It has been my experience that using a broker as opposed to a bank employee for this can minimize this sort of thing. However, that means using a really good one.
This is because they only work for the buyer and only get paid by them upon a successful close. This adds incentive to either go to bat with the bank rep or to double down on a second loan. Either way, a good loan broker is a huge asset in a transaction.
The plus side with bank employees is that they sometimes have a better grasp on the idiosyncrasies of their loan products than a broker would have.
I cannot speak to your experience with Navy fed. Recently I closed one with them, and they were competent but it was clear that the individuals I dealt with were not broadly experienced or accustomed to dealing with curve balls. Unfortunately, there were many curve balls.
A good loan broker is a huge asset. A good bank employee has good skills and deep knowledge about the products they peddle. A poor broker is cheesy used loan salesman. A poor bank employee was a teller a month ago and doesn’t care about your loan closing because it has minimal impact on his regular salary.
I have only had one loan officer (broker or bank employee) who has given me zero drama ever. Dave Espinosa ([email protected]). No he is not paying me. No I am not dating him. I just really like his service. He is blunt and honest and says things like “I can’t quote you a rate without more information.” Being honest makes him more effective at his job but less effective at getting dumb or uninformed clients.
