What is Section D on a Loan Estimate?

Updated November 2026 · Every dollar figure is an illustrative example, not a quote

Section D, Total Loan Costs, is a sum, not a fee: it adds Section A (the lender's charges), Section B (required services you could not shop for) and Section C (required services you could). It is the cost of getting the loan, as opposed to the costs of owning the home that fill the right-hand side of page 2.

Where it is on the form

Page 2, at the bottom of the left-hand column, under Loan Costs, as D. TOTAL LOAN COSTS (A + B + C), with the sum beside it. The right-hand column's matching line is Section I, Total Other Costs.

Illustrative rangeCommonly 1%–3% of the loan; on $380,000 roughly $4,000–$11,000

Section A supplies most of the variation between lenders; B and C are mostly outside vendors' prices and the state's title costs. Points push the total up and buy a lower rate, so a high D is not automatically a bad quote; a high D with no lower rate is.

Paid toNobody: it is the total of A, B and C

Can you shop for it?Not a service

Can it change at closing?Depends on the line: The lines inside follow their own rules

D is the number to use when someone asks 'what are the closing costs on this loan?' and means the loan rather than the house. It leaves out prepaid interest, insurance, taxes and the escrow deposit, which would be the same whoever lent. It is also the figure the APR mostly reflects, since the APR folds lender charges and some other costs into the rate.

Compare D between two lenders only after you have compared A. If two estimates differ in D mostly because of Section C title quotes, that difference will disappear once you choose one title company for both; if they differ because of A, that difference is real.

Can you shop for it?

Not as a line. Its parts are shoppable in different ways: A by comparing lenders, C by comparing providers, B not at all. The number itself is only meaningful next to the rate.

Can it change between the Loan Estimate and closing?

Its parts carry their own rules: A and B zero tolerance, C 10% or none depending on whether you used the lender's list. The total can therefore move a little between the Loan Estimate and the Closing Disclosure even when every rule was followed; what matters is which line moved and whether a revised estimate explained it.

Questions to ask the lender

How much of Section D is Section A, your own charges, and how much is outside vendors?
Which Section C providers did you assume, and would the total change if I used my own?
If I take a higher rate, how much of D would a lender credit cover?

Red flags

A Section D over 3% of the loan on a plain conventional loan with no points.
A low D that is low only because title work was left off the estimate and 'will be added later'.
A D that rises on the Closing Disclosure with no line-by-line explanation of which section moved and why.

Questions people ask

What is a normal total for Section D?

Roughly 1% to 3% of the loan on a standard loan with no points, with the lender's own Section A making most of the difference between quotes. Points add to it in exchange for a lower rate, and title costs vary widely by state.

Is Section D the same as closing costs?

It is the loan's part of closing costs. The full figure is Section J, Total Closing Costs, which adds Section I (taxes, prepaids, escrow and other costs) and subtracts any lender credit. When comparing lenders, D plus the rate is the fairer number.

Why is my Section D different from my friend's with the same lender?

Loan amount (points and some fees scale with it), state (title costs), property type (appraisal) and whether either of you paid points. Compare Section A between the two estimates to see the lender's own part.

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 quote

Every 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.