To check your mortgage account, compare your monthly statements and servicer transaction history with your bank’s payment records, then reconcile the annual escrow statement against your actual tax and insurance bills. If a discrepancy remains, contact the servicer and send a written notice of error or information request to its designated address—not automatically the address where you mail payments.
This is a practical review process for U.S. mortgage borrowers. Federal servicing rules and remedies can depend on your loan, account circumstances, borrower status, and state law.
Start with the monthly mortgage statement
Gather monthly statements, payment confirmations, and correspondence from the servicer. A periodic statement generally identifies the amount due, due date, interest rate, fees and charges, servicer contact details, and—where applicable—how the payment is divided among principal, interest, and escrow. It may also show past-due amounts and late-fee information when delinquency provisions apply. See the CFPB’s explanation of mortgage periodic statements.
- Compare the amount due and due date with the payment you intended to make.
- Review the payment allocation and any late-payment information shown.
- Record each unclear fee’s transaction date, amount, and description so you can ask about a specific charge.
A coupon book may provide less account detail than a periodic statement. If it does not show payment history or explain a charge, ask the servicer for the relevant account history or an explanation.
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Reconcile the payment history
Compare the servicer’s transaction history with your bank, bill-pay, or cancelled-check records in chronological order. Match each payment’s date and amount to the posted transaction and statement period. The CFPB lists improper payment application and a late charge assessed when a payment was not late among possible servicing problems.
- Mark payments that appear missing, duplicated, posted late, or applied differently than expected.
- Keep supporting evidence such as confirmation numbers, bank records, cancelled checks, or servicer notices.
- If you made a partial payment, ask how it was handled. Depending on the circumstances, a servicer may credit it, return it, or hold it in a suspense account.
Audit the escrow account against actual bills
Use the annual escrow statement as the main document for checking escrow activity. It reports the previous computation year and projects the next one. Review the starting and ending balances, deposits, and each tax, insurance, or other disbursement. Compare the dates and amounts with your tax bills, insurance premium notices, and records showing payments.
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The statement should explain how the servicer is handling any surplus, shortage, or deficiency. The CFPB says the annual statement is generally sent within 30 days after the escrow computation year ends, following an escrow analysis. Its Regulation X escrow guidance describes the analysis and annual statement requirements.
Understand why the monthly payment changed
A higher monthly payment is not automatically a servicing error. If property taxes or insurance premiums rise, the servicer may need to collect more into escrow; other changes or new fees may also affect the total. Compare the new statement and escrow projection with the underlying bills, and ask the servicer to explain any mismatch. The CFPB explains common reasons a mortgage payment can change.
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Check the escrow calculation carefully
For covered accounts, Regulation X generally limits monthly escrow collection to one-twelfth of reasonably anticipated annual disbursements, plus a cushion no greater than one-sixth of estimated annual disbursements. The precise application depends on the loan and circumstances; consult the regulation and your loan documents when reviewing a specific calculation.
Ask the servicer to explain or correct a discrepancy
Start by contacting the servicer using the details on your statement. If the issue is unresolved, send a written notice of error or information request to the special address listed on the statement, coupon book, or servicer website. That address may differ from the payment address, so verify the correct destination before mailing.
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- Identify your account and the statement period involved.
- Describe the suspected error or the information you need, and say what correction or response you are seeking.
- Include copies of the most relevant supporting records, such as payment confirmations or bills; keep a complete copy of the letter and attachments.
- Use the servicer’s designated address for notices of error or information requests, not an assumed payment address.
The servicer may not charge a fee or require payment to respond. It generally must acknowledge a written notice or request within five days, excluding weekends and legal public holidays, although requirements and response periods vary with the type of request or error. See the CFPB’s guidance on suspected mortgage-servicing mistakes.
If the servicer failed to pay a tax bill
If escrow was supposed to cover a property-tax payment that the servicer missed, include a copy of the tax bill with your notice of error. The CFPB’s guidance on unpaid property taxes also explains options for raising the problem.
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If the problem remains serious or urgent
You can submit a complaint to the CFPB. If foreclosure is imminent or you have received legal papers, consider contacting an attorney or housing counselor promptly; deadlines and available remedies may depend on your circumstances.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Keep a simple audit trail
A single chronological record can make it easier to explain a problem clearly. For each item, note the transaction date and amount, how a payment was allocated or a fee described, the date and amount of any escrow deposit or disbursement, and how the servicer’s projection compares with actual tax and insurance bills. Retain statements, source bills, payment evidence, and all correspondence together.
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