Any time someone knows your name, banking institution and account number they can create fake checks.  

Has anyone dealt with a low down renovation loan offered by a finicial institution other than fha 203k?

In my distress, I responded to a radio commercial for a Wade Cook Stock Market Institute Trading seminar in 1999 and began my long dive into the world of making money outside of a "job". 

Continuing this pattern of building upon more restrictive zoning, a zoning of MX6 (mixed-use commercial residential) or CC{1-3} (Commercial) does not prohibit residential properties provided the density limits of the zoning are respected.The only place where things vary are in some the institutional and industrial zoning where there may be a prohibition on residential use ... but common sense would likely lead you to the same conclusion.Check with your local planning department to understand how zoning works in your area.

If your lender told you 4 then that is an individual institution overlay.

After I talked to several institutions, and several No's later, I was back to square one.  

@John Morgano In addition the income requirements, excellent (or whatever that is called) 720+ some institutions are going to want 12 months of reserves on mortgages 5-10.  

Needless to say I have never used him again for anything - he is also an agent.I however, went with a different appraiser for everything else I have done and had much much better results and a much better relationship as well as more conversation with the second individual.Bottom line is that, it may pay for you to have a second appraisal done on the property by another person and since the information you get from your request of an appraisal is privy only to you and your financing institution then you would be able to use the second more favorable eval to support your deal.

Our lease covers items like: "In the event Landlord institutes a legal action against the Tenant to enforce the lease or to recover any sums due hereunder, Tenant agrees to pay Landlord reasonable attorney

Two reasons HML types represent themselves as a private lender, marketing as if the relationship is non-institutional by nature, seemingly one to one and the other is to avoid regulations.