Jim worked on the biggest loan I've ever undertaken. How fortunate it was that he's the most…read moreefficient lending specialist I've ever worked with. The entire financing process was straightforward and transparent. No fluff, no unwanted salesmanship, no use of time that didn't seem flawlessly planned. We managed to do nearly everything over e-mail and text. The lone exception was a five-minute phone call. Jim's demeanor was pleasant and professional, but it's clear he knows how to operate efficiently and pragmatically to deliver quick effective solutions that fully address his clients' needs in the fast-moving world of finance. After eight previous mortgages, and multiple refinances, I thought I'd seen it all. Yet Jim managed to redefine excellence in lending.

After quite a bit of deliberation, we went with Trustco for our mortgage. We felt this was a better…read moreoption for us because Trustco - unusually - allows you to not pay PMI if you can put down 10%. It was really hard to stomach the idea of paying PMI for the life of the loan everywhere else and we just did not have the full 20%. Trustco is antiquated in multiple respects when it comes to transactions. It's kind of frustrating, but do-able. More importantly, there were some inconsistencies between what we were told by our rep (who was the branch's manager) and what was actually true. For example, we were told that we would not actually have to pay for the credit check because Trustco does it "in house" and didn't use a third party, but, lo and behold, we paid for the credit check. There were a couple of other situations like that when all was said and done. Of course, shame on us for not getting that in writing from him and taking his word. We should have been more skeptical. The closing process was a pain and Trustco's rep came across as a bit rude and incompetent. She even made a comment about having (coincidentally) viewed our house when she was house hunting and saying that she didn't feel it was worth the price (before it was dropped to the amount we got it at, which was below market rate). That came across as a very strange, sort of tactless thing to say. The seller's rep and our lawyer told us that Trustco is notoriously frustrating to deal with for mortgages. There were times we had to just sit and wait while Trustco's rep corrected something that Trustco had messed up, which took a while. Even the process of cutting checks at the end was interminable. I've worked for a bank and have cut checks - it's a simple process. Lastly, there is a $300 mortgage application fee. Our realtor said it was sometimes waived, but that was not the case for us. Be careful about your credit score before paying this fee as they have high standards. We made sure to specifically ask before we applied to ensure we were likely to make the cut. We felt that $300 once was better than a monthly PMI payment for 30 years, though. All in all, it was worth going with Trustco to not pay PMI, but not ideal if you have the 20% down payment. PS: We closed on our mortgage in September 2015.

My experience recently with closing on a Home Equity Line of Credit was not good. After our…read moreclosing with David (who seemed very nice, however is clearly not knowledgeable about the business) we went home to wait on our checks. About 3 days after the closing we noticed $15,000 in our checking account. We had no idea why it was deposited there. We hadn't received our checks yet, so we figured we'd wait to contact Trustco until they came. The following week we received the checks and we called Trustco. We were informed by two employees (one being David) that we were supposed to then redeposit that money back into our Equity Line. We were not informed of this at the closing. They told us that we would have to pay the weeks worth of interest on this $15,000 ($8.11) even though we didn't use it at all and had no plans to touch the money for at least a month. After listening to the staff talk in circles I asked to speak with the manager Becky. She also informed me that I'd have to pay the interest and that there was nothing she could do about it. I then told her I'd be looking into changing my mortgage and new equity line over to another bank. She promptly then informed me that she would send a request to have my interest credited. It took a couple days, but that did go through. Another problem was that when we originally signed up for the loan at Trustco in Wynantskill we were informed that the interest would not begin until we wrote our first check. We were encouraged to sign up for the equity line right away so it would be available for when we needed it. When I spoke with the manager Becky she said that this was false information and that the lower interest rate (2.99% for 1 year) began at our day of closing. I feel as if in general the company was not straightforward with any information. Had they told us originally to transfer over the money I would've done that. Had they told me that the lower interest rate would begin on the date of the closing I would've waited on the closing. Based on this experience I would still consider switching my banking because I feel as if I was not provided with clear and accurate information.

Jack and the entire staff at Homestead are extremely knowledgeable and help simplify the financial…read moreaspect of the home buying process. They communicated frequently with us to make sure that we were confident with every step of the process. Jack was especially delightful to speak with and was willing and able to break down the complex world of financing a home. Everyone should be commended at Homestead for their excellent and caring service.

The worst business experience of my life, hands down. Tried to get a construction mortgage through…read moreHomestead. They began requesting documents, we would submit them and weeks would go by before we got updates, generally only after we asked for them. It took 7 months from first contact until we could close! At month 6.5 we were told that the longest building period they would give us was 8 months to build an entire custom home with a $5500 a month penalty for going over. They refused to give us a clause saying that time spent waiting for inspections and disbursements on their end wouldn't count towards the 8 months, even though every other thing they did took way longer than it was supposed to. Finally, they pressured us to close with 2 foot of snow on ground in middle of winter, and when I asked to postpone closing to spring they threatened us with "lots of fees". Finally, when we told them we wouldn't continue with them under these terms, they sent us a $105 bill for "adjustments" to costs of things that we already paid months ago. Do yourself a favor and use a real bank for your mortgage. Everything about the experience was head and shoulders better than with Homestead.

Poor computer system, breaks down frequently. poor service. Worst business banking service…read more Disappointing.

I don't understand how this financial institution can remain in business. I went to take out a…read morewithdrawal and the bank said I had to call ahead to take out a larger sum of cash. First of all it was not that much and I had them call around till they found a branch that could give me the cash. Who'd a thought a bank would not have money!!! And forget setting up online banking. I tried setting up my account to pay my auto loan. Took three months and 4 people to finally get access. Apparently they are not in a rush to get their money either which must be why they don't have it at the branch!!!!!

Cannot talk to anyone without needing to leave a message (Escrow Department). I waited two days…read moreone time, and today, I have still not heard back from a message left, and it has been six hours so far. It is 4:10, and they close at 4:30. I spoke with a manager too. That did nothing. Good luck if you go with SEFCU Mortgage Services.

Sefcu Mortgage services are the worst!!! Especially their Escrow dept. When you house isn't…read morereassessed, and your taxes haven't changed, how is it that they cant seem to get it right?? 1 year they give me a check for $1500 saying they charged me to much. This year they raised my mortgage payment by $270! Saying they didnt take out enough! I would highly advise EVERYONE TO NEVER GO TO SEFCU for a mortgage!!!

Things started going downhill when they moved to the Winners Circle location. It was almost like…read morethey'd become too big to be the polite and helpful credit union they'd always been. It only got worse with the merger. I will say that I've always had good experiences, even now, with tellers, but anyone else? Nope. Rude, short attention span, and take the first opportunity to get out of the conversation. Case in point. I went there to talk to someone about a loan. I went to the "service desk" which always used to be helpful. The woman first told me she didn't know what I was asking about, then told me I couldn't see them, then contacted the loan officer how said they would not come down to see me. I insisted and they eventually came down, only to be rude, not answer my question and tell me to call next time. This is a place I used to rave about. Not anymore. To use a silly old saying, "They've gotten to big for their breeches." And people leaving reviews, it is Credit Union, NOT a Bank.

Since the merge with the two credit unions Ive had nothing but issues with my accounts. Fraud…read moreissues, etc. The last one was I disputed a charge on my visa. After calling and telling them I can see the withdraw pending and to please stop it they said it has to go through completely. I can't understand why they couldn't block it right there. So as requested I filled out multiple forms and received a response saying I have to print out the forms and fax them over or mail them! so many forms We are retired, who has a fax machine in their house and if they received the paperwork why don't they print it out I have to find another credit union

I recently hired an agent from Gucciardo Real Estate Group, Guiseppe Tropiano, to sell my house in…read moreAlbany and had an absolutely terrible experience with him. He disregarded all of my requests and broke clear agreements which had been made before hiring him. He was aggressive and applied maximum pressure and threats to get his way, which a sales price far below the true market price. He was only after a quick buck without doing any work. Beware of this guy. Do not trust him. A company is only as good as the people they hire and Guiseppe's behavior is a reflection of the culture of Gucciardo Real Estate Group. You have been warned. This is a true review from an actual verified customer.

I agree Anthony does great work. He's the one honest person in a sea of questionable real estate…read moresalesmen and saleswomen in Albany, all seeking to get rich and do it quickly. I'm very afraid his business will suffer due to the recent class action that effectively eliminates the role of "Buyer's Agent". If the seller won't pay my agent, I'm going to be forced to cut him loose. That's how most folks think.

we worked with bill hoogkamp... his patience and knowledge was so appreciated as we were first-time…read morehomebuyers: nothing we said or asked was disregarded and he always kept us informed and involved with every step of the process. of course, we would go back in a heartbeat next time we need financing, but for now we're enjoying the fruits of their help. we can highly recommend maple tree funding, especially bill.

Great to work with. I worked with Ray - always answered all of my questions and helped made the…read moreprocess as easy as it could be. Always set my expectations as well. If I were to purchase another home I'd go through them again.

I wish they had never moved to 4 Winners Circle and definitely wish they had never merged with…read moreSEFCU. Once upon a time CAPCOM was everything I could wish for in a financial institution. I regularly received personalized, fast, friendly service. Everything started to change when they moved to 4 Winners Circle and only got worse after the merger with SEFCU. Completely impersonal, long wait times, and frequent mistakes. My last visit to the drive through took about 40 minutes. I waited 20 minutes behind the car in front of me then when I pulled up, the teller took the check I was depositing, walked away, and never came back. 15 minutes later another teller walks up and asks I they can help me? I explain the situation, she tells me, the terminal broke down, the other teller left, and she will be helping me now. Another 5 minutes before I was out of there. The teller didn't weight the returned items down properly when returning them and the wind blew the receipt out of the box and it was gone. Thankfully, I had grabbed my license and identification card before they too got swept away. Lastly, don't even bother emailing their Mortgage department. Good luck getting a response.

They allow their customers to have full blown meetings at every teller. Average time is over 10…read moreminutes per customer. Branch is understaffed. Horrible.