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Answers · Loan Estimate guide · page 2
What is the aggregate adjustment, and why isn't it on my Loan Estimate?
Updated November 2026 · Every dollar figure is an illustrative example, not a quoteThe aggregate adjustment is a correction, almost always a negative number, that appears at the bottom of Section G on the Closing Disclosure, not the Loan Estimate. It trims your escrow deposit so the account never holds more than the law allows: a cushion of up to two months of escrow payments. The Loan Estimate's Section G shows only the item-by-item deposits, so the deposit you actually pay at closing is often a little lower than the estimate.
Where it is on the form
Not on the Loan Estimate: the rule leaves it off. It appears on the Closing Disclosure, page 2, Section G, as the last line, Aggregate Adjustment, usually with a minus sign. On a loan with escrow waived, Section G is empty on both forms.
The size depends on how far apart the tax and insurance due dates fall and how the monthly collection lines up with them. When the simple per-item arithmetic over-collects, the adjustment claws it back. A positive aggregate adjustment is rare and worth a question.
Why the two methods disagree: The Loan Estimate's Section G lists each item separately with its own number of months, which is simple to read but ignores that the account is one pool. The federal rule (RESPA's escrow rule) requires the servicer to project the whole account month by month for a year and limit the lowest point to the cushion. That 'aggregate' projection nearly always needs less cash than the item-by-item sum, and the difference is this line on the Closing Disclosure.
If the adjustment is a large negative number, your deposit was computed generously above it; if it is zero, the items already lined up. Either way the final deposit on the Closing Disclosure is what you pay, and it should match the servicer's initial escrow account statement, which you receive at or within 45 days after closing.
Can you shop for it?
Nothing to shop. It is pure arithmetic from the escrow rules and your bill dates. What moves it is the closing date and the figures used for taxes and insurance.
Can it change between the Loan Estimate and closing?
No tolerance limit, because it is part of the escrow deposit, which is outside the tolerance rules. It is recalculated on the Closing Disclosure from the real closing date and the real tax and insurance figures.
Questions to ask the lender
- Will I receive the initial escrow account statement at closing, and will it match Section G?
- What cushion are you collecting, in months?
- Why is the aggregate adjustment positive? (If it is.)
Red flags
- A positive aggregate adjustment, which adds to the deposit rather than reducing it.
- A Section G total that still exceeds the bills due in the first year plus a two-month cushion after the adjustment.
- An initial escrow statement that does not match the Closing Disclosure's Section G.
Questions people ask
Why is the aggregate adjustment negative?
Because it is a refund of over-collection. The lines above it add up each item separately; the aggregate projection of the whole account needs less, and the adjustment lowers your deposit to that figure. Negative is normal; positive is unusual.
Is the aggregate adjustment a fee?
No. It is a reduction to your own escrow deposit. It costs you nothing; it saves you the amount shown.
What is the escrow cushion?
The reserve the servicer may keep in the account beyond what the bills need, so a small tax or insurance increase does not leave it short. Federal rules cap it at two months of escrow payments. The aggregate adjustment on the Closing Disclosure is what enforces that cap at closing.
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Check my quoteEvery dollar figure on this page is illustrative. Fee ranges are general observations, not a survey or a quote, and are not a loan offer, approval, commitment to lend, or Loan Estimate. Your actual rates and fees depend on qualification with lenders, your state and county, and your closing date. The tolerance rules described are the federal TRID rules in general terms; the rule itself and your own Loan Estimate and Closing Disclosure decide how it applies to your loan. comparemyloan does not negotiate with lenders, lock rates, or take loan applications.