If you have a mortgage loan, it can sometimes be confusing to figure out exactly who owns the rights to that loan. Many borrowers make their monthly mortgage payments to a loan servicer, but that company often does not actually own the mortgage. Mortgage loans are frequently bought and sold between banks, investors, and government agencies. So how can you find out who really owns your mortgage if you want to get information about your loan or need to request assistance? There are several methods borrowers can use to look up their mortgage loan owner.
Why Find Out Who Owns Your Mortgage?
There are a few key reasons you may want to look up who owns your mortgage loan:
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To identify the correct company to contact if you need to request mortgage assistance like a forbearance or loan modification The loan owner makes decisions about providing mortgage relief options
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To notify the loan owner of errors on your account or communicate about other issues like payment disputes
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To identify the institution to contact about refinancing your mortgage loan. The current owner would handle refinancing.
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To verify your mortgage details if you are concerned about fraud or scams Contacting the actual loan owner can help you confirm legitimate communications,
Knowing your mortgage loan owner is important for ensuring you can directly engage with the company that controls your loan for questions, changes, or help.
Ways to Look Up Who Owns Your Mortgage
There are several different methods you can use to find out who owns your mortgage loan:
Check Your Monthly Mortgage Statement
Your monthly mortgage statement or coupon booklet should list the name and contact information of the mortgage servicer. This is the company you make payments to each month. Your servicer’s website or customer service phone number can provide information about who owns the underlying mortgage loan associated with your servicer account.
Contact Your Mortgage Servicer
Get in touch with your mortgage servicer directly via phone, mail, or their website. By law, your servicer must provide you with the name, address, and contact information of the mortgage owner upon written request.
Use Fannie Mae’s Loan Lookup Tool
Many mortgages are owned or backed by government agencies like Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac. Fannie Mae offers an online lookup tool that allows you to input your name, property address, and last 4 digits of your Social Security number to see if they own your loan.
Search the MERS System
MERS (Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems) offers a database to look up who holds the mortgage lien on a property. This can help you identify the current mortgage owner.
Review Your Closing Documents
Check the original mortgage documents you received at your home closing. Organizations like Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac often provide loan numbers or other identifiers you can use to check if they own your mortgage.
Send a Written Request to Your Servicer
Submit a formal written request to your mortgage servicer asking them to provide the contact information of your mortgage loan owner. This triggers a legal requirement for them to tell you who owns the loan.
Check Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac Websites
In addition to their lookup tools, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac allow you to call them directly to inquire if they own your mortgage. Their contact centers can search by your name, property address, or loan number.
Search Public Mortgage Records
County property records that are publicly available may contain information about the institution that holds your mortgage lien. This can provide clues on where to inquiry about your loan owner.
Tips for Getting Accurate Mortgage Owner Information
When trying to identify your mortgage loan owner, keep these tips in mind:
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Have your mortgage statement handy so you have all the account details.
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Double check that you are entering your identifying information accurately in any online lookup tools. Small errors can prevent matches.
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Be prepared to provide personal details like your Social Security number to verify your identity when calling mortgage servicers or agencies.
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If using public records, make sure to search current documents. Old liens or assignments may not reflect the updated loan owner.
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Confirm with both Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac independently, since they have separate systems.
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Follow up in writing with the servicer to ensure you get an official, documented response about loan ownership.
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Ask for and retain any documentation the servicer provides about who owns the mortgage so you have it for future reference.
The Difference Between Servicers and Owners
It’s important to understand the difference between your mortgage servicer and your mortgage owner, and why it matters:
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Mortgage Servicers: The company you make monthly payments to. They manage the account and provide statements, but do not own the loan.
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Mortgage Owners: The institution or investor that actually owns the mortgage loan. They purchased the loan from your original lender.
The owner is the ultimate decision maker on your mortgage – they decide on providing assistance, approving refinancing, addressing disputes, etc. Contacting them is key for questions and changes to your loan. The servicer only handles administrative tasks like collecting payments.
How Mortgage Transfers Happen
Mortgages often get bought and sold in the secondary mortgage market after closing:
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Local banks may sell loans to free up capital for new mortgages.
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Loans may be bundled and sold as investments to Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, or private investors.
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Servicing rights get sold between companies as portfolios change hands.
So while you applied with one lender, the loan likely transferred between multiple institutions since then. Tracking down the current owner ensures you know who has authority over your mortgage.
Getting Help from Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac
If your mortgage is owned by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, you may be eligible for special assistance programs provided by these agencies during financial hardship:
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Forbearance – Temporarily reduced or suspended payments for up to 12 months
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Loan modifications – Permanent changes to loan terms like extending length or lowering interest rate
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Disaster relief – Special options like suspended payments after natural disasters
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RefiNow – Streamlined refinancing for existing Fannie/Freddie loans
Contacting Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac to check if they own your loan can open up access to these helpful programs. Their lookup tools allow you to quickly check your eligibility.
Protecting Yourself from Mortgage Scams
Unfortunately, mortgage and foreclosure scams are common. Knowing your true mortgage loan owner helps you avoid falling victim to predatory schemes.
Be wary of unsolicited offers from companies asking you to pay upfront fees in exchange for fraudulent mortgage relief services. Legitimate assistance never requires upfront fees.
Also be suspicious of anyone asking you to transfer ownership of your property to avoid foreclosure. This is almost always a scam that results in the loss of your home.
Verifying real loan details with the actual owner protects against providing sensitive information or money to scammers falsely claiming to be your lender.
The Bottom Line
Tracking down the current owner of your mortgage loan is an important but often confusing process. Thankfully, borrowers have multiple options to identify who really owns their mortgage. This information makes it easier to get accurate details about your loan, request assistance when needed, and avoid falling victim to scams. Being a savvy homeowner means knowing who controls your mortgage.
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
How do I determine who owns my mortgage?
Who really owns my mortgage?
Who owns the mortgage on a house?
Is my mortgage owned by Fannie or Freddie?
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.
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.
Who owns a home loan?
A: Homeowners may think they know who owns their home loan, but finding out is a little more complicated than simply naming your loan servicer. The owner of the loan is most often the “investor” — the entity who put up the actual funds to make your mortgage happen.
How do I find out if Freddie Mac owns my mortgage?
To use Fannie Mae’s Loan Lookup Tool, you’ll need to enter your name, street address and the last four digits of your Social Security number. Once you do, Fannie Mae will tell you if it owns your mortgage. Freddie Mac’s Loan Look-Up Tool works in the same way. Take the first step toward buying a house.