Let me begin by saying I think that uniform Good Faith Estimates are a huge step in the right direction. However, I’m quickly reviewing the newly revised Good Faith Estimate and HUD-1 Settlement Statement (beginning on page 46; link below) to see if any changes were made since they were unveiled. The two biggest issues that I see are:
- No clearly marked monthly mortgage payment.
- No funds due for closing.
HUD boasts that consumers will save an average of $700 by using these new forms, yet consumers won’t have the tools to compare without these two factors. It seems like HUD was so focused on YSP (which seems less clear to me on the new form) and controlling closing costs, they skipped a few important details.
Am I missing something right under my nose? Click here to read the final rule. I’ll go through this again and perhaps dig into the entire document over the weekend…I’m just wondering if any of you have more insight into this.