My spouse and I recently tried to secure a refinance from Amerifund in New York City. They told us that there would be no lock-in fee and claimed that we needed to give them a 1% "deposit, " to get the process started. We asked several times to make sure in writing that this was not an additional fee, but were reassured that it was a 'deposit.' Well, it turns out, it IS an additional fee and now we are trying to get it back. It is much more difficult to get money back even if companies have lied to you about what they are doing. Trust me - stay away from Amerifund and beware of all refinance/mortgage lenders. Do not pay any upfront "deposits." Deposits are not even legal it turns out - but "fees" are.