We hear this complaint in the months following a purchase in situations where the homeowner has to pay property taxes through the mortgage lender. The lender takes an amount for the mortgage and also an amount for property taxes from the borrower's bank account on the agreed payment schedule. The reason it’s more than you would expect is that all lenders like to seed the tax account so that there is always extra in there no matter when the city comes along and collects it. Generally by the second year things get sorted out and the amounts being withdrawn each payment adds up to the actual annual property taxes.