Annoyed

We're in the process of refinancing our house. I'm glad that we are, don't get me wrong, but I'm starting to see what others have complained about as far as the harp refinancing process goes.

I applied at the end of April and received the application the following week. I completed the paperwork and collected their list of documents and returned everything.

This past weekend, I received an envelope from US Bank with a new good faith estimate. It, of course, was more - to the tune of $1056 more. They said instead of a two month deposit towards escrow, I have to deposit five months worth.

Now, today, I received an email from the underwriter saying that I need to send my last two years tax returns. My problems with this are multiple.

One, why was this not included on my initial checklist of required documents? We could have returned them at the same time as everything else. Two, US Bank had us sign authorization forms for them to pull our tax transcripts. The information should be exactly the same on the transcript as on the tax return because, you know, the transcript is created based on the return. Three, they want a signed and dated copy of the return. Who do you know that files tax returns by paper? What is the purpose of a signed and dated return?

And finally, why am I jumping through so many hoops to refinance with my current lender? They know I've paid my mortgage for the past five years; every month, on time, in full. Does it matter what my tax return looks like? Has my financial position impacted my ability to pay my mortgage in this time of financial instability? As all of my neighbors have walked away from their homes, leaving mine completely worthless, have I even been late on a payment? It's not like I'm refinancing to a shorter term loan or that my payments are going up. I meet the requirements for refinancing under HARP, so what is the deal???

If I didn't think it's be a bigger hassle to find another lender, I'd scrap this refi and go elsewhere. I thought this would be the path of least resistance.