Federal rules say that your mortgage servicing company (your “servicer”) must give you information you ask for related to your loan. You can ask for useful information about your account or get copies of documents that you may have misplaced.
Information Request letter tips
- See our form letter below.
- Include your name, property address, and mortgage account number. Use the name that is on your mortgage. Also include the name of your spouse or other co-borrower if they are on the mortgage.
- Do not write your letter on your mortgage payment coupon or other payment form.
- Send the letter to the right address. A servicer may use a special address for borrowers sending information requests. Find the address on your monthly mortgage statement or coupon book, or on the servicer’s website. You can also call your servicer and ask them for the right address. Note that the address for information requests may be different from the address to which you send your payments.
- Print and mail your letter by USPS Certified Mail. Keep a copy of the letter, the USPS Certified Mail Receipt, and the receipt of purchase of the certified mail postage from the post office. If the mortgage servicer does not respond to your letter, you may need proof that you mailed it and proof of the cost of mailing to support a claim for actual damages.
- Examples of information requests might include:
- I recently changed insurance companies. Can you confirm that you received an updated homeowner’s insurance policy from XYZ Insurance Company?
- I am doing my taxes and have misplaced the statement showing the total amount of mortgage interest paid during the year as reported to the IRS. Can you send me another copy?
- I have an adjustable-rate loan. Can you tell me when it is scheduled to adjust next?
- A servicer does not have to investigate your request if:
- your request is too broad
- you are sending in the same request again and again, or
- you are asking for help with a loan that was transferred to another servicer or paid off more than a year ago.
What to expect
- The servicer must acknowledge your letter within five business days of getting it.
- Generally, within 30 business days, the servicer must search for the information and either:
- give you the requested information in writing, or
- determine that the information was not available and send you a written notice explaining why they could not respond.
- If your request asks for the identity and address of the investor (owner of the loan), the servicer must give you this information within 10 business days of getting your request.
- In some cases, the servicer may come back to you in writing and ask for more information or an additional 15 business days to investigate and respond to your request.
- Generally, servicers cannot charge you a fee for responding to information requests.
Ask for your “Servicing File”
With your Information Request letter, you can also ask for a copy of your Servicing File. The Servicing File includes the following information about your mortgage account:
- a list of all transactions credited or debited to the mortgage loan account, including any escrow account and any suspense account
- a copy of the security instrument (legal document) that establishes the lien securing the mortgage loan
- any notes created by servicer personnel that show communications with you about your account
- a report of the data fields relating to your mortgage loan account, to the extent applicable, created by the servicer’s electronic servicing systems, and
- copies of any information or documents you gave to the servicer in accordance with notices of error procedures or loss mitigation procedures.
Form letter you can use
Use the following Information Request sample letter if you want to contact your mortgage servicer to ask for information. Add your information to the template letter. Edit it as needed to fit your situation. Don’t forget to delete the instructions in [brackets]!
Date: [Enter today’s date]
To:
[Enter your mortgage service company’s name]
[Enter your mortgage servicer’s address]
From:
[Enter your full name]
[Enter your street address]
[Enter your city, state and ZIP code]
RE: Information Request
Mortgage Loan Number: [Enter your loan number]
I am writing to request the information described below in regard to the mortgage on my property at [Enter your home address].
[Enter a full description of the information you want. Be as specific as possible.]
If you need to contact me to discuss this request, I can be reached at [Enter your best contact information, which may be your home address, work or mobile phone, or email address.]
Sincerely,
[Sign your name]
[Enter your name]
[Enter your co-borrower’s name, if there is one]
Make a complaint to the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau
If you believe your servicer did not follow the rules in responding to your Information Request letter, you can contact the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau (CFPB).
The CFPB enforces federal consumer financial laws and protects consumers in the financial marketplace. The CFPB will work with the company to get a response. Contact the CFBP at 1-855-411-2372 or www.consumerfinance.gov/complaint.
