Recently, I applied for a new, lower-rate mortgage. My credit rating is perfect and is quoted as 801 (average) by the three financial rating companies. I am a fiscal conservative and my record shows it. I have owned homes since 1977 and have never been late with a mortgage payment, let alone missed one. I have a guaranteed monthly income plus an investment portfolio. In March I applied for a new mortgage to drop my interest rate from 4.8 to 3.8. The contractor who had rebuilt my home to new standards in 2006 unofficially appraised my home for $385K as...