to their negligence, I now have to spend countless hours monitoring my credit report and contacting credit bureaus insisting that they remove any potential inquiries or fraudulent activity off of my credit report. I just don't have time in my day, mainly due to work, to combat against anything such as this. If LendingTree were even remotely interested in showing some level of concern in regards to some remedy in this situation as opposed to placing the responsibility on the consumers to undue what they caused, then I would not be as angered as I am right now. If there is some kind of class action lawsuit of there against this kind of careless activity, please let me know and sign me up!

I am now having to pay to have my credit monitored on a daily basis, as opposed to just ordering my FREE credit reports quarterly. This situation will/is causing: financial loss due to having to pay for a credit monitoring service; potential negative credit report; more lost hours of work time; and numerous hours of worry & stress.

Michelle of Conway SC (04/25/08)
I received a letter from LendingTree today in the mail. I had applied on their internet site in January 2006 and never completed any transaction with this firm, instead finding an alternate re-finance company.

The company I went with informed me that my credit was pulled 42 times in a 3 week period, did I know why that happened. I informed them that I had applied to LendingTree a month before. I was very concerned at the time, as this impacted my credit scores.

The letter I received today informed me that several employees released company passwords which gave access to all inquires to LendingTree, which included names, addresses, employment history and SOCIAL SECURITY numbers to unauthorized brokerage houses. This certainly explains the 42 hits on my credit report.

My phone call to LendingTree this afternoon was quite frustrating as all the personnel ( Lisa, supervisor & Noel, customer service ) could suggest to me was to contact each credit bureau and Tell Them to REMOVE the 42 credit inquires against my report. I further asked them if LendingTree had informed the credit bureaus of their lack of employee supervision to assist consumers affected by this breach of their security process. I was advised that they were not responsible for any activity on consumers credit reports and felt no need to intercede on consumers behalf with the credit bureaus. What arrogance! What total lack of professional, ethical behavior! Their company employees have impacted how many consumer credit reports and they have no responsibility?

The letter states that LendingTree has filed suit against 3 brokerage companies involved with the scam, covering their own backs, but leaving an untold number of consumers to deal alone with the credit bureaus. This has to fall under some consumer fraud law. I was looking for assistance from LendingTree in resolving the excessive hits on my credit report and all I got was the brush off. Has anyone else received this letter? We need to band together and pressure LendingTree to help all the consumers affected by this mess.

I paid a higher interest rate with another lender because my credit score was impacted by the number of inquires in such a short time frame, caused by LendingTree employees.

Victoria of East Kingston NH (03/04/08)
My husband and I applied for a loan on LendingTree. com and received a call from their rep, Jerad Douglas, to discuss our options. He offered rates with two other lenders that were similar; but as Jerad explained, only through Lending Tree's lender, Home Loan Center, Inc., could they guarantee what the closing costs would be. We agreed, provided a deposit that was necessary to lock in the rate, and began the process. An appraiser came out the next day, and that is where the problems began. They claimed that we had an illegal in-law apartment over our garage and would not fund the loan, nor would they refund our $600 deposit. I informed Jared the in-law apartment was indeed legal and asked what paperwork they required from my town office for their records. They could not tell me what they needed; they just kept giving me the run around. I found my original building permit and occupancy permit from the town and faxed it to Lending Tree. I had to follow up with them several times over the next week, while they told me they had to wait for the appraiser to update the appraisal.

A week later when I called, I was told that the appraiser determined that it was still illegal because the of the kitchen, even though the town ordinances and my permits clearly showed that the space was legal. Now they want me to get another building permit that specifically spells out a kitchen. It is just 3 days short of the deadline to close with the locked in rate, and it looks like we will be out our $600.00 deposit. I have used Lending Tree in the past, BEFORE they had their own loan center, and it worked well. Now it seems they are looking to scam people out of fast money and they don't really want to refinance loans.

We are out our $600.00 deposit and the time and effort to get this done.

Cindi of Stockton CA (02/20/08)
I am closing escrow with an FHA loan through Lending Tree in two days. Using Lending Tree was one of the worst decisions I've ever made. For starters, my husband and I applied for loans with several companies, with Countrywide giving us the best GFE. Lending Tree told me they could meet or beat the Countrywide rate, beat the APR%, and not only beat the fees, but give me $700+ cash back at closing. Lending Tree, which now funds their own loans (so much for when banks compete, you win), makes sure to quote you a better rate than the other banks, but then springs a higher rate/fees on you once you're so far into the process you can't turn back. They used high pressure sales tactics to get me to give them the $400 for an appraisal. Once that was paid, they supplied me with a GFE (good faith estimate) that didn't match what they verbally told me on the phone. Not only were LT's fees MUCH higher than what we had been quoted by Countrywide, but the APR% was higher (not lower, as they had promised). All in all, with Lending Tree the down payment was higher, the amount financed was higher, and therefore our monthly payment was higher.

On top of that, their incompetence is amazingly high at LT. I've had two previous FHA loans, and I know what documentation is required. I sent all required docs at least 30-45 days before the loan was to close, but they'd turn around and ask me for stuff I already sent them two weeks down the road. Supposedly, they sent my loan to underwriting THREE times, and I don't have any issues that need explaining. My credit is good, I have the 3% down in the bank, and good job history. Also, rates were at 6.0% when I applied, and I asked how long till we should lock the rate. LT's rep told me that the Fed was going to drop interest rates, and we should see if that would have an impact on mortgage rates. Apparently it did, and they told us our rate dropped to 5.875%. I then asked LT to lock the rate in an email, and they refused, telling me some line about how FHA doesn't allow them to lock the rate until closing.

I sent them several emails asking them to lock the rate, and asking them to fix the supposed good faith estimate. They asked me to contact them via phone, and refused to give me anything in writing or email. This is the 4th house I've bought, with a handful of refi's, and I swear this is the most stressful experience I've ever had.  After 6 weeks of misery, we now found out that our rate went up to 6.375%, surprise surprise. About 1-2 weeks ago, I started trying to find another loan, but it was too late at that point. Apparently, it's very difficult to transfer an FHA loan application # once one has been created. I would not recommend Lending Tree to my worst enemy. Please stay clear of them when shopping for a home loan!

Stephen of Germantown TN (01/28/08)
I was ONLY inquiring about current mortgage rates on line. I filled out some info and decided that it was too much just for a rate. I thought I had backed out of the site and deleted it.

Lending Tree sold my information without my consent to many mortgage a/o lending groups. I have had over 30 calls trying to sell me a loan.

Ray of Bronx NY (01/17/08)
I was told by Mark that I could put a totally refundable deposit down to lock in my rate. I asked if I found a better rate, which I did, would I be fully refunded--and he said of course. I put a $500 deposit on my credit card. When I asked for a refund, he said he would get back to me or that his manager would. I have called many, many times to no avail. I will not give up. They are not going to steal my money just like that, right in my face. I have seen that there are many others who have suffered a similar fate, and Lending Tree will keep on doing this until they suffer some damage to their bottom line.

I'm out $500 plus interest on my credit card that I desperately need. I'm unemployed, and this has just added to my increasing debt.

Nathan of Seattle WA (01/09/08)
I visited the website, started the process of filling out the forms but when I got to the LAST page, and read the terms and conditions, I did not agree with them, so I attempted to back out my information. I never clicked agree on the terms and conditions and never submitted the information. Yet they kept all of my information. I got a call early Sunday morning. I told the person I did not sign up with lending tree and I wanted to have my information removed. He refused. I spoke with a very polite manager, who also refused. I asked to speak to someone with enough authority to remove my information. I received a call two days later from Robin Chandler, who refused to remove my information and said that by filling out any information on their website they had a right to keep my information and report it to other agencies as they deem fit. If my ID gets ripped off, it's because of lendingtree.com.

I've complained to our state attorney general's office, and plan to make additional complaints with any and every legal entity I can find. Their site is misleading, it says nothing about keeping your information if you don't accept their terms, and they don't honor their do not call list. I've been on it for a while and keep getting calls and emails, despite unsubscribing. The bottom line is, the Internet is not safe and I should never have given out my information over it. I will never go through any banking process without sitting down in person with a live person!

Pete of Columbia CT (12/19/07)
DO NOT DEAL WITH THIS COMPANY. I feel like $600.00 was blatantly stolen from me. Got to the appraisal process of a refinance package and appraisal came back very low. I had a previous appraisal done for another lender, sent it to Lending Tree, but they refused to consider it. The appraisal that Lending Tree issued shows no increase in equity from the purchase of the home 4 years ago.

They refuse to refund the $600.00 rate lock fee that was charged. They expect me to re-apply in 6 months in the expectation that home values will rise to a point that the process can be completed. Unbelievable.

Jean of Olyphant PA (12/09/07)
I have never been given such a run around as I have experienced with Lending Tree. They are lacking in knowledge and operating a poor site. I am totally disappointed with the service I received and will never recommend them to any sane person.  They are misleading and in my opinion fradulent.

Patrick of Winter Park FL (12/03/07)
This company has to be the worst loan experience I have dealt with yet.  I have felt myself falling into the same old hook and sink. Lending Tree will tell you about all the great things that they can do for you and after receiving all the information about the property, due taxes and recent sales within the community, they told me that my appraisal should not be a problem. Then the appraiser spent only a whole 5 minutes in and out of my residence. This individual took about 6 pictures of my property and then left. My appraisal was so low balled by the company that they said they had to use sales from over 2 miles away, in the ghetto nevertheless. Let's compare some apples to rotten oranges. Now Lending Tree wants me to gather previous appraisals from various residents who have refinanced with other lenders who had no problems with their appraisals. Imagine me doing all the foot work? What am I paying closing cost for? And all the other fees? They had the audacity to tell me since this was a FHA loan that my appraisal would be significantly different. I see my property is valued upon the type of loan they chose for me. A nickel is worth a penny if you are FHA, but yet a dime if you choose another program. $200,000 is $200,000! Well, they took me for the $400.00. Monica Hernandez assured me about the security and smooth process of my loan. Wrong! Then I was transferred to another who had no clue about what was going on and totally ruined the remaining process. It was Katie Heran. Down right clueless! I am not writing this because of my measly $400.00 loss, but maybe to save others from making the same mistake I made.

Rebecca of Shannon IL (06/26/07)
We contacted Lending Tree based on the fact that they would attempt to get creditors to compete for a lower rate they sent us to there own loan company Home Lending or something like that and sent out the worst appraiser this side of the Mississippi who compared our house value to a house that sold over 30 miles away and in a different town.

Everyone in this area knows that the town she used has nothing going for it with the only real business being a bar where as the town we live in is close to the town where everyone works and is an easy commute so folks can live in a basically rural setting and still get to work easily.

When we had a realtor from Century 21 provide a real CMA they told us it was not appropriate as they sold over 6 months ago (it isn't a gallon of milk where the value would change that much in 6 months) They also took 400.00 up front and refuse to give it back and when I spoke with Noah regarding the crazy appraisal he advised that he had just gotten off the phone with another customer who was fighting the appraised value.

Paul of Lincoln CA (03/29/07)

We called for information after receiving an advertisement in the mail regarding mortgage reduction. Spoke to Scott and were told in order to start process, we had to pay $400.00 up front. We were quoted 5.875% + 2 points and an additional $3505.00 in other costs and fees for a total of $9600.00 in settlement charges. We decided to check with our bank and found that we were being overcharged points, the upfront fee was not reasonable and the settlement charges were considered high. We decided to go with our bank and when we called Scott he said he would match our bank's quote with a couple of exceptions.

We advised him that his company was no longer an option. We called and asked that the appraisal be cancelled and we submitted an e-mail to the company also. Unfortunately, the appraiser showed up at our door and we were told by Scott that they were keeping our $400 so we let the appraiser do his job. On the back of the form we responded to, it stated that there are no fees to get started and no obligation... and yet they took and kept our $400.00. In the meantime, we have sent letters (2/21 and 3/7) requesting at least a copy of the appraisal, but to date nothing.

Wayne of Washington, DC (10/17/06)
We had an excellent loan offer from a lender sponsored by my wife's employer. No one could match it, and they told us it was a great deal (Citi, Bofa, Wells, Countrywide.)  Lending Tree, however, said they could.

After collecting all of our information, the saleman pressured us for a $600 deposit and promised that he would send the detailed breakdown afterward. Since hearing about several problems from other people about the deposit we asked for someting in writing.  He refused and promised us it is refundable.

Pressing him some more, we found that the deposit creates a binding agreement and is only refundable under very strict conditions. We also found out that there were many other costs that would be sent our way in the process of closing the loan. After he refused to give anything in writing we refused to do business.

John of Chester NY (08/02/06)
When setting up my HELOC, I was VERY specific that I wanted a Fixed rate. I was promised it and was also given a maximum payment that my monthly payments would never exceed. Unfortunetly, I did not keep that e-mail. My loan was transfered to Country Wide. In a conversation with them today, I found out my rate is adjustable. When you read what I signed, it is very confusing. The papers are thrown in front of you for you to sign, and you assume that the information is what you agreed upon. It says it is fixed but in small words states it is introductory. The only introductory thing I was advised of was 3 months interest only.

Aimee of Fort Worth TX (07/24/06)
I purchased my home in December 2005 and was promised a gift card of $500. I followed up in March since I had not received the card. It is now July and I still have not received the incentive that was promised to me.

Deborah of Brandywine MD (05/02/06)
I contacted LendingTree.com regarding a refinance loan and was told by the representative Mr. Daniel Lete that I would have to give him a $400.00 deposit to secure the lock-in interest rate on the loan and receive additional information regarding the Mortgage lending process. I stated that I was concerned about providing my credit card information without getting any information in writing first. Mr. Lete assured me that my deposit could be refunded. However, after giving my credit card information I was sent an e-mail from Mr. Leta which included detailed information on the loan and the very limited circumstances which I would be entitled to a refund of my deposit. Mr. Lete was quite misleading.

The matter resulted in my not getting my deposit back after the loan agreement was never signed or processed. After getting the lock-in interest rate, I needed to change my refinancing amount. I was advised by Mr. Lete to get a home equity rate because of the low amount I was requesting. I declined to proceed with the process after I was quoted a very high interest rate.

Delaine of Alexandria VA (12/26/05)
I subscribed to a lead service advertised by Lending Tree.COM AKA Realestate.Com. The service was suppose to send QUALIFIED LEADS to me for a fee per month. The leads were terrible and I cancelled it immediately. I wrote them, called them, and sent emails. They CONTINUE to bill my credit card for the monthly fee. So now every month I have to call AMX to dispute the charge. They refuse to stop billing me.

Richard of Myrtle Beach SC (11/17/05)
I had a good faith estimate on my new home of 5.125% this past year. I have been wondering why my rate was higher than my friends when he had a 6% rate. Come to find out they charged me 6.125. This is a rip off and I fell for it. Throwing all those papers in front of me at closing and me not seeing the difference between a 5 and a 6 on the closing docs.

Michael of Lunenburg MA (10/30/05)
I was promised a Home Depot or AMEX Gift Card after closing with the relator that Lending Tree referred me to. I completed the necessary paperwork within 24 hours of my closing in June. It is now 17 weeks after the closing and I have not received the incentive despite a promise of an 8 week turnaround. I had made 2 calls between the closing and the beginning of September to check and make sure everything was submitted properly and things were progressing. I was assured it was.

When I called mid-September to ask where the gift card was, I was told they were missing paperwork from the realtor. Over the course of the next 2 weeks, I was told that they were getting all of the proper paperwork from the relator. Late in September they stated the gift card was approved and in for processing and should take 2-3 weeks. It has now been 4 weeks and no gift card. I called today and they claim to have mailed it out on 9/22 despite 2 conversations (and emails) after that time that state it was being processed.

Loreen of Palatine IL (10/01/05)
The process seemed to be coming along fine until the closing date. It was only then that I was informed that my property was legally considered a condo, instead of a townhouse. This changed my rates significantly and cost me quite a bit more in points. I was obviously very upset by this, but Joe Mendoza told be that this was not a big deal. As this did not negatively effect his pocketbook, I am sure that for him it was not a big deal. To me, it was.

Of course at this point there was nothing I could do. If I tried to seek another lender I would be in default. Gail B sent me an email on 8/22 (more than one week before the closing) stating that she received the appraisal for the property, which, according to Joe, is where he discovered that my property was actually a condominium. On 8/22 I would have had time to look for another rate. It seems at best irresponsible and at worst deceptive to not check this information and inform me on 8/22. I was also informed on the day of my closing by Gail B that there was litigation pending against the condo association and that she did not know of any lender that would approve a loan with this type of litigation pending.

After speaking to my attorney, he explained to me that although there are some lenders that would deny a loan on these grounds, it was very common for a loan to go through under these circumstances and was rarely a problem. My attorney also explained that this information had been available and that the sellers had informed him that lendingtree had not requested any information until the week before the closing from them (the sellers), much later than they expected. I realize that I was working with a tight time frame on my property, but I was assured from day one that this was not a problem. I also realize that problems can arise with any deal and can understand a few bumps in the road. What I do not understand is why the people that worked on my loan were so irresponsible.

R. of Fontana CA (05/24/05)
My loan closed within 14 days of request. However, the cash out money recived in my account 4 days after the loan funded. I also, received payoff checks almost 7 days after my loan closed for the credit card companies. Credit Card companies checks should have been mailed by Lending Tree to the credit card companies immediately after loan closed. Instead, they mailed checks to my address while I'm paying interest on two loans, the credit card company and the new loan from Lending Tree. I was never told that checks would be mailed to my. I will never use Lending Tree again.

Steve of Mesa AZ (05/19/05)
Lending Tree is using an unusual disclosure technique to hide actual closing costs from borrowers and build in "junk" fees. I have had good experiences with them in the past when they were operating as a referral source, but now they are licensed as a bank and closing the loans in own name, acting as the lender and playing by their own rules with the federally required disclosures. They also tried to force me to use their settlement services company so they can pocket those revenues as well. Unfortunately, even though I am a banking professional myself, I did not realize what they were up to until after they had already collected $600 from me, which they refused to refund.

Basically they quoted me a standard rate and origination/discount cost which a agreed to. They also mentioned there could be up to $2900 in additional closing costs. They quoted this as the "True Cost" of the transaction. I was unconcerned because I had already selected a title company that I routinely worked with and knew that my actual costs would be about $1300, plus some nominal charges for doc prep, etc. When I received their initial Good Faith stimate I was concerned that they did not break out the settlement costs, and they also asked me to sign a disclosure indicating that I had not paid for the appraisal and therefore had no right to a copy of it. What was my $600 for? The secondary investor's lock fee I was told.

As I am an employee of the secondary investor, I knew this was a lie and that this was really a tactic to keep me from taking the appraisal I paid for and going to another mortgage source. They want to inflict as much financial pain as possible if you figure out you are being ripped off and try to leave. Sadly we lost $600 to Lending Tree, but even with that I am saving over $1000 by going somewhere else. I spoke to several managers at Lending Tree and this was not a one off, but standard operating procedure. I suspect thousands of people are being treated this way and there are probably grounds for a class action suit.

Ron of Valley Lee MD writes (8/7/01):
I used Lending Tree to obtain a home equity loan. The loan process was not a problem however they offered a $100 Home Depot gift certificate for closing a loan with one of their lenders. I jumped through all the hoops and complied with all the requirements they placed on the program to obtain the gift certificate.

Lending Tree even sent me a letter saying they had received my request and asked me to call them to confirm everything which I did. I never received the gift certificate. A few months later I recieved an email offering me ANOTHER $100 gift for my testimonial.

I replied to this email with all the details on 22 June and informed them I would be happy to give my testimonial once I recieved the first promised gift. Today 7 Aug I recieved a reply from Lending Tree claiming they have no record of my original request and asking me to request it again.

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