. . "0"^^ . "3"^^ . "1"^^ . "2016-03-04T00:00:00"^^ . "Short version: appearance of professionalism and courtesy, actually little knowledge or ability in banking, and little genuine concern for customers.\n\nLong version: Because we bank with Wells Fargo, and everyone seems friendly at this branch, we figured it would be a reasonable place to get a mortgage for our first home purchase. We were pre-approved and everyone seemed very nice and reasonably professional. Then, immediately after we had an offer accepted on our home, they decided that the offer letter from my new job would not work for the sort of mortgage we wanted because of \"federal regulations.\" They tried to steer us toward a higher cost mortgage as the only option. We came up with several alternative options (such as getting a revised offer letter), but Wells Fargo staff kept putting up roadblocks (and embarrassing me with requests of my new employer). When we asked if the bankers at this branch could talk to their supervisor, they told us everyone would give us exactly the same information, and if we went to another bank any other bank would be harder to get approval from than Wells Fargo. \n\nFinally, we asked our real estate agent, she put us in touch with a different bank, and they quickly approved us for the mortgage we wanted with no hassle whatsoever. I talked about the situation with a friend who practices and teaches real estate law, and he said the supposed federal regulations are not at all relevant. We also found out that there was a first time home buyer mortgage assistance program that we were eligible that we had not been told about by Wells Fargo. After we told Wells Fargo we had found a mortgage elsewhere, the banker sent a series of long, stream-of-consciousness e-mails continuing to try to convince us that it was still in our best interest to go with Wells Fargo. Our conclusion is that Wells Fargo puts on a great show of professionalism, acting confidently, as if they know all the ins and outs of their business, but it's just a show. Shop around if you are looking for a mortgage - and if at all possible use a local credit union."^^ . "0"^^ . .