First Merchants Bank – Legit or Scam?

I came across a critical review of First Merchants Bank on a Scam Reporting website – DirtyScam.com, titled ‘Level Of Service’.

DirtyScam allows anonymous submission of complaints from angry consumers and victims of scams. Since the website is hosted offshore (probably in Russia or India), we take this (negative) review against First Merchants Bank with a pinch of salt.

Here is what the review says –

My mortgage started with Cooper State, whom I really liked dealing with.First Merchants Bank  has made an absolute mess of things, and connecting with them to get it fixed is next to impossible.Apparently they determine through some audit they didn’t have a copy of my insurance.They sent two notices and I followed the instructions to resolve.I never heard from them after that, so I assumed we were all set.Come to find a charge to my escrow for $1,189. They bought insurance for me.Insurance I didn’t need. I finally get someone on the phone, and they inform me they can’t transfer me to the department that handles these issues, but they can relay questions/answers for me.So, I get to sit on hold while a customer service rep. takes my question, regurgitates it, and then comes back with an answer.I don’t fault the customer service people, but this leads to a lot of misinformation/misunderstand.As of today, I’ve had documents faxed 5 times, and I’ve emailed them twice myself to a general delivery email address.I tried calling the 800 number on the original notice, but it’s just an automated response that says everything is in order, which is misleading because I’ve come to find out that ‘all clear’ is referencing the policy the bank purchased, that I don’t need.I feel they have no interest in fixing this, or in providing any acceptable measure of customer service at all.If you have any other option when banking/borrowing, take it.Cooper State was service oriented, First Merchants seems profit oriented, and is providing the bare minimum level of service to keep money coming in.I cannot wait to refinance and get away. TL:DR – Solving simple problems is not simple.Erroneous charges difficult to fix. Communication to resolve will test your sanity. Steer clear!

In case you don’t already know (assuming you came to this page by Googling ‘First Merchants Bank scam‘, or ‘First Merchants Bank review‘, First Merchants Bank is listed under the category Business on DirtyScam.com.

Here is the rest of the contact information for the sole purpose of identification –

• Address: North High Street Columbus OH 43202
• Phone: (614) 408-0470
• Website: http://firstmerchants.com
• Severity of Scam: High [not sure what it means]
• Reported Loss: 3658 $ [unsubstantiated]
• Reported by: Anonymous [obviously]

The entity First Merchants Bank was awarded 1 / 5 Stars  based on 2 Reviews.

It is difficult to ascertain whether First Merchants Bank is a Scam, or Legit, based on this single review. In the coming weeks/days, I will try to research deeper into First Merchants Bank, analyze and list more critical reviews and identify a pattern (or lack of) to substantiate the claim mentioned above.

Regardless, until then, we give the benefit of doubt to the reviewer and list First Merchants Bank as someone you need to avoid (for now).

If you have any grievances, complaints, or anonymous tips against First Merchants Bank, please contact us immediately. If you have lost money to  First Merchants Bank, together we can work to recover your loss.