What is a HUD-1 Form?
The HUD-1 Settlement Statement, colloquially known as a closing sheet, is a form that lists all the closing costs involved in real estate sale transactions. Buyers and sellers typically use the HUD-1 to finalize reverse mortgage and mortgage refinance transactions. A Closing Disclosure form is used for all other types of transactions pertaining to real estate transfer.
How is the HUD-1 Form Used?
The HUD-1 form depicts the closing transactions and offers both the seller and the buyer a comprehensive list of inbound and outbound cash flows. The HUD-1 is also used as the generic settlement document in reverse mortgage and mortgage refinance settlements as mandated by the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA). Settlement agents also use the HUD-1 form to settle mortgage transactions in which the mortgage was applied for before Oct. 3, 2015. The Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act entails settlement agents to provide borrowers with a copy of the HUD-1 preceding the final settlement. However, the parties are free to modify data until the time the settlement process initiates. Usually real estate agents, attorneys or settlement agents are present during settlement in order to review the forms and detect errors. The HUD-1 form was conspicuous by its use of the term borrowers for property buyers even when no loan is associated with the purchase.
HUD-1 Itemized Costs
The reverse side of the HUD-1 consists of two columns. The left-hand column is an itemized list of borrowers charges: miscellaneous mortgage fees such as loan origination fees, discount points, credit reports, and appraisal and flood certification fees. The column also includes prepaid interest cost, homeowner’s insurance fees, property taxes, owner and lender’s title insurance, and the closing agent’s fees. The right-hand column, on the other hand, is an itemized list of the seller’s charges, including real estate commission, credit due to the buyer and mortgage pay-off data. The borrowers charges are usually higher than the sellers charges. The front side of the HUD-1 form includes the sum of all charges hitherto mentioned on the reverse side of the form. At the bottom of this side are included the total amount due from the borrower as well as the amount payable to the seller.
Closing Disclosure
The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 makes it mandatory for mortgagees to provide mortgagors with a closing disclosure for all types of mortgages. However, reverse mortgages and mortgage refinances are left out of the purview of the act. The TILA-RESPA Integrated Disclosure rule makes it obligatory for lenders to provide borrowers with the disclosure three days before closing the mortgage. Such disclosures typically contain information regarding the final cost of the mortgage, and closing costs. The three-day prerequisite grants the borrowers enough time to clear any issues that they might have, before the mortgage is closed.
