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Answers · Loan Estimate guide · page 2
What is Section B on a Loan Estimate?
Updated November 2026 · Every dollar figure is an illustrative example, not a quoteSection B, Services You Cannot Shop For, lists the outside services the lender requires and chooses itself: the appraisal, the credit report, the flood determination, tax monitoring and sometimes title work. The lender picks the providers, so the fees get zero tolerance, which means none of them can be higher at closing than on your Loan Estimate.
Where it is on the form
Page 2, under Loan Costs, directly below Section A. The model form lists Appraisal Fee, Credit Report Fee, Flood Determination Fee, Flood Monitoring Fee, Tax Monitoring Fee and Tax Status Research Fee; a lender that does not let you shop for title services lists those here as well, and so is any upfront mortgage insurance premium or government funding fee charged at closing.
The appraisal is most of it. Add a credit report, flood and tax service lines and a typical total lands in the high hundreds. If the lender has placed lender's title insurance and the settlement fee here instead of in Section C, the total is much larger and depends on your state.
The lines in B. Services You Cannot Shop For
| Line on the form | Paid to | Illustrative range |
|---|---|---|
| Appraisal Fee | The appraiser, usually through an appraisal management company the lender uses | Often $400–$900 for a single-family home; more for large, rural or high-value properties |
| Credit Report Fee | The credit reporting company the lender uses | Often $30–$150 for one or two borrowers |
| Flood Determination Fee | A flood determination company the lender uses | Usually $10–$30; a life-of-loan monitoring fee is often a similar amount |
| Tax Monitoring Fee / Tax Status Research Fee | A tax service company the lender uses | Often $50–$100 for the life of the loan |
Watch which section a title line is in. The model form shows lender's title insurance, the settlement fee and the title search in Section C, where you may shop. A lender that chooses not to let you shop lists them in B instead. The fees then have zero tolerance, which is better protection, but you also cannot bring a cheaper title company. Neither placement is wrong; it is the lender's choice and it tells you something about how the lender works.
Section B is mostly the same whoever lends. The appraiser's fee, the credit vendor's fee and the flood lookup land close together across lenders. That is why the honest comparison between two estimates is the rate plus Section A, not the big total at the bottom of the page.
Can you shop for it?
No. That is the definition of the section. The trade-off is in your favor: because you had no say in the provider, the lender carries the risk, and the fee cannot go up at closing.
Can it change between the Loan Estimate and closing?
Zero tolerance for every line. If a Section B fee is higher on the Closing Disclosure than on the Loan Estimate, and no revised estimate explained why, the lender owes you the difference, refunded at closing or within 60 days after.
Questions to ask the lender
- Which of these services have you already ordered, and which fees have I already paid?
- Is lender's title insurance in Section B or Section C on your estimate, and why?
- Are any of these providers affiliated with you?
Red flags
- A Section B line that is higher on the Closing Disclosure with no revised Loan Estimate.
- A fee for a service the lender's affiliate provides, placed in B so you cannot shop it, at a price above the local norm.
- A duplicate: the same service in B and again in C under a slightly different name.
Questions people ask
Can Section B fees increase at closing?
No, not on their own. They have zero tolerance: the lender chose the providers, so it carries the risk. The only way a B fee rises is a revised Loan Estimate after a real change to the loan, issued within three business days of the change.
Why is title insurance in Section B on my estimate but Section C on my friend's?
Because the friend's lender let them shop for it and yours did not. The rule puts a required service in B when the lender does not permit shopping and in C when it does. In B the fee cannot rise; in C it can rise 10% as a group if you used the lender's list, or were never given one.
Do Section B fees differ much between lenders?
Not much. They are mostly outside vendors' prices for the same work, so two estimates for the same house land close together here. The section to compare between lenders is A.
Only have one quote? That's the problem.
Tell us the rate and the fees you were quoted. It is free, there is no credit pull, and nobody calls you. We check whether another lender beats it, fees included. Or start with the free Loan Estimate checker, which reads your rate, points and Section A and flags anything out of the ordinary.
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.