The closing disclosure is the last document you’ll receive before you close on your home loan. Review this detailed five-pager carefully to make sure all the numbers look correct before closing day.

Key takeaways

  • Closing disclosures are legally required and provide final details of your loan
  • You will have a mandatory three-day period to review the closing disclosure and make any changes
  • Errors can be corrected before closing, but the loan amount and interest rate cannot unless there is a change in circumstances

What is a closing disclosure?

A closing disclosure is a legally-required five-page statement of your final mortgage loan terms and closing costs. It contains details about your loan terms, monthly payments, fees and closing costs.

Your mortgage lender must provide you with the final details of your loan in the closing disclosure at least three business days before closing. That gives you time to compare the final terms and costs with the information you have previously been given on your loan estimate, the three-page document you received when obtaining the mortgage offer.

You should compare the closing disclosure with the loan estimate to see if anything has changed. If anything is unexpected or incorrect, you have time to ask the lender to clarify before the closing.

What is the three-day rule for closing disclosures?

The closing disclosure three-day rule, formally referred to as the “Know Before You Owe” mortgage rule or TRID (the TILA-RESPA Integrated Disclosure rule), went into effect in 2015. This regulation includes a requirement that you receive your closing disclosure three business days before closing. This rule was established to protect borrowers from surprises at closing.

By giving you three business days to review your closing disclosure, you’ll have time to check all the numbers and bring up any questions you might have before sitting down at the closing table. Take advantage of this time to look over all the terms of your mortgage loan, and talk to your lawyer, housing counselor or loan officer if you have any questions.

What is in the closing disclosure?

Loan terms Check the figures and take note of whether the amounts of the following can increase after closing: the loan amount; interest rate; monthly payment including principal and interest; prepayment penalty, if any; and balloon payment, if any.
Projected payments These add up to your monthly mortgage payment and include the principal, interest and private mortgage insurance (if applicable), as well as estimated escrow and estimated taxes, insurance and assessments, both of which can increase over time.
Costs of closing This section shows your upfront costs, sometimes called “settlement costs.” It includes loan costs, lender credits and the amount you’ll be required to pay at closing.
Loan costs This section includes charges such as an application fee, an origination or underwriting fee and any points. It also notes any items that are to be paid by the seller. The loan costs are categorized as “services that the borrower did not shop for” — including the credit report and appraisal — and those that the borrower did shop for, such as the settlement agent fee and title search.
Other costs These include recording fees, transfer tax (if applicable) and insurance premiums due at signing.
Calculating cash to close This table breaks down your costs at closing, including any deposits you’ve already paid, credits and anything that has changed since your loan estimate was provided.
Summaries of transactions This provides a detailed look at your costs, including the home price, closing costs and the seller’s costs.
Loan disclosures Here you’ll see legal language describing important characteristics of your loan, such as assumption, demand feature, negative amortization and escrow.
Loan calculations This disclosure shows the total amount you are agreeing to pay over the life of the loan, including interest charges.
Other disclosures This includes more details such as the appraisal, missed payments and other aspects of your loan.
Contact information This includes details on how to reach all the parties involved in your loan.
Confirm receipt Signing this page at closing indicates that you’ve received it.

Sample closing disclosure

This sample closing disclosure from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is a helpful illustration of what your closing disclosure will look like. There is an interactive checklist on the right side of the document. If you’re not sure what to check, use the prompts for each section of the document to guide you.

How to check your closing disclosure

With your most recent loan estimate handy, go through each line of the closing disclosure and compare the two documents, including:

  1. Review the spelling of your name.
  2. Verify the property address.
  3. Ensure the loan description and amount matches the description and amount on the loan estimate.
  4. Double-check the loan type, interest rate, monthly payment and other terms.
  5. Confirm you understand all of the fees, and check if any new fees have been added.
  6. Look to see if your lender will be using an escrow account, and make sure you understand how it works.

What can and can’t change on the closing disclosure

When checking the closing disclosure, you need to know that some mortgage costs are allowed to change while others cannot. One thing that is certain: Lenders can’t deliberately understate your costs and then raise the prices at closing time.

In general, if any of the following was changed from your loan estimate or looks unfamiliar, contact your lender and ask for an explanation.

  • Loan information – The majority of the time, this section should match your loan estimate. If it doesn’t, ask your lender why.
  • Loan amount – Note that the loan amount can change, for example, if your closing costs were rolled in.
  • Interest rate – If there is a change from the loan estimate and you locked your rate, ask for clarification from your lender.
  • Estimated total monthly payment – This can change; be sure to ask for an explanation from your lender, if so.
  • Closing costs/cash to close – These can also change.
  • Services borrower did not shop for – Ensure there are no new services that were not on your loan estimate.
  • Services borrower did shop for – If there are new services listed here, ask for an explanation from your lender on how these were chosen and why they were included.

Note that some closing costs cannot increase, such as fees paid to the lender or mortgage broker, or fees for required services that you did not shop separately for, or that you paid for from an affiliate of your lender or mortgage broker. Transfer taxes cannot increase, as well.

However, if there is a “change in circumstances” which requires a new loan estimate, these costs can change by any amount. A change in circumstances could be when you decide to get a different type of loan, put down a different amount, your home doesn’t appraise at the expected value, your credit file changes or your income documentation isn’t as expected.

Other closing costs can increase without limit, including prepaid interest, insurance premiums, initial escrow account deposits and fees for some third-party services. These costs are not controlled by your lender.

There is a third category of closing costs that are permitted to increase by up to 10 percent. These include recording fees and some third-party service providers. If there is a change in circumstances, these costs could increase by more than 10 percent.

If you’re concerned about how to afford closing costs, you can try negotiating with your lender or consider a no-closing-cost mortgage.