Some time ago we went to Bank of the West  to refinance our existing mortgage; it took them 3 months to tell us they couldn't do it. We paid $350 for the appraisal and we were told at the beginning that if not approved we would get a refund, NOT TRUE.

Then we complained to the head office and you can see the answer: letter dated April 1, 2008 - Loan application April 26, 2008???? They couldn't even send us a letter without making a mistake.

By the way, with another bank we were able to refinance in 2 weeks and the appraisal fee was only $200.

Bank of the West, never again!!!