What to Do About a Mortgage Servicer Error

If you spot a mortgage servicer error, raise it in writing. Name the exact issue. Say why you think it is wrong. Send your letter to the servicer’s designated address. This creates a clear record of your concern.

This article is for education about federal servicing rules. It is not proof of eligibility, a legal claim, or an approval outcome.

Start with one clear account issue

Focus on one issue at a time. A servicer may apply a payment the wrong way. It may charge an improper fee. It may fail to pay taxes or insurance charges on time. The amount needed to pay off the loan may also be wrong.

Write down what the account record shows. Then write what you think should be different. Include the date of the payment, fee, charge, or payoff quote. State the facts that led to your question.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, or CFPB, says your written request should explain what you seek. It should also explain why you think the account is in error.

If your concern involves a payoff amount, review this guide on getting a Florida mortgage payoff statement. Then state why you think the full payoff amount is not right.

Pick the type of written notice

A Notice of Error tells the servicer about a suspected account error. A Request for Information asks the servicer for details. A Qualified Written Request, or QWR, is a written letter you, or someone acting for you, can send to the servicer.

The CFPB describes all three as written ways to raise a concern or seek details. Your letter should clearly state the issue or the details you want.

Written option	CFPB-described use
Notice of Error	Tell the servicer about a suspected account error.
Request for Information	Ask the servicer for account details.
QWR	Send a written letter about sought details or a suspected error.

Send it to the right address

Check the servicer’s instructions for error notices and info requests. That address may differ from the address used for payments. Do not assume the payment address is the right one.

If the servicer set an address for these notices, you must use it. The CFPB’s page on Qualified Written Requests also stresses use of the correct address.

Questions to answer in your letter

• What payment, fee, tax, insurance, or payoff issue concerns you?
• What date or account entry does the issue involve?
• Why do you think the account record is wrong?
• What account details do you want the servicer to provide?
• Did you use the designated address for this notice?

Track the response dates

The CFPB says a servicer generally has five days to acknowledge a written notice. That count excludes weekends and holidays. A QWR has a similar general receipt rule. The servicer generally must confirm receipt within five business days.

For a QWR, the CFPB says the servicer generally must answer within 30 business days. These are general federal time frames. They do not decide whether an account error occurred.

A separate rule can apply to a full payoff amount. You may say the servicer failed to give the right full payoff amount. In that case, the servicer must respond within seven days after getting your written notice. Weekends and legal public holidays do not count in that period.

These rules have limits and exceptions. The CFPB notes exceptions for small servicers and partial payments. It also notes exceptions for payoff requests, some error types, and extensions.

A servicer cannot charge a fee for its response. It also cannot require a payment for its response. These points apply when you write about an error or ask for info. See the CFPB overview of federal mortgage servicer rules for the stated rules and limits.

Check the reply against your letter

When the servicer replies, compare the reply with your letter. Check if it answers the exact point you raised. Look at the payment entry, fee, tax, insurance charge, or payoff amount you questioned.

The reply may leave one point open. If so, name that open point in a follow-up written question. Keep the question narrow and clear.

Ask yourself one simple question. Did the reply explain the account entry you questioned? Or did it leave a specific issue unanswered?

Practical next steps

• Name the exact account issue you want addressed.
• Write why you think the record is wrong.
• State the account details you want, if any.
• Use the servicer’s designated notice address, if provided.
• Note when the servicer gets your letter.
• Compare its reply with the question you sent.