In the modern economy, you may actually lose money by socking it away into a bank savings account.
Planning and monitoring your cash flow and keeping a current balance sheet will help you make sure you have the capital you need (including cash and credit) to run your business when you need it most.
If your tax refund is a meaningful amount of money, you should think carefully about how you want to use it.
It seems as though you can get a mortgage almost anywhere - you are not limited to traditional financial institutions. There are, however, distinct advantages for those who take the time to sniff out a full service bank instead of the "best price" on a mortgage rate.
