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My mortgage servicer refuses to accept my payment. What can I do?

First, be sure you’ve followed your mortgage servicer’s instructions for how to submit your mortgage payment. Next, call or write a letter to your servicer requesting an explanation.

Learn more about how to request information from your servicer. It’s crucial that you find a way to make your mortgage payment by the due date because failing to make your mortgage payment on time could result in additional fees and charges, such as late fees, and could eventually put your home at risk of foreclosure.

What to do if you can’t make your mortgage payment

If your loan is a closed end consumer credit transaction secured by your principal dwelling, servicers are generally not required to accept mortgage payments that don’t equal a “periodic payment,” or the amount that covers the principal, interest, and escrow. If you can’t make a periodic payment, you can call your servicer to explain that you’re trying to make a partial payment on your loan. If you do send a partial payment, your mortgage servicer may be permitted by law to either credit your partial payment to your account, return the payment to you without cashing it, or keep it in a “suspense account” until you’ve paid more money to equal the full periodic payment. You can ask if your servicer will accept a partial payment or work with you to agree on a repayment plan or loan modification.

If you’re making partial payments, it can be confusing to know exactly how much money you owe each month. Be sure to check your most recent mortgage statement or to contact your servicer to determine the amount due and to confirm that your servicer has applied your previous payments to your loan correctly.

If you’re behind on your mortgage payments, your servicer may be required to contact you over the phone or in person, and then in writing, to give you information about whether you might be eligible for a repayment plan, loan modification, or other solution.

Find a Housing Counselor

If you need advice for your situation, you may want to speak with a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)-approved housing counseling agency who can help you understand your options. You can call (888) 995-HOPE (4673) to be connected to a housing counselor. You can also find a housing counselor near you.

Consult an attorney

If you’re at risk of foreclosure or you have been served legal papers, you may also want to consult an attorney. Learn how to find an attorney in your state.

Submit a complaint

Having trouble with a financial product or service? If you've already tried reaching out to the company and still have an issue, you can submit a complaint. Tell us about your issue—we'll forward it to the company and work to get you a response, generally within 15 days.

Start a complaint