Why the mortgage company is holding your check.
The home has a mortgage. The insurance check has two names on it. Here is what that means.
1. Two names on the check
If a home has a mortgage, the insurer often writes the check to both the homeowner and the lender. That is a mortgage-endorsed check. The homeowner cannot cash it alone.
2. The lender takes it from there
Once the check is endorsed, it goes to the mortgage servicer. Not back to the roofer. The servicer decides when it pays out. This is a lender process. It sits apart from the insurance claim.
3. Money often comes in stages
Many servicers release funds in parts. One check after an inspection. Another after the work is done. That can mean two or more inspections before the last piece is released.
4. What slows it down
- Paperwork the servicer asked for that nobody sent back.
- An inspection that was never booked.
- Nobody calling to check the status.
The homeowner often does not know this process exists. The roofer explaining it can be enough to unstick the file.
5. Who we can call
We only contact a mortgage servicer with the homeowner's signed okay. We ask for documents and status. We do not negotiate with the lender or the carrier.
General information, not legal advice. Every servicer runs its own process. Ask yours for its exact steps before you assume a timeline.