Questions and Answers
How are monthly mortgage insurance premium payments submitted by lenders and service bureaus?
Payments can be submitted online using the FHA Connection or through CPU to CPU batch file transmissions. For lenders with a portfolio of 3,000 cases or less, the FHA Connection provides a list of billed cases for which payment can be made. A new list of cases is provided on or about the 17th day of each month. Lenders with a portfolio of over 3,000 cases do not get a list of cases for payment on the FHA Connection. High volume lenders can use the CPU to CPU batch file transmission method of payment. Lenders can also manually enter cases for payment on the FHA Connection whether or not a list of cases is provided.
How are monthly mortgage insurance premium payments collected by HUD?
A secure government-wide collection portal managed by the Financial Management Service bureau of the U.S. Department of the Treasury is used by HUD to collect monthly mortgage insurance premium payments. This automated collection service processes a payment electronically (electronic funds transfer or EFT) through the Automated Clearing House (ACH) using a checking account debit. The Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, which maintains the automated collection system, is used for the ACH debit.
How do I get set up to make online monthly premium payments via the FHA Connection?
See Getting Started - Monthly (Periodic) Premium Payments.
How do I get set up for CPU to CPU batch file transmissions?
See Getting Started - Monthly (Periodic) Premium Payments.
How do I report a change in our public Internet Provider (IP) address?
See Reporting a Public Internet Provider (IP) Address Change on the Monthly (Periodic) Mortgage Insurance Premium Batch Payment Processing Instructions for CPU to CPU Transmissions page.
When can payments be made?
FHA Connection online payments can be made on business days between the hours of 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. ET. Batch file payments can be transmitted to HUD, CPU to CPU, at any time. However, they are only processed during business hours. The Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland Holiday Schedule is observed.
What is the received date of a payment?
If the payment was received by HUD on or before 8 p.m. ET, the received date is the same date the payment was sent. If the payment transaction was received after 8 p.m., the received date is the next business day. Note: Late and interest charges are based on this date.
How do I verify and track an online or batch file payment?
When a payment is received by HUD, an email notification is sent to the lender's contacts specified in HUD's Lender Electronic Assessment Portal (LEAP), which is accessed from the FHA Connection's Lender Functions menu. If a transmitted batch file is rejected because of a format or control total issue, the lender's technical contact receives an email notification. See further information on lender contacts.
The Payment History function on the FHA Connection's Monthly Premiums menu provides the status of online and batch file payments. A Microsoft® Excel® spreadsheet file can be downloaded containing the details of an online payment submitted within the current billing period. The Batch File Transmissions function on the FHA Connection's Monthly Premiums menu provides a list of batch files sent within the current billing period, including rejected files and rejection reasons.
Who do I contact if there is a problem transmitting a batch file payment?
Contact the HITS Help Desk.
How am I notified if there is a problem in getting my payment settled?
When HUD receives a payment failure from its automated collection service, an email notification is sent to the lender's contacts specified in HUD's Lender Electronic Assessment Portal (LEAP), which is accessed from the FHA Connection's Lender Functions menu. (See further information on lender contacts.) The Payment History function on the FHA Connection's Monthly Premiums menu displays a payment status of Failed.
I sent a payment using the wrong case numbers. How do I get the money on the correct cases?
Request that the money from the payments on the incorrect case numbers be reallocated to the correct case numbers. Money from one case may be reallocated to one to three other cases. See reallocation questions and answers for further information.
My remittance was for the wrong amount. What do I do now?
If the incorrect amount was an overpayment, the overage amount will be applied to future bill(s); if you prefer, you may request the overage be refunded or reallocated to another case. See refund questions and answers or reallocation questions and answers for further information. If the incorrect amount was an underpayment, you must remit the difference immediately in order to avoid penalties.
I paid to the wrong collection system. How can I get my payment to the correct system?
Payments cannot be transferred from one collection system to another. You must request a refund for the incorrect payment and remit another payment to the correct system. Please see refund questions and answers for further information.
How do I change or delete a transaction that has already been transmitted?
A payment transaction cannot be changed or deleted after it is transmitted. Be extra cautious and double check the entry before transmission. If an overpayment occurred, you may request a refund or reallocation. If an underpayment occurred, pay the difference. If a correction needs to be made, send an email message to LenderAssistance@hud.gov.
How do I change the bank account number (cash flow account) debited for the payment of monthly premium?
Use Cash Flow Account Setup in HUD's Lender Electronic Assessment Portal (LEAP), which is accessed from the FHA Connection's Lender Functions menu.
I initiated a transaction but my account has never been debited. What do I do now?
Use the Payment History function located on the FHA Connection's Monthly Premiums menu to verify that the payment was actually sent or, if it was sent, determine its status. A Microsoft® Excel® spreadsheet file can be downloaded containing the details of an online payment submitted within the current billing period (available only for payments with 10,000 cases or less).
Why isn't my lending institution listed on the FHA Connection for our service bureau when it attempts to process a payment or get payment information?
Your lending institution has not granted the service bureau access rights to the FHA Connection's monthly premium payment functions. For instructions on service bureau authorizations, see the Service Bureau Administration [PDF] module of the FHA Connection Guide.
Why doesn't my lending institution have any cases listed when Update or View Payment is processed on the FHA Connection?
Your lending institution has over 3,000 cases in its portfolio. A list is not provided for high volume lenders. However, you can submit batch files to HUD, CPU to CPU, or manually enter cases using Add Cases to Payment located on the FHA Connection's Monthly Premiums menu.
Can I download a file with the details of the cases that were paid online?
Yes. If the payment contains 10,000 cases or less, a Microsoft® Excel® spreadsheet file can be downloaded containing the details of an online payment. The file is available through Update or View Payment, Submit Payment, and View Payment History on the FHA Connection's Monthly Premiums menu.
Are payments re-presented for payment if there are insufficient funds?
No. The payment is given a status of Failed.
No. However, payment warehousing is planned for the future.
What happens if I make a payment for a case for which HUD has a different servicing lender on record?
HUD changes the servicing lender for the case to your lending institution in its records. This servicer change occurs only for an active or non-endorsed case. The Lender Notification report file notifies the new and prior servicing lenders of the payment. The Advance Notices report file generated at the beginning of the month provides lenders with the cases that were transferred to their portfolios in the prior month. The servicer on record in HUD's SFPCS Periodic system at the time the bill is generated, is billed for the case that month.