Mortgage Lender Vs. Servicer: What’s The Distinction?
Most debtors use the time period “mortgage lender” to cowl all events concerned of their dwelling mortgage. Oftentimes, although, the precise lender solely handles the start a part of the mortgage course of. It’s fairly frequent in your lender handy over your mortgage to a mortgage mortgage servicer after closing.
The distinction between mortgage lenders and mortgage servicers
Mortgage lenders are monetary establishments or teams of buyers that present cash debtors use to purchase or refinance houses. A mortgage mortgage servicer, alternatively, takes care of the mortgage’s day-to-day administration till the borrower pays it off.
Some lenders do their very own mortgage servicing, however many aren’t massive sufficient to take care of mortgage servicing profitably. These lenders usually hand that job off to a mortgage servicing firm.
What do mortgage lenders do?
Mortgage lenders deal with the origination and funding of the mortgage. The origination course of contains:
- Serving to debtors select a house mortgage
- Taking the mortgage software
- Processing the mortgage
- Underwriting the mortgage
- Drawing up mortgage paperwork
- Funding the mortgage
- Closing the mortgage
As soon as the mortgage closes, it should require ongoing administration, or servicing, till it’s paid off, so many lenders switch it to a mortgage servicing firm. Your closing paperwork could point out that your mortgage is to be transferred or you could be notified of the switch after closing.
What do mortgage servicers do?
The mortgage mortgage servicer picks up the place the mortgage lender leaves off. As soon as the mortgage is transferred, the servicer takes over the continued administration of the mortgage.
Mortgage servicing can embody:
- Taking and processing funds
- Monitoring your mortgage stability and curiosity paid
- Producing tax kinds displaying how a lot curiosity you paid every year
- Managing escrow accounts (gathering and paying property taxes and householders insurance coverage)
- Initiating foreclosures if the borrower defaults
- Performing loss mitigation to forestall foreclosures, in some instances
- Processing requests to cancel mortgage insurance coverage
Your mortgage mortgage servicer may additionally report your mortgage fee historical past to the credit score bureaus. If you happen to suspect an error, contact your mortgage servicer, not your mortgage lender, to get it corrected.
The right way to discover your mortgage servicer
Your mortgage servicer could change greater than as soon as through the lifetime of your mortgage. You need to have the ability to discover your present servicer in your mortgage assertion, both mailed to you or on-line.
You may also contact your mortgage lender and ask the place your mortgage was transferred. Another choice is the Mortgage Digital Registration System, or MERS. In case your mortgage is registered with MERS, you’ll have the ability to discover it by looking your property deal with or title and Social Safety quantity. You possibly can name toll-free at 888-679-6377 or go to the MERS web site.
What occurs when my mortgage strikes to a brand new servicer?
Transferring the mortgage to a mortgage servicer doesn’t change the phrases of your mortgage — you’re merely sending your fee to a distinct recipient, and also you may get a brand new account quantity.
When your lender transfers your mortgage to a mortgage mortgage servicer and you weren’t notified at closing, you’ll obtain two letters: a “goodbye” letter out of your mortgage lender and a “whats up” letter from the mortgage servicing firm.
Most often, your mortgage lender should ship the letter a minimum of 15 days earlier than the efficient date of the switch. The efficient date is when the primary mortgage fee is due on the new servicer’s deal with. The brand new servicer should ship their letter inside 15 days following the efficient date of the switch.
Often, you’ll get one letter from each the brand new and outdated firm. If that’s the case, you have to get it a minimum of 15 days earlier than the switch takes place.
Each notices will comprise:
- The title and deal with of the brand new servicer
- The date the mortgage lender will cease accepting your mortgage funds
- The date the brand new servicer will start accepting your mortgage funds
- Phone numbers for the outdated lender and new servicer
- A press release that the switch doesn’t change the phrases of your mortgage
- A press release explaining your rights, and what to do if in case you have a query or grievance concerning the servicing of your mortgage
Needless to say for 60 days after the switch, you can’t be charged a late charge when you mistakenly ship your mortgage fee to the lender as an alternative of the servicer.
Can you alter your mortgage servicer?
Ideally, a superb servicer retains correct information, is straightforward to contact and has useful employees for issues like canceling mortgage insurance coverage, avoiding foreclosures and answering questions. Sadly, you don’t get any say within the firm that companies your mortgage.
You probably have points together with your present mortgage servicer, you’ll be able to file a grievance with the Shopper Monetary Safety Bureau (CFPB).
If you wish to keep away from mortgage servicing corporations, you’ll be able to select to deal solely with lenders that service their very own loans. By regulation, lenders should present a Mortgage Servicing Disclosure Assertion whenever you apply, which tells you whether or not they intend to service the mortgage or switch it to a different lender. That disclosure additionally contains details about grievance decision.
