The lender changed the terms right before closing
My lender re-traded the deal at the last minute — is that normal?
A term change this late is either a response to new information about the deal or it isn't — that distinction decides whether to push back, accept it, or actually walk.
- The same lender, with the change understood and either accepted or negotiated A term change late in a file is sometimes a legitimate response to something that changed about the deal, not automatically bad faith, and is worth resolving before assuming it needs a new lender entirely.
- Walking straight to a new lender without asking why the terms changed Restarting elsewhere doesn't fix whatever triggered the change if the same fact — an appraisal, a credit pull, a title issue — is still true of the deal.
Lenders in the directory
No lender here publishes a rule for this
This is an underwriting judgment, not a published threshold. None of the 37 lenders in the directory states a policy on it, so there is no honest way to build a shortlist — and a list computed only from which products a lender writes would tell you nothing you could act on.
What matters here is how the file is presented rather than which lender receives it. The sections below cover that. When you are ready to approach lenders, the directory shows what each one does publish, with the date it was verified.
Ask what specifically changed and why
A lower appraisal, a credit re-pull showing a new late payment or higher utilization, a revised DSCR calculation, or pricing that moved between lock and close are all specific, checkable reasons. Get the actual driver in writing rather than a general explanation.
A legitimate re-price versus a late bait-and-switch
A change tied to something that genuinely changed about the deal or the borrower's file is different from a lender simply offering worse terms once the borrower has less leverage to walk away this late. The paper trail on what changed and when is what tells the two apart.
What leverage exists at this point
A rate lock agreement or a written commitment letter may constrain how much a lender can legitimately change without cause. Review whatever was actually signed rather than relying on a verbal quote from earlier in the process.
Deciding whether to accept, negotiate, or switch
Switching lenders this late costs time that may or may not be available before a purchase contract deadline. Weigh that against the actual size of the change and whether the deal still works at the new terms — see switching lenders mid-process for how to do that if it's the right call.
What to have ready
- The original loan estimate or commitment letter to compare against the new terms
- A written explanation of exactly what changed and why
- The purchase contract's closing deadline and any flexibility with the seller
- A quick gut-check on whether the deal still works at the new terms
Questions
Can a lender legally change terms after issuing a commitment letter?
Is a rate lock a guarantee the rate won't change?
How much time does switching lenders at this stage actually cost?
Terms used on this page
- Hard Money Loan — A hard money loan is short-term real estate financing secured by the property and underwritten mainly on its value, typically from a private lender rather than a bank.
- Debt Service Coverage Ratio (DSCR) — DSCR is a property’s gross monthly rent divided by its total monthly mortgage payment. A DSCR of 1.00 means the rent exactly covers the payment; 1.25 means rent exceeds the payment by 25%.