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Review your mortgage statements, match the servicer’s payment history to your own payment records, and reconcile escrow deposits and payouts against your actual tax and insurance bills. If a discrepancy remains, send a written notice of error or information request to the servicer’s designated address—not automatically to the payment address—and keep a copy of everything you send.
This guide covers general U.S. consumer guidance and federal servicing rules. Their application can depend on the loan, account circumstances, and state law.
Start with the right account records
Collect monthly mortgage statements, payment confirmations or bank records, servicer correspondence, annual escrow statements, property-tax bills, and insurance premium notices. These records let you compare what the servicer says happened with what you paid and what the servicer paid on your behalf.
A monthly statement generally lists the amount due, due date, fees and charges, and payment information. Where applicable, it also shows how the payment is divided among principal, interest, and escrow. It may include the interest rate, servicer contact details, and past-due or late-fee information. The CFPB explains what to look for on a mortgage statement.
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A coupon book may provide less 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.
Check the fees and monthly statement
- Compare the amount due and due date with the amount and date you intended to pay.
- Review each listed fee or charge, including its date, amount, and description. Note any charge you do not recognize or believe is incorrect.
- Check the payment allocation among principal, interest, and escrow when the statement shows it.
- Compare the statement’s late-payment information with your payment confirmation and the servicer’s posting date.
Record the statement period and the specific transaction you are questioning. That will make it easier to ask the servicer about a particular fee rather than requesting a general explanation.
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Reconcile payment history against your own records
Build a chronological list using bank statements, bill-pay confirmations, cancelled checks, or other payment evidence. Compare each payment with the servicer’s transaction history and the statement period.
- Missing: Your bank record shows a payment, but the servicer history does not.
- Duplicated: The history appears to show the same payment more than once.
- Date or amount differs: The servicer’s posting does not match your confirmation.
- Applied differently: The payment appears to have been credited to a different period or account component than expected.
- Late fee disputed: The servicer charged a late fee even though your records indicate you paid on time.
Ask the servicer how it handled any partial payment. Depending on the circumstances and applicable rules, a partial payment may be credited, returned, or held in a suspense account. Improper application of a payment and a late charge on a payment that was not late are examples of servicing problems described by the CFPB’s mortgage-servicing error guidance.
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Audit the escrow account
Use the annual escrow statement as the main record for the account’s past activity and next-year projection. It reports activity for the prior computation year and projects expected activity for the next year. It should show the current payment and escrow portion, amounts collected and disbursed, the ending balance, and how a surplus, shortage, or deficiency is handled. See the CFPB’s explanation of escrow accounts and annual statements.
- Check the beginning and ending escrow balances.
- Match each deposit to the escrow portion of your payments.
- Compare every tax, insurance, or other disbursement—its amount and date—with the actual bill, premium notice, or payment record.
- Review the next-year projection and the statement’s explanation of any surplus, shortage, or deficiency.
An escrow analysis calculates target balances and monthly deposits for the coming year, and determines whether a shortage, surplus, or deficiency exists. The CFPB says the annual statement is generally sent within 30 days after the escrow computation year ends, following an analysis.
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For covered accounts, Regulation X generally limits monthly escrow collections to one-twelfth of reasonably anticipated annual disbursements, plus a cushion no greater than one-sixth of estimated annual disbursements. Whether a particular calculation complies depends on the loan and circumstances. For a specific review, consult the Regulation X escrow-account rule and your loan documents.
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A higher monthly payment is not automatically a servicing error. Property-tax increases or higher insurance premiums can raise escrow deposits and the total payment. Other changes or new fees may also affect the amount.
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Compare the new statement and escrow projection with your tax bills, insurance notices, and the amounts actually disbursed. If a projected bill, payment, or fee does not match your records, ask the servicer to explain the difference. The CFPB’s guidance on mortgage-payment increases describes common reasons for a change.
Send a written request if the discrepancy remains
You can first contact 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 the servicer designates for those notices. The address may appear on your statement, coupon book, or servicer website, and may differ from the address where you send payments.
- Identify yourself and the mortgage account, and name the statement period or transaction at issue.
- Describe the suspected error or the information you need, and state what correction or explanation you are seeking.
- Include copies of the records that support your request, such as payment confirmations, relevant statements, or bills. If the servicer failed to pay property taxes, the CFPB recommends including a copy of the tax bill.
- Keep a complete copy of the letter and attachments, along with proof of delivery.
A servicer generally must acknowledge a written notice of error or information request within five days, excluding weekends and legal public holidays. Response deadlines and requirements vary with the type of request or alleged error. The servicer may not charge a fee or require payment to respond. Read the CFPB guidance on problems with mortgage servicing for the process and exceptions.
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