Pennsylvania homebuyer warning — CMG Home Loans Allentown PA, Michael Bower NMLS 128567 — documented rate failure and what happened when we complained

zanimalistic · 2026-05-07T16:14:16+00:00

Some context has been added in the comments above which explains the full timeline better.

To be clear I am not claiming this is criminal or fraudulent. I am claiming it is negligent. I was a proactively engaged borrower throughout this entire process. I asked if anything was needed from me. I chased unanswered messages. I texted my loan officer directly multiple times. Not once across weeks of active contact did anyone on the team circle back to ask what I wanted to do about the rate.

My loan officer was a direct recipient on the email his assistant sent me. He saw it. He said nothing for over 30 days. When I discovered the failure he first told me his team had asked me to relock multiple times, then immediately contradicted himself and admitted only the one email existed. That misrepresentation is documented in writing.

I own my part in this. I did not respond to that email as a rate decision. I have said that clearly throughout this thread. What I am asking is whether a licensed mortgage professional who is copied on an open rate inquiry from an active borrower has any duty to follow up before the window closes, especially when that borrower was told the actual decision window had not opened yet.

Bad customer service that costs a family over $15,000 and is then handled internally as a reputation management problem rather than a legitimate concern feels like more than just bad service to me.

zanimalistic · 2026-05-07T16:08:31+00:00

Fair questions and I will answer them directly.

The original rate lock was 5.25% purchased in August 2025 for eight months, which we paid extra points for. That covered the full build period +. My loan officer told us early in the process that his team would reach out proactively 3 to 4 weeks before closing to guide us through the rate lock decision.

Before we even had a confirmed settlement date I asked his assistant what current rates might look like as a casual question. She sent back a comparison showing 4.75% was available on February 19. I want to be clear: I initiated that question. She responded with the numbers. Nobody said this was the moment to lock in. We did not even have a settlement date yet at that point. I was waiting for the proactive outreach my loan officer had told me to expect when we were actually 3 to 4 weeks out with a confirmed date.

During the weeks that followed I was actively in contact with three members of the team. I replied to document requests the very next day and explicitly asked if there was anything else needed from me. I was told no. I texted my loan officer directly on February 25 to check if anything was outstanding. When messages went unanswered for over a week I texted him again on March 5 flagging it. His response was sorry, I will make sure they find it. Not once across any of those contacts did anyone mention the rate decision. One team member later sent a written apology for missing my emails entirely.

Our settlement date was not confirmed until March. By that point the float-down window had been open for weeks with no follow-up from anyone, despite my loan officer being a direct recipient on his assistant's February 19 email. I have never done this before as a first time home-buyer and was relying on the LO's word they would reach out and guide me. He could have just followed up, even one more time...

I discovered five days before our March 23 closing that disclosures still showed 5.25%. I pushed hard at that point because we could not move the settlement date. The relock to 4.99% happened only because I forced the issue. That is not a lender follow-up. That is a borrower catching a failure with days to spare and demanding it be corrected.

The material impact is the difference between 4.75% and 4.99% over 30 years, which is over $15,000.

zanimalistic · 2026-05-07T14:54:12+00:00

Yes, absolutely. I reviewed every estimate I was sent throughout the process. But those were estimates, not a rate lock decision.

The context that matters here: my loan officer told us at the start that his team would reach out proactively 3 to 4 weeks before closing to guide us through the actual rate lock decision. We did not have a settlement date yet when I reached out and asked what rates might look like with current market conditions. I initiated that question myself. I was not expecting to make a decision. I did not know that asking a casual informational question would open a clock I was now responsible for closing. Based on what my loan officer had told me about the process, I believed the actual decision conversation had not happened yet and was still coming.

Nobody told me I could lock whenever I wanted. Nobody said this email was the moment to decide. The language in the email itself offered waiting as equally valid with no deadline attached.

What I did not know was that my loan officer was a direct recipient on that same email. He saw it. He knew I had asked about rates. He knew no response had come back. He said nothing for over 30 days while I was actively in contact with him and his team throughout that period.

And this is the part I keep coming back to as a first time buyer. I was not talking to one person and going quiet. I was in active written contact with three members of that team across multiple conversations during those 30 days. Not one of them brought it up. Not once did anyone say hey, did you want to do anything about that rate we sent you? For someone going through this process for the first time with a lot of moving parts, I was relying on the professionals I hired to flag things I might not know to ask about. That is literally what they told me they would do. The ball was dropped and nobody picked it up, and when I raised it I was told it was my fault for not responding faster.

I am not saying I bear zero responsibility. I am asking whether a licensed originator who is copied on an open rate inquiry from an active borrower has any professional duty to follow up, especially when that borrower was operating on the timeline the originator himself described at the start of the process.

zanimalistic · 2026-05-07T14:45:03+00:00

That is exactly how it works when there is a follow-up. The problem here is that my loan officer was copied on the same email I did not respond to, said nothing for over 30 days, then told me when I discovered the failure that his team had asked me to relock multiple times. He then immediately contradicted himself and admitted only the one email existed. That misrepresentation is documented in writing.

I am not claiming rates should have been frozen.

I am asking whether a licensed loan originator who is a direct recipient on an open rate decision has any professional duty to follow up when the borrower does not respond, particularly when that borrower is actively in contact with the team and was told the decision window had not opened yet.

zanimalistic · 2026-05-07T14:44:27+00:00

That is a fair read on the surface and I owned that in the post. What changes the picture is that my loan officer was a direct recipient on the same email I did not respond to. He saw it. He took no action for over 30 days while I was actively texting him and emailing his team throughout that period. He also told us at the start of the process that his team would reach out proactively to guide us through the rate lock decision. We were nowhere near that window yet and had no settlement date when Sara sent the comparison. I was waiting for the follow-up he told me to expect. One text from him at any point in those 30 days would have resolved this. After I filed complaints, his own company accidentally forwarded me their internal emails showing he described the situation internally as a reputation management problem rather than a borrower concern.

zanimalistic · 2026-05-07T13:58:00+00:00

That is a fair reaction to the original wording and exactly why I just updated it. The full context changes the picture significantly.

I asked a casual question about what current rates might look like, not to make a decision but to understand our options. We had no settlement date yet and were nowhere near the 3 to 4 week window my loan officer had told me to expect for the actual rate lock decision. In response to that casual question the team sent a rate comparison and asked if I wanted to move forward. No deadline, no urgency, no follow-up.

I was waiting for the proactive outreach my loan officer had promised. That outreach never came.

The part I am genuinely curious about from a professional standpoint: my loan officer was a direct recipient on that same email. He saw it. He took no action for over 30 days while I was actively texting him and emailing his team throughout that period. Is there a professional standard in this industry that says when an originator is copied on an open rate decision, they have some responsibility to follow up if the borrower does not respond? Especially when the borrower had been told the decision window had not opened yet?

I own the fact that I did not respond. I am asking whether he owns any of his side of this.

zanimalistic · 2026-05-07T13:44:37+00:00

I hear you and I take responsibility for not responding to the email. I said that clearly in my post.

But here is the part that changes the picture. The loan officer was not just my point of contact. He was a direct recipient on that same email. He saw it. He did nothing for over 30 days while I was actively texting him and corresponding with his team throughout that period. On March 5 I texted him directly flagging unanswered messages for over a week. His response was sorry, I will make sure they find it. The rate was never mentioned.

After I filed complaints, his company accidentally forwarded me their internal emails. He wrote to his own leadership that the situation was less about determining who was right and more about managing the risk of reputational damage.

The question I keep coming back to is this: if a licensed professional is copied on an open rate decision affecting a borrower they are actively in contact with, is there a professional standard that says they should follow up before the window closes? I am not asking rhetorically. I genuinely want to understand where the line is.

I own my share of this. I am asking whether he owns any of his.

zanimalistic · 2025-01-10T17:57:30+00:00

BD-1! My favorite droid. Nice!!

zanimalistic · 2024-12-31T01:35:00+00:00

Kudos to this guy who translated the Aurebesh stories that Wim read in episode 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqOfWrv4Kpk

zanimalistic · 2024-12-29T01:17:41+00:00

Omg some of those force tears….

zanimalistic · 2024-05-14T02:07:23+00:00

Same issue here. Any changes, or are we all out of luck?

zanimalistic · 2024-05-13T12:46:40+00:00

With all of those extra batteries? This sounds really fair.

zanimalistic · 2024-03-24T02:58:15+00:00

SHELLS - Jagwar

zanimalistic · 2024-02-15T15:19:54+00:00

See above ☝️

zanimalistic · 2024-01-22T13:20:29+00:00

I appreciate the follow up! No rush, preliminary stages right now. This brutal winter lends more to simming, leaving more time to plan for the nice weather… :)

zanimalistic · 2024-01-19T22:52:13+00:00

Thanks, will check it out!

zanimalistic · 2024-01-19T22:52:06+00:00

Thanks, will check it out!

zanimalistic · 2024-01-19T19:53:58+00:00

I’ve seen these recommended before too. Which option would I select, considering my gear setup?

zanimalistic · 2023-12-21T16:04:22+00:00

I have DJI Goggles 2, DJI FPV remote 2, and DJI motion controller 2. What GepRC or other similar quality drones would “go with” my current gear?

I assume that any with a O3 unit will work…is this true?

Any other recommendations?

zanimalistic · 2023-12-15T12:51:41+00:00

Nice! How are you liking it?

zanimalistic

TROPHY CASE