Escrow is money, property or a written document delivered or held by a third party pending the fulfillment of an agreement. Banks and lenders use escrow accounts to make sure borrowers have homeowners insurance and the means to pay for it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Your bank or lender creates the escrow account at the time that you sign your mortgage agreement and manages the account thereafter. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
You pay a lump sum each month to the escrow account and your mortgage lender puts the money toward your mortgage payment and pays your insurance premiums directly to your insurer. The components of this payment are mortgage principal, interest, property taxes and insurance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The data to determine your total payment usually comes from the tax authority in your state, your homeowners insurance company and the bank itself through the mortgage it provides. This way, the banks and lenders know the premium is paid and that the home is insured. Since rates change, at the end of the year, if you paid too much toward any amount owed, your bank or lender will refund your money.*<\/p>\n\n\n\n