Procrastinate: to defer action; delay: to wait until an opportunity is lost. Well, that pretty much sums it up. What does the underwriter do? They are responsible for determining if the risk of offering a mortgage loan to a particular borrower under certain parameters acceptable. It is always up to the underwriter to make the final decision on whether to approve or decline a loan. Seems like an important job, right? So why do they not bother to look at a file until the day before closing to make the decision to approve or decline?