Funding a Loan for a Mortgage

In a mortgage transaction, the term "funding" refers to the process of wiring or releasing money from a mortgage lender to title or escrow prior to closing a real estate transaction. Funding often occurs a day or two before closing, and you can't close until it happens.

Learn more about how the funding process works.

A Final Check

The process of funding a loan varies from state to state, but typically it doesn't take place until all of the loan documents have been signed, and all of the funding conditions have been satisfied. A homebuyer often signs loan documents a few days before the actual closing, but this practice can vary by state. In some regions, the closing can sometimes take place the same day a buyer signs the loan documents.

Expect the lender to do one final check of your credit and employment status at the very end of the process, before any money changes hands. A buyer might think that their loan is a sure thing, so they might run out and buy a house full of furniture—on credit—in the days before the funding. That can be a disastrous move for someone who has a borderline credit score to start.

Loan Conditions 

The loan documents might not be drawn up in the first place if loan conditions aren't satisfied. This is referred to as "prior to doc" when conditions must be met before documents are drawn. Many lenders require that the loan conditions be completed just prior to funding.

Loan conditions might call for an appraisal review or something much simpler, such as receipt of all of the pages of a bank account statement—even the blank pages. A loan for a new home might require all of the appliances to be installed and in working order prior to closing. An FHA loan could require that someone physically pick up and dispose of paint chips found lying around the perimeter of the house. There are any number of possible loan conditions that could be included.

What It Takes to Fund a Loan

A closing disclosure is sent to the buyer a few days prior to signing the loan documents. The buyer is then permitted to sign the mortgage documents. If some of the paperwork seems identical to other documents you've already signed, it is, but it's the final, official statement of your loan terms. Everything must be signed if you want to fund your loan.

Loan documents also require notarization, which means producing two acceptable forms of identification and placing your signature on certain documents in the presence of a notary public. Many title and escrow company employees are notaries. You can also sign with a mobile notary in the privacy of your home or at your place of business.

The loan documents are returned to the lender for review after all of the parties have completed signing the escrow paperwork. Underwriting is likely to require that all loan conditions be completed by that time as well.

Wet Closings vs. Dry Closings

The lender prepares to fund the loan after reviewing the executed loan documents. Funding generally involves wiring the loan monies to the title or escrow company. The exact timing depends on whether it's a "wet closing" or a "dry closing."

Regardless of whether you're the buyer or the seller, you'll want a wet closing, which means that the lender wires the funds immediately on the day of closing. The money is present and accounted for at that time, typically in the title company's bank account.

If you sign everything and then have to wait for the lender to review all of the documents one more time, that's a dry closing. That can occur when a lender has not worked with a particular title company before, so the lender doesn't have the comfort level necessary to trust the title company with a final review of the paperwork. Some states only allow dry or wet funding.

Refinancing and the Right of Rescission

The process of refinancing is almost always a dry closing, because, as the borrower, you typically have a right to rescind or cancel the transaction for 72 hours after closing. You can waive your right to rescission at closing by signing the required document, but your lender still might not release the funds until the rescission period has passed.

The Last Steps 

The file is in a position to be recorded when the closing agent receives the wire. In some counties and states, there might be only one time available to record. The transaction won't actually close until the following day if the fund wire is received too late in the day to make the sole recording time.

Receipt of the loan funds is crucial to closing the sale of your home and avoiding any delays. You can expedite your home closing by asking in advance when the title or loan closer expects to receive the loan funds and whether a same-day closing is possible.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)