WHEN YOUR LOAN IS SOLD
Updated: May
28, 2018
It has become increasingly unlikely that a borrower will make loan payments
to the same lender during the borrower's loan term. Mortgages (particularly
fixed rate loans) are regularly sold in the secondary market.
When a lender is identified as the "loan servicer" it means that
the lender is sending mortgage statements, collecting the monthly payments,
managing impound accounts and performing other loan management activities. A
lender receives a payment from the secondary market (most notably Fannie Mae or
Freddie Mac) for performing such servicing activities.
"Selling the loan" typically means that the current lender, to
whom you have been making your payments, has sold the servicing rights to the
loan. By selling the loan, lenders acquire funds with which to make additional
loans, thereby keeping the money circulating in the market place. These
transfers, which can occur any time during the life of a loan, have become big
business for lenders.
For the borrower, the sale of their loan merely means that they will make
their payments to another company. It may never happen to your loan or, on the
other hand, your loan might be sold several times during its term. If your loan
is sold, it is important to know that you have specific rights and can expect
certain notices to occur.
When you first acquired your mortgage, the lender was required to provide
you information regarding the likelihood of your loan being sold to another
investor. This "servicing notice" typically uses a percentage figure
to identify the likelihood of a future sale. The guidelines governing loan
sales are federally mandated, including the fact that once your loan is sold,
you must hear from both the lender saying "goodbye" and the one saying
"hello" to your mortgage. If you receive a notice to send payments to
another source without having received a "goodbye" letter from your
current lender, be sure to check that the assignment is legitimate. There have
been bogus mortgage scams perpetrated upon unwitting consumers whose loans had
not actually been sold but who were fooled into making monthly payments to a
blind post office box. Only after receiving a delinquency notice from their
true servicer did some consumers realize they had been deceived.
Be concerned if any of the following notices are not received. At least
fifteen days before the date your next payment is due, the lender selling your
loan must notify you in writing, provide you the name of the new company, its
full address, a phone number (800# preferred), and the name of a contact person
who can answer your questions.
The company purchasing your loan must send you the same information in the
same time frame, complete with the name of a real person (not a voice mail
system) that you can contact should you have questions. If you do not receive
both the goodbye and hello letters, contact your current mortgage servicer for
clarification.
The increased frequency of such transfers has resulted in buyers
experiencing some problems, If trouble occurs, check
first with your original lender who can usually assist you in your contact to
the present lender. Some of the problems that can occur include:
- improper posting of payments, resulting in the unwarranted assessment of a
late fee.
- disputes over changes in the escrow
account/balances.
- Failure of the new servicer to pay taxes or insurance on time.
- delay in sending payment coupon books to the
borrower.
- failure of the new servicer to respond to borrower
inquiries.
- difficulty in reaching the new servicer by
telephone.
The most exasperating problem can occur when the mortgage payment is sent
(on time) to the old loan servicer resulting in a late fee being assessed.
Federal guidelines now prohibit your loan from being termed
"delinquent" for a period of sixty days during the servicing
transfer. If you are inappropriately assessed a late fee, be sure to clarify
the situation immediately and have it waived, in writing.
If you'd like more information, an excellent free booklet is available
entitled "When Your Loan is Transferred to Another Lender". Contact
the Mortgage Bankers Association of America,
1125 Fifteenth Street,
NW., Washington,
DC 20005.
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