How can I tell who owns my mortgage? | Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (2024)

You can look up who owns your mortgage online, call, or send a written request to your servicer asking who owns your mortgage. The servicer has an obligation to provide you, to the best of its knowledge, the name, address, and telephone number of who owns your loan.

It’s not always easy to tell who owns your mortgage. Many mortgage loans are sold and the servicer you pay every month may not own your mortgage. Whenever the owner of your loan transfers the mortgage to a new owner, the new owner is required to send you a notice.

If you don’t know who owns your mortgage, there are different ways to find out.

Call your mortgage servicer

You can find the number for your mortgage servicer on your monthly mortgage statement or coupon book.

Look it up online

There are some online tools you can use to look up who owns your mortgage.

You can look up your mortgage servicer by searching the Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems (MERS) website.

Send a written request

Another option is to send a written request to your mortgage servicer. Your servicer is obligated to provide you, to the best of their knowledge, with the name, address, and telephone number of the owner of your loan. You can send a Qualified Written Request or a Request for Information.

Here is a sample letter to help you write your mortgage servicer to request information.

How can I tell who owns my mortgage? | Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (2024)

FAQs

How can I tell who owns my mortgage? | Consumer Financial Protection Bureau? ›

Under most circ*mstances, borrowers have a relationship with the mortgage servicer -- the institution that collects the monthly payments -- who may or may not be the owner of the loan. The simplest step to take to determine who owns your mortgage loan is to contact your loan servicer.

How do you find out who owns your loan? ›

Under most circ*mstances, borrowers have a relationship with the mortgage servicer -- the institution that collects the monthly payments -- who may or may not be the owner of the loan. The simplest step to take to determine who owns your mortgage loan is to contact your loan servicer.

How do I look up a MERS number? ›

To do this, log onto this page on the MERS site. You can search with your 18-digit Mortgage Identification Number (which you can find on your loan statements or online loan portal), property address and borrower details or FHA/VA/MI certificate number.

How do I know if my loan officer is legit? ›

If you suspect a scam, one of the easiest ways to validate the lender is by verifying credentials and regulatory compliance. Legitimate lenders must be registered with consumer protection agencies such as the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and hold various licenses to operate.

Who has access to my mortgage information? ›

Most of the sharing of your information will be because of third parties that are needed to help close the loan. The lender has to share your personal information with the three credit bureaus to get your credit report, for instance.

Who owns the mortgage on my house? ›

The bank or mortgage company owns an interest in the property and the mortgage note itself — but the lender does not own your house. Your home is considered collateral for the mortgage loan. As long as you pay your home loan in accordance with the terms, you are the legal owner of the property.

Who is the owner of collateral on a loan? ›

Collateral is important for banks to reduce their risk. If the business is not able to pay back the loan, a bank may decide to take ownership of the collateral that has been pledged to them in the documents you sign when you got the loan.

Does MERS own my mortgage? ›

By tracking loan transfers electronically, MERS eliminates the long-standing practice that the lender must record an assignment with the county recorder every time the loan is sold from one bank to another. While MERS can act as mortgagee in county land records, it doesn't actually own the mortgage loan.

How do I know if Fannie Mae owns my mortgage? ›

Visit our Loan Lookup Tool to learn whether Fannie Mae owns the mortgage on your home. Homeowners with a Fannie Mae-owned mortgage can seek help for their COVID-19 related financial hardship.

Can MERS discharge a mortgage? ›

When MERS is the mortgagee of record, a discharge is executed by an officer of MERS. MERS may also act as nominee for the lender and servicer and, if named as nominee, MERS remains as nominee regardless of how often the mortgage is sold.

How do I verify a private lender? ›

How to Check If a Loan Company Is Legitimate
  1. Check for an online presence. Before you do business with an online lender, do an internet search for the company name. ...
  2. Look for signs of phishing. ...
  3. Research the business location. ...
  4. Check with the Better Business Bureau. ...
  5. Do a gut check. ...
  6. Check with regulators.
Jan 10, 2024

How do I know if a loan company is scamming me online? ›

5 ways to spot personal loan scams
  • The lender asks for fees upfront. ...
  • The lender guarantees you're approved before you apply. ...
  • The lender promises to clear your debt. ...
  • The lender isn't registered in your state. ...
  • The lender calls you with an offer.

How do I know if a mortgage broker is legit? ›

Finding a legitimate loan company to work with starts with doing your research. For example, you can check the lender's credentials, their reputation with the Better Business Bureau, and consumer reviews. You can also speak to a HUD-certified loan counselor if you have doubts about a particular lender.

How do I know if my mortgage is federally backed? ›

Your mortgage servicer (the company you send your payments to each month) can tell you if your loan is federally backed.

Can mortgage companies see your bank accounts? ›

Yes. Most mortgage lenders will require borrowers to submit bank statements when submitting a home loan application. In addition to your overall account balances, bank statements provide an overview of your monthly transactions, whether it's income, debt payments or other types of expenses.

Can banks see your other bank accounts? ›

In the US, while they cannot always see your individual transactions in accounts held at a different bank, they generally can see that you have an account there.

How do you check if someone has taken a loan in your name? ›

Get a Credit Report and then directly contact the creditor/lender to find out who took a loan in your name and for what it was for. Your identity may have been stolen and used to open a credit account in your name.

How can I see all loans in my name? ›

You can do so by checking your credit report. The credit report is a summary of your credit history, and it is mapped to your PAN card. The report summarizes your credit score and also allows you to check all your loans. Read More About : How to Check CIBIL Score Online Without PAN Card?

What is a loan owner notification? ›

Loan Ownership Transfer Notices

If your current lender transfers ownership of your loan to a new owner, the new owner must send you a notice no later than 30 days after the date of the transfer. The notice must include, among other things, the name, address, and telephone number of the new loan owner.

Can loan companies see your bank account? ›

In order for a lender to qualify you for a loan, they need to review all of your assets including your checking and savings accounts. They are not only looking at the balance but the transaction history.

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