- Honestly, digital payment trails are a whole new headache for refi.
- Had to justify a $20 Zelle from two months back—turns out it was just splitting Uber Eats with a friend.
- Lenders in Dallas are digging deep now, almost feels like they're looking for reasons to slow things down.
- My tip: keep a quick spreadsheet of random payments, just in case. Saves a lot of back-and-forth.
- Wish they'd focus more on actual credit health than tiny transactions, but I guess it's just the times...
- Totally get the spreadsheet thing—I've got a running list in my notes app for every random Venmo and Zelle.
- Honestly, it feels like they're more interested in my pizza habits than my credit score lately.
- Not sure if it's overkill or just the new normal, but I double-check everything now before sending money... just in case.
Honestly, it feels like they're more interested in my pizza habits than my credit score lately.
I laughed at this because I swear my bank flagged me for buying coffee at two different places in one day. I keep a color-coded spreadsheet for all my transactions, even the $2 ones, just to stay ahead of any weirdness. It might be overkill, but after a random Zelle payment got held up last year, I’m not taking chances. The level of detail lenders want now is wild—like, yes, I did buy three pizzas last month... does that really matter for a refi?
I totally get the spreadsheet thing—I started tracking my spending in a notebook after my card got frozen for a $4 taco run. It’s wild how much scrutiny there is now, but I guess lenders want to see you’re not living paycheck to paycheck. Still, I doubt anyone’s mortgage got denied over too many pizza nights... but who knows these days? It’s a weird process, for sure.
Still, I doubt anyone’s mortgage got denied over too many pizza nights... but who knows these days? It’s a weird process, for sure.
Honestly, you’d be surprised what underwriters flag now. I’ve seen files get held up over things like regular Venmo payments labeled “food” or “fun”—they want to make sure there aren’t undisclosed debts or recurring obligations hiding in plain sight. It’s not that they care about the occasional taco run, but if your statements show a pattern of overdrafts or cash advances, that can definitely raise eyebrows.
I remember one client who had a bunch of small charges from food delivery apps. Nothing crazy, but it added up and the underwriter actually asked for an explanation. It felt a bit over the top, but with how tight lending standards have gotten lately, they’re just looking for any sign of financial stress.
Tracking spending—even if it feels tedious—can actually help smooth things out when you’re refinancing. Lenders just want to see consistency and that you’re not stretching every dollar. The process is definitely more invasive than it used to be, but it’s not usually the pizza that gets you in trouble... unless you’re ordering it on credit every night.
