On Demand Course

Getting Escrows Right in 2026

Simplify escrow compliance, reduce payment shock, ensure regulatory accuracy.

Learning Objectives

After attending this course, you will be able to:

  • Explain why financial institutions establish escrow accounts and distinguish the two federal regulations that govern them, including the prohibition on charging a fee for preparing or maintaining escrow account statements
  • Identify which loans are subject to mandatory escrow for flood insurance and higher-priced mortgage loans (HPMLs), and apply the creditor-level and transaction-level exemptions that determine when escrow is optional instead
  • Describe how escrow amounts are disclosed on the Loan Estimate and Closing Disclosure under Regulation Z, and explain the mechanics of a RESPA Appendix E escrow account analysis
  • Apply the timing and content requirements for annual and short-year escrow account statements, resolve surpluses, shortages, and deficiencies correctly, and determine when and how an escrow account may be closed or cancelled under RESPA and Regulation Z
Rebekah Leonard 3.2 CPE/NASBA 2 HR
Included with Team Membership

About This Course

Escrow compliance is tough!  Not many rules cover such a broad scope over the full life of the loan.  Escrowing touches nearly every element of loan compliance in some way:  RESPA, TILA, TRID, HPMLs, Flood, and Fair Lending.  That’s an intimidating list! Moreover, it is a high-stakes endeavor.  Getting it wrong causes consumer harm and potential reputational damage.  Failing to accurately pay taxes when due will cause fines and penalties, and make your bank look inept in its fiduciary capacity.  Failing to accurately disclose escrow items or properly analyze escrow accounts will bring regulatory violations and upset borrowers.  There is a lot on the line!

Topics covered in this course

RESPA

    • Big picture: The difficulty of applying escrowing rules to taxes paid in arrears
    • Escrow analysis:  Why, when, and how
    • Payment shock:  why it happens and what can be done about it
    • Escrow statements: why, when, and how
    • Escrow balances:  The Goldilocks test:
    • Timely escrow payments

TRID

    • Escrow’s impact on the LE and CD
    • Aggregate adjustments

Reg Z

    • Escrow Closing Notice
    • HPML Escrow rules

Flood Insurance

    • Mandatory escrow rules
    • Exceptions and exemptions

Your Instructor

Rebekah Leonard
Rebekah Leonard

Rebekah is the owner of Elucidate LLC, a compliance training and consulting company. Elucidate means to "make clear, explain, throw light upon", and describes Rebekah's desire to illuminate the complexities of compliance with passion and fun. She's created and produced a TRID music video parody and several Compliance Breakout escape rooms, which she frequently provides at state banking compliance conferences. She is an accomplished speaker and regularly provides webinars through BOL and Compliance Resource. Rebekah is currently serving as the VP Director of Compliance for a $6 Billion community bank in Montana. She began her career in 1995 at a private lending company, but soon settled into banking, where she's covered nearly all of it - customer service and teller work, loan processing and review, and security and business continuity. She now oversees CRA, BSA and all aspects of compliance as a senior leader. She has successfully navigated numerous FDIC Compliance, CRA, and BSA Exams. Rebekah has a bachelor's degree in Organizational Leadership from Chapman University (Magna cum Laude), attended the American Bankers Association National Compliance School in 2003, and has held her Certified Regulatory Compliance Manager designation since 2006.

CPE & Accreditation

This course qualifies for 3.2 CPE/NASBA. Your certificate and transcript are available immediately upon completion.

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CPE/NASBA - QAS Self Study

Noggin Guru, Inc. dba Lorman Education Services and BankersHub is registered with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) as a sponsor of continuing professional education on the National Registry of CPE Sponsors. State boards of accountancy have final authority on the acceptance of individual courses for CPE credit. Complaints regarding registered sponsors may be submitted to the National Registry of CPE Sponsors through its website: www.nasbaregistry.org.

For more information regarding administrative policies such as complaint and refund, please contact our offices at 866-352-9539.

Please note: You must attend at least 50 minutes to obtain credit. Final CPE approval belongs with each state's regulatory board. Credit is based on a 50-minute credit hour.

For more detailed information about the course, including the outline, content, and objectives, please refer to the 'Description' tab on this webpage.

Field Of Study: Specialized Knowledge
Prerequisite: Basic knowledge of the banking industry, business, or law
Level of Knowledge: Intermediate
Advanced Preparation: None
Delivery Method: QAS Self Study

Requesting CE:
Upon completion of this course, please email creditrequest@nogginguru.com to obtain a CE certificate.

Training your team?

This course is covered under team memberships.

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Buying for yourself?
$ 249
Included with Team Membership
Training your team?

This course is covered under team memberships.

See Team Memberships
$ 249
per attendee