I never talk to the first person I get at a bank. Call and ask for an appointment "to ask questions about financing for _x_" and magically they're helpful and put you on to the right person. Once in a while I ask a question of the gatekeeper and it never goes well, although its usually just that they can't find the info. I did get a comment about an out of town "specialist" for professional school LOCs that could set up a time to meet me at my home branch, for what its worth. *I live in the middle of nowhere so a district rep is standard for everything, including a mortgage.
Keep trying!