Can a lender make me provide documents like my W-2 or pay stub in order to give me a Loan Estimate?

To receive a Loan Estimate, you only need to submit six key pieces of information:

• Your name
• Your income
• Your Social Security number (so the lender can check your credit)
• The address of the home you plan to purchase or refinance
• An estimate of the home's value
• The loan amount you want to borrow

Although you're not required to provide documents to get a Loan Estimate, it's a good idea to share what you have with the lender. The more information the lender has, the more accurate your Loan Estimate will be.

Once you receive a Loan Estimate, you need to choose whether you would like to proceed with the loan application. Once you've notified the lender that you would like to proceed with an application, the lender may require you to provide additional information and documents to verify the information you have already submitted. If your verification documents show different information than what you already provided, you may receive a revised Loan Estimate. You can continue to comparison shop throughout this process.

Note: You will not receive a Loan Estimate or Closing Disclosure if you are shopping for:

• A reverse mortgage
• A home equity line of credit (HELOC)
• A manufactured housing or mobile home loan not secured by real estate
• Some loans through homebuyer assistance programs. See Higher-Priced Mortgage Loans.