If you intend it to be strictly a rental, you'll need 20 - 25% down.

Since most banks are have very strict lending guidelines, I didn't think it would be the best idea to waste my time finding loan officers at each one to try and find the one that might on the off-chance be able to do what I was looking for; in your experience have traditional loan terms varied widely from one bank to another?

Not strictly.

I have a W-2 job that I keep strictly because I am anticipating another round of conventional funding coming up in two years.

As well as strict documentation and notices.

I think that is probably a question to talk to your lender about... they have strict regulations as to what they will allow.

Being 3 units it is residential in size but the use is strictly commercial being historically just for students at UNH.

Do you think that along with strict minimum requirements can keep me outta trouble?

So, even though they try to use what looks like strict methodologies to calculate the values, there is wiggle room.

On a side note, you can touch borrower's over 65 bank accounts, there are just some strict rules behind it like, if the deposits are SSA/SSI deposits, yeah, can't touch it but absent that, levies/garnishments may be allowed.