servicerguide

An independent homeowner guide

Your mortgage servicer messed up. Here's the playbook.

Servicers run on escrow math, transfer paperwork, and rules nobody explains to you. These guides translate the fight into plain English — one real question per page, answered straight, with the steps that actually get servicers to fix things.

The one thing to know first

The short answer: you have more rights against your mortgage servicer than any representative will volunteer. Federal rules cover escrow math, shortage repayment, transfer grace periods, error investigations, and payoff statements. Most borrowers never use these rights because nobody tells them they exist — this site exists to change that.

The servicer didn't lend you the money — they just collect it. That means their mistakes are their mistakes, and there's a formal process for making them fix each one: the written notice of error, the CFPB complaint, and the paper trail behind both. Everything on this site is built around that idea.

Start with your situation

Payment spikes & escrow

My mortgage payment went up $300. What do I do?

Don't panic — it's almost always escrow. Read the notice, check their math, know your options.

What is an escrow shortage? Do I have to pay it all at once?

No. A shortage is a recalculation, and you have the right to spread it over at least 12 months.

Can I spread my escrow shortage over 24 months instead of 12?

Twelve is your right; 24 is askable. How to request it and when it makes sense.

What happens if I ignore the escrow shortage letter?

The servicer picks for you. Why doing nothing is the worst of all options.

Force-placed insurance

My servicer charged me for force-placed insurance. How do I fight it?

Expensive lender-protection coverage billed to you. The written proof that kills the charge.

Payments gone wrong

My servicer put my payment in a “suspense account.” Is that legal?

Yes — with limits. When suspense is fine, when it's a problem, and how to get your money applied.

My loan got sold and the new servicer lost my payment. Now what?

The 60-day grace period, your proof-of-payment kit, and how to make the lost payment found.

PMI & payoff

How do I get rid of PMI on my mortgage?

The 80% and 78% rules, the appreciation shortcut, and the servicer runaround to watch for.

How do I get a payoff statement from my mortgage servicer?

What it contains, how to request it, and the timing traps that cost people money at closing.

Fighting back

How do I file a CFPB complaint against my mortgage company?

Free, fast, and servicers take it seriously — plus the notice of error that forces an investigation.

How this site works

Every guide answers one real question — the kind homeowners actually type into a search box at midnight — in plain English, with the answer first and the depth after. No legalese, no sales pitch, no servicer talking points.

On the borrower's side of the table This site stands with homeowners. The fight against a servicer is a paperwork fight — and paperwork fights are winnable when you know the rules, the deadlines, and the words that trigger the servicer's legal obligations. That's what these playbooks give you.
Informational only — not legal or financial advice.

Mortgage rules vary by loan type, servicer, and state. Check your own loan documents and official federal resources, or talk to a licensed professional, before acting.