Last reviewed: 30 September 2026
Home › Mortgage help › Services you can shop for
Services you can shop for on your Loan Estimate
The short answer: if your lender lets you choose the provider for a required service, such as a title company, it must say so on your Loan Estimate and give you a separate written list of providers that also says you may choose a different one.[1] What this term means: a “settlement service” is a service connected to closing a home loan, such as title work, a survey, or an appraisal.
Which box a fee lands in on the form, “Services You Cannot Shop For” or “Services You Can Shop For,” depends on what the lender lets you do. It also affects how much that fee is allowed to grow before closing.
What the lender has to do
A lender “permits” you to shop for a settlement service if it lets you select the provider, subject to reasonable requirements.[1] If it does, three things follow:
- The Loan Estimate must identify the services you are permitted to shop for.[1] On the form they appear under the subheading “Services You Can Shop For.”[2]
- The lender must give you a written list of available providers of each such service, stating that you may choose a different provider. It must name at least one available provider for each service.[1]
- The list must be given separately from the Loan Estimate but in accordance with the same timing rules that apply to the Loan Estimate.[1]
The paragraph is 12 CFR § 1026.19(e)(1)(vi)(C).[1] The CFPB’s official interpretation adds that the list must give enough information for you to contact each provider, such as the business name, address and phone number, and that a list of providers that are out of business or do not serve your area does not count.[1] It also notes that the regulation includes a model form for the list, and that a lender may add a statement that being on the list is not an endorsement.[1]
If the lender makes you use its list
The official interpretation is explicit: a lender that requires you to choose a provider from its own list is not permitting you to shop. In that case the written-list requirements do not apply.[1] Those services are then shown as “Services You Cannot Shop For.”[2] A lender may still set reasonable requirements for a provider you pick, for example that a settlement agent be licensed in the relevant jurisdiction.[1]
How your choice affects how much a fee can grow
The regulation treats each situation differently when it asks whether the final charge is within what the Loan Estimate allowed.[1] In plain terms, the CFPB summarizes it this way.[3]
| What happened | Where it appears on the Loan Estimate | How much the charge can grow |
|---|---|---|
| You could not shop: the lender chose the provider | Services You Cannot Shop For | Generally not at all, unless a changed circumstance allows a revised estimate[1, 3] |
| You could shop and picked a provider from the lender’s list (not affiliated with the lender) | Services You Can Shop For | These fees count toward a group, together with recording fees, that can grow by no more than 10 percent in total[1] |
| You could shop and picked a provider that is not on the list | Services You Can Shop For | No fixed cap (where the lender gave you the required written list; if it did not, the 10 percent group applies instead), though the lender’s estimate must have been consistent with the best information reasonably available when it was issued[1] |
| The provider on the list is an affiliate of the lender | Services You Can Shop For | Generally not at all, because the 10 percent group excludes charges paid to the lender or its affiliate[1, 3] |
“Changed circumstance” has a defined meaning in the regulation and lets the lender issue a revised Loan Estimate.[1] For the full treatment, and the refund a lender owes when a fee grows too much, see tolerance categories and cure requirement under the TILA-RESPA Integrated Disclosure (TRID) rule.
Where it shows up again at closing
The Closing Disclosure uses different labels. A service whose provider you chose from the lender’s written list is listed under “Services Borrower Did Not Shop For.” One you chose from outside the list is under “Services Borrower Did Shop For.” Each entry names who receives the payment.[4] Compare both against both Loan Estimate boxes. The CFPB advises checking that the prices under “Services Borrower Did Shop For” match what you agreed to pay and asking the lender to explain any charge or company you do not recognize.[5] Title-insurance items on the Loan Estimate begin with the label “Title —.”[2]
Steps to take
- Look at page 2 of your Loan Estimate for the “Services You Can Shop For” box, and check that you also received the separate written list.[6]
- You can choose a provider on the list or look for others; the CFPB suggests checking with your lender about any provider not on the list.[6] Doing so early helps, since the CFPB notes you can save money by shopping for these services separately.[6]
- Title insurance is one place to compare: the CFPB says you can usually shop for your title insurance provider separately from your mortgage.[7]
- Ask the lender which box any provider you choose falls in and whether that changes how much the fee can grow.
- If the lender includes affiliates on the list, see our guide to affiliated business arrangement disclosure rule under the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA).[1]
This page covers the United States federal rule for most closed-end mortgages. Canada uses different disclosure rules; for the Canadian framework start with Canada’s Cost of Borrowing (Banks) Regulations, explained.
When we update this page
We revise this page, and log the change, when any of the following happens:
- 12 CFR § 1026.19(e)(1)(vi) or § 1026.37(f) is amended.
- The CFPB updates its Loan Estimate explainer or its guidance on shopping for settlement services.
- A reader reports an error we confirm.
If something here looks wrong, report an error; we review reports within 5 business days.