I don’t really have any info on lender tightening, maybe a mortgage broker could say. Maybe the realtors would have info on why cancelled escrows. I do know that lenders are scrutinizing appraisals a lot more this year – doing more appraisal reviews. I suppose banks know that with prices trending down, that they’re going to have to look more at the loan collateral, instead of looking mostly at borrower’s credit scores. After all, a lot of people with good credit walked away from their houses in the early to mid 1990’s, after seeing their equity go upside-down.