Can a lender require documents such as a W-2 before giving me a Loan Estimate?

The CFPB says a lender or mortgage broker cannot make you provide documents as a condition for issuing a Loan Estimate. To receive the form, you only need to submit six pieces of information: name; income; Social Security number, so the lender can check credit; the address of the home you plan to buy or refinance; an estimate of the home's value; and the loan amount you want.

Documents are not required to get the estimate, though sharing what you already have can make the figures more accurate. After the Loan Estimate arrives, you decide whether to proceed with that application. Once you tell the lender you want to proceed, the lender may require more information and documents to verify what you already submitted. If those documents show different facts, you may receive a revised Loan Estimate. Comparison shopping can continue during that process.

A Loan Estimate and Closing Disclosure are not used for a reverse mortgage, a HELOC, a manufactured-home or mobile-home loan without a real-estate security interest, or some loans through homebuyer-assistance programs. Those are the product exceptions in the CFPB source. This FAQ does not add other TRID exceptions. This is general information about the Loan Estimate process, not advice to choose a particular loan.