If you have a mortgage it’s important to know who actually owns your home loan especially if you ever need mortgage assistance or help avoiding foreclosure. The company you make payments to each month – your mortgage servicer – doesn’t necessarily own your mortgage. Loans are commonly bought and sold.
Luckily, homeowners have the right to find out who their mortgage lender or investor is. Here are the best ways to look up and request mortgage ownership information.
Why Find Out Who Owns Your Mortgage?
There are a few key reasons to identify your mortgage holder:
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To know who to contact if you need mortgage help, modifications, or other assistance. The loan owner makes those decisions.
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To ensure proper crediting of your payments if your loan is transferred. Mistakes can happen during transfers.
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To verify the owner if you receive questionable calls about your mortgage. Scammers often claim to own your loan.
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To send qualified written requests or requests for information to the correct organization.
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To identify the investor for mortgage assistance programs like HARP. Program eligibility can depend on the investor.
So while you make payments to your servicer, the actual owner of your home loan is an important entity to identify.
How to Look Up Who Owns Your Mortgage
There are several ways to find out who owns or holds the mortgage on your home. Here are some easy options:
Check Your Monthly Mortgage Statement
Your monthly mortgage statement from your servicer is required to provide contact information for the owner or master servicer of your loan. Look for details about the “creditor” or “lender” on your statement.
Call Your Mortgage Servicer
You can call the customer service number for your mortgage servicer, which appears on your monthly statement. Inform them you want to know who the owner or investor is for your home loan. By law, they must provide this information.
Check Your Mortgage Servicer’s Website
Many mortgage servicer sites like Mr. Cooper have mortgage lookup tools you can use to identify the owner, investor, or guarantor for your specific loan. Just input a few details like your address.
Use Freddie Mac’s Loan Lookup Tool
For loans owned by Freddie Mac, you can check their online lookup tool. Input your address and the last 4 digits of your Social Security number to see if they own your mortgage.
Use Fannie Mae’s Loan Lookup Tool
For loans owned by Fannie Mae, you can check their online lookup tool. Input your ZIP code, last name, and last 4 digits of your Social Security number to see if they own your mortgage.
Search the MERS Database
MERS (Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems) offers a database to identify the servicer and investor for your mortgage based on your home address and last name.
Send a Written Request to Your Servicer
To get the owner information in writing, mail a formal request to your mortgage servicer asking who the investor is for your specific mortgage. Be sure to include your name, property address, mortgage loan number and Social Security number.
Tips for Identifying Your Mortgage Holder
Follow these tips to successfully look up and verify mortgage ownership information:
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Be sure to have your mortgage loan or account number handy when making requests. This helps pull the right loan details.
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If using an online lookup tool, double check that your personal details like Social Security number were entered correctly.
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Provide your primary property address related to the mortgage loan, not other addresses.
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Request the exact name, address, and contact information for the mortgage owner or investor. Generic answers like “Freddie Mac” may not be sufficient.
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Ask your servicer to provide the information in writing via mail or email if you need it documented.
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If your loan was recently transferred, the new mortgage holder should have sent you a notification letter per RESPA laws.
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Be persistent if your servicer hesitates or is unwilling to provide the investor information. It is your legal right as the borrower.
Submitting Requests in Writing
In some cases you may want to submit formal written requests asking your mortgage servicer to verify and provide documentation on who owns your loan. There are two main types of written requests:
Qualified Written Request (QWR) – A QWR is a specific type of written request that requires mortgage servicers to investigate disputes and correct errors. Use a QWR if you think there are errors or issues with your loan, payments, charges etc.
Request for Information (RFI) – A RFI is a more general written request for info related to your mortgage account like your payment history, credit reporting, escrow accounts, loan terms, ownership, etc.
Either type of request requires your servicer to provide a written response within 30 days and take action to correct any errors or issues discovered through investigation.
Be sure to include your name, property address, loan number, reason for request, and list of information needed in the letter. Send it via certified mail with return receipt to have documentation of receiving your request.
Why It Matters Who Owns Your Mortgage
When it comes to getting mortgage assistance, avoiding foreclosure, or modifying your home loan, the owner of your mortgage has the final say on any options available to you. Here are some examples:
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The investor guidelines determine if you qualify for a loan modification program. Your servicer follows those guidelines.
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The mortgage owner decides to approve or deny a short sale, deed-in-lieu of foreclosure, or other foreclosure alternative.
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For FHA and VA loans, the mortgage holder submits insurance claims and has discretion over some loss mitigation strategies.
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Loan owners like Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have various mortgage relief programs and options your servicer can match you with.
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For HARP refinances, loans must be owned by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac to qualify.
The right to request who owns your mortgage is provided under the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA). So don’t hesitate to look up your investor information if needed!
Bottom Line
As the borrower, it’s important you know who actually owns or holds your mortgage loan since this entity has authority over options to help if you run into financial trouble. While you make payments to your mortgage servicer, they are often not the true loan owner.
Luckily there are easy ways to identify your mortgage holder, from checking your monthly statements to using online lookup tools. Knowing your investor gives you more control and ability to pursue mortgage assistance programs if needed.
So don’t wait until you face a hardship to look up who owns your home loan. Take a few minutes while you’re still current on payments to confirm your investor information. This knowledge can prove invaluable if you ever need mortgage relief options or help avoiding foreclosure.
How do we handle your SSN after you enter it?
- The SSN you enter within this form is only used to answer your specific look-up request. We do not save the number you enter or distribute it to a third party for any other purpose.
- All information you enter in this form is transmitted from your web browser to our site via an encrypted communication channel. Please review our privacy policy for more details.
Why do we ask for your Social Security Number
- Freddie Mac takes protecting your privacy seriously. We ask for your Social Security Number (SSN) to help us confirm that the requested information is being given to the mortgage holder or to someone authorized by the mortgage holder to receive the information.
- We ask for your SSN because it allows us to quickly and accurately determine if your mortgage is held by Freddie Mac and to deliver an answer to you immediately. Providing a SSN increases the speed and accuracy of the look-up response.
- We take measures to protect the SSN that you deliver to us (see below).
How to find out who owns your mortgage, why it matters and other nuggets of important information.
FAQ
Who owns the mortgage on my house?
Can I stop my mortgage from being sold?
Does it matter who owns your mortgage?
How do I find out if Fannie Mae owns my loan?
How do I find out who owns my mortgage?
MERS mortgage lookup. If your loan is in the MERS system, you might be able to determine who owns or backs your loan by calling MERS or running a check on the MERS website. Fannie Mae loan lookup tool. Check the Fannie Mae lookup tool online to find out if Fannie Mae owns your loan. Loans are often sold to this government-sponsored enterprise.
How do I look up my mortgagee?
You can look up your mortgagee in a few different ways. For example, you can call or send a written request to your mortgage servicer or check the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac websites. However, MERS was created as a unified database, so it could potentially be a good place to start your search.
Can you see who owns a mortgage?
MERS is a private database created to facilitate tracking mortgages and any ownership changes. As a homeowner, you can use it to see who your loan holder is in case you want to refinance or modify your mortgage. For lenders, MERS provides the convenience of a singular place. 1. Is MERS the only way to see who owns a mortgage?
Who owns my mortgage?
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.