Source: http://ecfr.io/Title-12/se12.8.1024_117
Timestamp: 2019-04-25 07:45:07+00:00

Document:
(a) General. This section sets out the requirements for an escrow account that a lender establishes in connection with a federally related mortgage loan. It sets limits for escrow accounts using calculations based on monthly payments and disbursements within a calendar year. If an escrow account involves biweekly or any other payment period, the requirements in this section shall be modified accordingly. A Public Guidance Document entitled “Biweekly Payments—Example” provides examples of biweekly accounting and a Public Guidance Document entitled “Annual Escrow Account Disclosure Statement—Example” provides examples of a 3-year accounting cycle that may be used in accordance with paragraph (c)(9) of this section. A Public Guidance Document entitled “Consumer Disclosure for Voluntary Escrow Account Payments” provides a model disclosure format that originators and servicers are encouraged, but not required, to provide to consumers when the originator or servicer anticipates a substantial increase in disbursements from the escrow account after the first year of the loan. The disclosures in that model format may be combined with or included in the Initial Escrow Account Statement required in §1024.17(g).
Annual escrow account statement means a statement containing all of the information set forth in §1024.17(i). As noted in §1024.17(i), a servicer shall submit an annual escrow account statement to the borrower within 30 calendar days of the end of the escrow account computation year, after conducting an escrow account analysis.
Cushion or reserve (hereafter cushion) means funds that a servicer may require a borrower to pay into an escrow account to cover unanticipated disbursements or disbursements made before the borrower's payments are available in the account, as limited by §1024.17(c).
Deficiency is the amount of a negative balance in an escrow account. As noted in §1024.17(f), if a servicer advances funds for a borrower, then the servicer must perform an escrow account analysis before seeking repayment of the deficiency.
Escrow account computation year is a 12-month period that a servicer establishes for the escrow account beginning with the borrower's initial payment date. The term includes each 12-month period thereafter, unless a servicer chooses to issue a short year statement under the conditions stated in §1024.17(i)(4).
Initial escrow account statement means the first disclosure statement that the servicer delivers to the borrower concerning the borrower's escrow account. The initial escrow account statement shall meet the requirements of §1024.17(g) and be in substantially the format set forth in §1024.17(h).
Pre-accrual is a practice some servicers use to require borrowers to deposit funds, needed for disbursement and maintenance of a cushion, in the escrow account some period before the disbursement date. Pre-accrual is subject to the limitations of §1024.17(c).
(i) Charges at settlement or upon creation of an escrow account. At the time a servicer creates an escrow account for a borrower, the servicer may charge the borrower an amount sufficient to pay the charges respecting the mortgaged property, such as taxes and insurance, which are attributable to the period from the date such payment(s) were last paid until the initial payment date. The “amount sufficient to pay” is computed so that the lowest month end target balance projected for the escrow account computation year is zero (-0-) (see Step 2 in appendix E to this part). In addition, the servicer may charge the borrower a cushion that shall be no greater than one-sixth ( 1⁄6 ) of the estimated total annual payments from the escrow account.
(ii) Charges during the life of the escrow account. Throughout the life of an escrow account, the servicer may charge the borrower a monthly sum equal to one-twelfth ( 1⁄12 ) of the total annual escrow payments which the servicer reasonably anticipates paying from the account. In addition, the servicer may add an amount to maintain a cushion no greater than one-sixth ( 1⁄6 ) of the estimated total annual payments from the account. However, if a servicer determines through an escrow account analysis that there is a shortage or deficiency, the servicer may require the borrower to pay additional deposits to make up the shortage or eliminate the deficiency, subject to the limitations set forth in §1024.17(f).
(5) Cushion. The cushion must be no greater than one-sixth ( 1⁄6 ) of the estimated total annual disbursements from the escrow account.
(9) Assessments for periods longer than one year. Some escrow account items may be billed for periods longer than one year. For example, servicers may need to collect flood insurance or water purification escrow funds for payment every three years. In such cases, the servicer shall estimate the borrower's payments for a full cycle of disbursements. For a flood insurance premium payable every 3 years, the servicer shall collect the payments reflecting 36 equal monthly amounts. For two out of the three years, however, the account balance may not reach its low monthly balance because the low point will be on a three-year cycle, as compared to an annual one. The annual escrow account statement shall explain this situation (see example in the Public Guidance Document entitled “Annual Escrow Account Disclosure Statement—Example”, available in accordance with §1024.3).
(d) Methods of escrow account analysis. (1) The following sets forth the steps servicers must use to determine whether their use of aggregate analysis conforms with the limitations in §1024.17(c)(1). The steps set forth in this section result in maximum limits. Servicers may use accounting procedures that result in lower target balances. In particular, servicers may use a cushion less than the permissible cushion or no cushion at all. This section does not require the use of a cushion.
(e) Transfer of servicing. (1) If the new servicer changes either the monthly payment amount or the accounting method used by the transferor (old) servicer, then the new servicer shall provide the borrower with an initial escrow account statement within 60 days of the date of servicing transfer.
(2) The new servicer shall treat shortages, surpluses and deficiencies in the transferred escrow account according to the procedures set forth in §1024.17(f).
(f) Shortages, surpluses, and deficiencies requirements—(1) Escrow account analysis. For each escrow account, the servicer shall conduct an escrow account analysis to determine whether a surplus, shortage or deficiency exists.
(i) As noted in §1024.17(c)(2) and (3), the servicer shall conduct an escrow account analysis upon establishing an escrow account and at completion of the escrow account computation year.
(2) Surpluses. (i) If an escrow account analysis discloses a surplus, the servicer shall, within 30 days from the date of the analysis, refund the surplus to the borrower if the surplus is greater than or equal to 50 dollars ($50). If the surplus is less than 50 dollars ($50), the servicer may refund such amount to the borrower, or credit such amount against the next year's escrow payments.
(g) Initial escrow account statement—(1) Submission at settlement, or within 45 calendar days of settlement. As noted in §1024.17(c)(2), the servicer shall conduct an escrow account analysis before establishing an escrow account to determine the amount the borrower shall deposit into the escrow account, subject to the limitations of §1024.17(c)(1)(i). After conducting the escrow account analysis for each escrow account, the servicer shall submit an initial escrow account statement to the borrower at settlement or within 45 calendar days of settlement for escrow accounts that are established as a condition of the loan.
(ii) Pursuant to §1024.17(h)(2), the servicer may incorporate the initial escrow account statement into the HUD-1 or HUD-1A settlement statement. If the servicer does not incorporate the initial escrow account statement into the HUD-1 or HUD-1A settlement statement, then the servicer shall submit the initial escrow account statement to the borrower as a separate document.
(h) Format for initial escrow account statement. (1) The format and a completed example for an initial escrow account statement are set out in Public Guidance Documents entitled “Initial Escrow Account Disclosure Statement—Format” and “Initial Escrow Account Disclosure Statement—Example,” available in accordance with the direction in the definition of Public Guidance Documents in §1024.2.
(2) Incorporation of initial escrow account statement into HUD-1 or HUD-1A settlement statement. Pursuant to §1024.9(a)(11), a servicer may add the initial escrow account statement to the HUD-1 or HUD-1A settlement statement. The servicer may include the initial escrow account statement in the basic text or may attach the initial escrow account statement as an additional page to the HUD-1 or HUD-1A settlement statement.
(viii) If applicable, the reason(s) why the estimated low monthly balance was not reached, as indicated by noting differences between the most recent account history and last year's projection. Public Guidance Documents entitled “Annual Escrow Account Disclosure Statement—Format” and “Annual Escrow Account Disclosure Statement—Example” set forth an acceptable format and methodology for conveying this information.
(2) No annual statements in the case of default, foreclosure, or bankruptcy. This paragraph (i)(2) contains an exemption from the provisions of §1024.17(i)(1). If at the time the servicer conducts the escrow account analysis the borrower is more than 30 days overdue, then the servicer is exempt from the requirements of submitting an annual escrow account statement to the borrower under §1024.17(i). This exemption also applies in situations where the servicer has brought an action for foreclosure under the underlying federally related mortgage loan, or where the borrower is in bankruptcy proceedings. If the servicer does not issue an annual statement pursuant to this exemption and the loan subsequently is reinstated or otherwise becomes current, the servicer shall provide a history of the account since the last annual statement (which may be longer than 1 year) within 90 days of the date the account became current.
(j) Formats for annual escrow account statement. The formats and completed examples for annual escrow account statements using single-item analysis (pre-rule accounts) and aggregate analysis are set out in Public Guidance Documents entitled “Annual Escrow Account Disclosure Statement—Format” and “Annual Escrow Account Disclosure Statement—Example”.
(k) Timely payments. (1) If the terms of any federally related mortgage loan require the borrower to make payments to an escrow account, the servicer must pay the disbursements in a timely manner, that is, on or before the deadline to avoid a penalty, as long as the borrower's payment is not more than 30 days overdue.
(5) Timely payment of hazard insurance—(i) In general. Except as provided in paragraph (k)(5)(iii) of this section, with respect to a borrower whose mortgage payment is more than 30 days overdue, but who has established an escrow account for the payment for hazard insurance, as defined in §1024.31, a servicer may not purchase force-placed insurance, as that term is defined in §1024.37(a), unless a servicer is unable to disburse funds from the borrower's escrow account to ensure that the borrower's hazard insurance premium charges are paid in a timely manner.
(ii) Inability to disburse funds—(A) When inability exists. A servicer is considered unable to disburse funds from a borrower's escrow account to ensure that the borrower's hazard insurance premiums are paid in a timely manner only if the servicer has a reasonable basis to believe either that the borrower's hazard insurance has been canceled (or was not renewed) for reasons other than nonpayment of premium charges or that the borrower's property is vacant.
(iii) Small servicers. Notwithstanding paragraphs (k)(5)(i) and (k)(5)(ii)(B) of this section and subject to the requirements in §1024.37, a servicer that qualifies as a small servicer pursuant to 12 CFR 1026.41(e)(4) may purchase force-placed insurance and charge the cost of that insurance to the borrower if the cost to the borrower of the force-placed insurance is less than the amount the small servicer would need to disburse from the borrower's escrow account to ensure that the borrower's hazard insurance premium charges were paid in a timely manner.
(l) Discretionary payments. Any borrower's discretionary payment (such as credit life or disability insurance) made as part of a monthly mortgage payment is to be noted on the initial and annual statements. If a discretionary payment is established or terminated during the escrow account computation year, this change should be noted on the next annual statement. A discretionary payment is not part of the escrow account unless the payment is required by the lender, in accordance with the definition of “settlement service” in §1024.2, or the servicer chooses to place the discretionary payment in the escrow account. If a servicer has not established an escrow account for a federally related mortgage loan and only receives payments for discretionary items, this section is not applicable.

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