The escrow balance for a mortgage refers only to that money set aside to pay for obligations like taxes and insurance that are paid on your behalf by your mortgage servicer. The principal balance refers instead to the amount of the home loan that is still outstanding.
There's no advantage to paying it up front, your just putting extra money into the escrow account for them to hold onto. Even if your account goes negative they will still pay your taxes / insurance. I have always just paid it over 12 months, and I've been in a shortage for the past two years.
Paid off mortgage completely: If you have a remaining balance in your escrow account after you pay off your mortgage, you will be eligible for an escrow refund of the remaining balance. Servicers should return the remaining balance of your escrow account within 20 days after you pay off your mortgage in full.
In financial transactions, the term "in escrow" indicates an item, such as money or property, is being held by a third party until legal conditions have been met to transfer it. This transfer is usually done on behalf of a buyer and seller.
At the end of each year, the servicer reviews your escrow account to make sure there is enough money to cover the next year's expenses. If the balance in the account exceeds what's needed for anticipated expenses, the lender may refund the difference to you.
Who owns the money in an escrow account? The buyer in a transaction owns the money held in escrow. This is because the escrow agent only has the money in trust. The ownership of the money is transferred to the seller once the transaction's obligations are met.
Your lender holds your funds until the bills are due, which means you can't access the money for other uses. You may be missing out on interest or profits from investments on your money while it is sitting in the escrow account.
An escrow shortage happens when there's not enough funds to pay the property taxes and insurance. This usually happens when the cost of these items increase. If a shortage is found, the amount is evenly divided and added to the next 12 mortgage payments.
When you make your total monthly payment, part of it goes toward your mortgage to pay your principal and interest, and another part goes into your escrow account to pay your taxes, homeowners insurance, and other expenses you might have when owning a home, like mortgage insurance and flood insurance.
A minimum balance is equal to the lowest balance you are projected to owe for the next 12-month period, plus two months of escrow payments. Having the two-month cushion in your account allows your account to be able to absorb small, unexpected increases that would ordinarily overdraw your escrow account.
Local tax authorities periodically reassess property values—often every five years—and if your home's assessed value increases, your property taxes will also rise. As a result, your escrow bill could go up to cover the higher taxes.
For a fee, escrow can provide an added layer of security for different parties to transactions that involve large amounts of money. Escrow accounts for mortgages can help protect the borrower and lender from potentially late payments for property taxes and homeowners insurance.
That escrow is used to protect both the buyer and seller. Rather than pay associated taxes and insurance fees on your own, an escrow can help simplify the process—for an added monthly cost, of course. When reassessed on an annual basis, your escrow payments could fluctuate.
Pay off the shortage over the next 12 months.
Bear in mind that even if you pay off your shortage in full, your monthly escrow payment will often increase. That's because your shortage is usually caused by an increase in the amount due for taxes and/or homeowners insurance.
You can try to lower your property tax bill to reduce the escrow payment that typically makes up much of your monthly mortgage payment. Tax assessments are sometimes too high following real estate market corrections or local rezonings, for instance.
If you, as a mortgage holder, have money in an escrow account, you may see an escrow refund after an escrow analysis at the end of the year. It may not happen often, but an escrow refund check comes if there's an excess amount in your escrow account.
Escrow Changes
When your property taxes and/or homeowners insurance increase, so will the amount that's needed in escrow. Local taxing authorities assess property values for tax purposes at different times.
In some cases, if your mortgage contract does not specifically require an escrow account, you may be able to negotiate with the lender for the right to pay your own taxes and insurance. This ability can help you avoid having your money tied up until it is needed.
Two main factors can cause an escrow shortage—and ultimately increase your mortgage payments: Your property taxes increased from the previous year. Your homeowner's insurance premiums rose from the last year.
Cons of escrow
High upfront costs: Many escrow accounts require a minimum balance to cover unexpected expenses. You may have to keep an extra two or three months' worth of property taxes and insurance premiums as a cushion, or "escrow reserve."
If taxes in your area happen to go down or your payments are overestimated, you will have too much money in your escrow account at the end of the year. Your lender will then pay the appropriate amount to the municipality, and the remaining amount goes to you.
No, you cannot take money out of your escrow account. The money held in a mortgage escrow account is held by the lender or loan servicing company on your behalf, to serve a specific purpose, and it is not typically accessible to the homeowner.
The Standard Duration. In most real estate transactions, the standard duration for how long can escrow hold funds is 30 to 60 days. This period allows ample time for both parties to fulfill their obligations, including inspections, appraisals, and financing approvals.
An increase in your escrow payments could be due to tax and insurance rate fluctuations. Other events might increase your payments as well. For example, the value of your home may increase, pushing up your property tax bill. Or, your insurance bill may increase if you remodel and add an extra bedroom to your home.