A third party authorization form for a mortgage is a written permission slip that lets your loan servicer share account details with someone you name, such as a housing counselor, attorney, or family member. Without it, the servicer will not discuss your balance, payment history, interest rate, or loss mitigation options with anyone who isn’t a borrower on the loan. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau publishes a model version that many servicers accept, and most servicers also offer their own template through their website or customer service line.
What the Form Lets Your Representative Do
Once the authorization is on file, the person you name can receive account information, ask about payoff amounts, and discuss workout options like loan modifications or short sales on your behalf.1Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Allowing a Third Party to Work with Your Mortgage Company You can also let them negotiate directly with the servicer.
There is a firm ceiling on this authority. Your representative cannot sign loan documents, agree to new contract terms, or change ownership of the property. Those actions require a formal power of attorney, which is a separate legal instrument.2American Bar Association. Power of Attorney
The CFPB model form is split into two pages. Page one collects the third party’s identity and professional details, including firm name, mailing address, email, state license number if applicable, and tax identification number; the third party signs certifying compliance with applicable laws. Page two is where you, the borrower, authorize the servicer and the third party to exchange both public and nonpublic financial information: mortgage payment history, loan terms, Social Security number, credit score, income, and debts. Unless you cancel earlier or write in a different date, the CFPB model authorization expires one year from the day you sign.3Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Model Third Party Authorization Form Send the signed form to your servicer within 90 days of signing, or it may be treated as stale.
What to Gather Before You Fill It Out
Pull your most recent mortgage statement first. You’ll need the loan account number, the exact spelling of every borrower’s name as it appears on the loan, and the property address. Getting any of these wrong is the most common reason servicers reject or delay the form. Check name spellings against the statement, not from memory, especially where a legal name change or hyphenation is involved.
You also need full contact details for the person or organization you’re authorizing. On the CFPB model form, that means:
- Full legal name of the individual who will communicate with the servicer.
- Organization or firm name, if the representative works for a law firm, housing counseling agency, or similar entity.
- Mailing and office address, which the servicer uses to verify identity and send written correspondence.
- Phone number and email for day-to-day communication.
- State license number, required for attorneys or other licensed professionals in some states.
Servicers are allowed to use reasonable procedures to confirm that someone claiming to be your agent actually has your permission, and requesting the authorization form itself is one of those procedures.4Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Requests for Information
Filling Out and Submitting the Form
Download the form from your servicer’s website or call customer service to request one. If your servicer doesn’t have its own version, the CFPB model form is widely accepted. Complete the account and representative details, then choose an expiration date. You can set a specific calendar date or, under the CFPB model, rely on the default one-year expiration.
Signature rules vary. Some servicers require signatures from all borrowers and co-borrowers on the account; others accept a form signed by any single borrower or co-borrower.5PNC Bank. Third Party Authorization Form Read the instructions on your form carefully. The CFPB model form does not require notarization, and most servicers don’t either. Where notarization is required, state-set maximum fees for notarial acts range from as low as $2 to $25 or more, depending on the state and whether you use a remote online notary.6National Notary Association. 2026 Notary Fees By State
Most servicers accept the form through a secure upload portal, a dedicated fax line, or certified mail. HUD’s mortgage servicing portal also lets borrowers and authorized third parties create accounts and submit documents online.7U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Secretary-held Mortgage Servicing Contractors Keep a confirmation page, fax receipt, or certified mail return receipt. If a dispute later comes up about whether or when you submitted the form, that proof matters.
When Your Representative Can Start Acting
Most servicers process a third-party authorization within three to five business days after receiving it. During that window, the compliance team reviews the form for accuracy and updates the account. You can usually confirm the update through your online account or by calling customer service, and some servicers mail a confirmation letter to both you and the authorized representative.
Once the authorization is active, written information requests from your representative trigger the same federal timelines under Regulation X that would apply to you. The servicer must acknowledge a written request within five business days. Requests about who owns the loan get a response within 10 business days. Other information requests must be answered within 30 business days, with a possible 15-day extension if the servicer notifies you in writing before the initial period expires.4Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Requests for Information
Canceling or Changing the Authorization
You can cancel at any time by sending a written revocation to your servicer. Under the CFPB model form, the authorization also ends automatically if you submit a new one naming a different third party.3Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Model Third Party Authorization Form Some servicer-specific forms let any borrower or co-borrower on the loan revoke individually, even if only one borrower originally signed. If your situation changes or you lose trust in your representative, don’t wait for the expiration date. Send a written cancellation and keep a copy.
If You Inherited the Home or Received It Through Divorce
If you’re trying to deal with a mortgage on property you inherited or received in a divorce, a standard third-party authorization form isn’t your only option, and it may not be the right one. Federal rules create a separate path called successor in interest status, which can give you full borrower-level access to the account. It covers transfers like:
- Inheriting through a will, intestate succession, or joint tenancy.
- A transfer to a relative after the borrower’s death.
- A spouse or children becoming owners.
- A transfer to a spouse through a divorce decree or separation agreement.
- A transfer into a living trust where the borrower remains a beneficiary.
These categories come directly from federal law, which also blocks the lender from calling the loan due simply because of one of these transfers.8Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 12 U.S. Code 1701j-3 – Preemption of Due-on-Sale Prohibitions To become a confirmed successor in interest, you give the servicer documentation appropriate to your situation and state law, such as a death certificate, an executed will, a court order, an affidavit of heirship, or a final divorce decree with a property settlement agreement.9Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Comment for 1024.38 – General Servicing Policies, Procedures, and Requirements Once confirmed, the servicer must treat you as a borrower under Regulation X, giving you the same loss mitigation protections, information rights, and error resolution procedures as the original borrower, and cannot require you to formally assume the loan under state law before extending those protections.10Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Comment for 1024.30 – Scope
Watch Out for Mortgage Assistance Scams
Signing a third-party authorization opens your financial life to another person, so knowing who you’re dealing with matters. Under the federal Mortgage Assistance Relief Services (MARS) rule, any company offering mortgage assistance relief services is prohibited from collecting a fee until the servicer has actually provided a written offer of relief and you’ve accepted it.11Federal Register. Mortgage Assistance Relief Services If someone asks you to pay upfront, that’s a violation of federal law.
Legitimate providers must give you specific disclosures before you sign anything: the total cost of their services, a statement that you can stop using them at any time, a warning that they are not affiliated with the government or your lender, and a notice that your lender may not agree to change your loan terms. A provider that tells you to stop making mortgage payments must warn you that doing so could cost you your home or damage your credit.12Federal Trade Commission. Mortgage Assistance Relief Services Rule: A Compliance Guide for Business
HUD-approved housing counseling agencies offer mortgage help at little or no cost. You can find one through the CFPB at consumerfinance.gov/mortgagehelp or by calling 1-855-411-CFPB (2372). If someone is asking you to sign a third-party authorization and pay a fee for help you can get free through a HUD-approved counselor, walk away.