Had a similar experience recently—thought going local would speed things up, but nope.
- Officer was great, totally understood the project and seemed eager.
- Then underwriting got involved and suddenly it was like pulling teeth. Endless back-and-forth emails, clarifications on minor details...
- Makes me wonder if it's less about bank size and more about internal processes or even individual underwriters?
Still scratching my head over that one.
"Makes me wonder if it's less about bank size and more about internal processes or even individual underwriters?"
Yeah, I've seen that too. Had a client recently with a quirky self-employed income situation—thought a smaller lender would breeze through it, but underwriting turned into a mini-interrogation. Definitely feels like it comes down to who's behind the desk sometimes...
"Definitely feels like it comes down to who's behind the desk sometimes..."
Yeah, you've nailed it there. Had a similar experience last year with a buyer who was a freelance graphic designer—steady income, but not exactly your typical W-2 scenario. We figured a smaller local bank would be more flexible, right? Nope. Ended up feeling like we were under a microscope. They kept asking for documents we'd already sent twice, and every time we thought we were done, they'd come back with another question. Honestly, it felt like the underwriter was just uncomfortable with anything outside their usual box.
Funny thing is, after weeks of back-and-forth, we ended up going to a larger national lender—one you'd assume would be stricter—and they sailed through it. Same paperwork, same situation, totally different experience. The underwriter there seemed to get it right away, even joked about how freelancers are becoming the norm these days.
Makes me think it's less about bank size or even internal processes and more about the comfort level and experience of the individual handling your file. Some underwriters just seem more open-minded or experienced with unconventional income streams, while others see anything slightly unusual as a red flag. It's frustrating because you never know what you're gonna get until you're knee-deep in the process.
I guess the takeaway is, don't assume smaller equals easier. It's really about finding someone who's seen enough variety to understand that not every borrower fits neatly into a checkbox.
"Makes me think it's less about bank size or even internal processes and more about the comfort level and experience of the individual handling your file."
Exactly this. I've seen deals stall out at smaller banks because the underwriter wasn't familiar with rental income or side hustles. Sometimes bigger lenders have dedicated teams who handle these scenarios regularly...makes a difference.
Yeah, that's been my experience too. Had a project last year where the smaller local bank just couldn't wrap their heads around my mixed-use property with short-term rentals upstairs. Switched to a bigger lender and suddenly it was smooth sailing—they had someone who handled similar deals regularly. It's not always about size, but having someone who's seen your scenario before definitely helps move things along...
