Who writes this content?
Articles on EarlyMortgagePayoff.com are written and reviewed by Jose Lugo, who founded the site to give US homeowners the amortization math lenders rarely volunteer. Every article carries a visible byline and both a published and a last-updated date, so you always know who wrote it and how current it is.
How do we research our guides?
We work from primary sources wherever a rule, threshold, or deadline is involved. In practice that means:
- Federal regulators first. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau guidance and HUD mortgagee letters are cited directly, and linked so you can read the original.
- Investor guidelines for servicing rules. Requirements that vary by loan type — cancellation thresholds, seasoning periods, payment-record standards — come from the Fannie Mae Servicing Guide or the equivalent investor documentation, not from other blogs.
- No unverified links. We do not cite a page we have not actually read. If we cannot confirm what a source says, it does not go in the article.
How do we verify the math?
Every payment, interest total, and payoff date on this site is computed from a standard amortization schedule, not estimated or copied from another source. We check each figure against the same calculators we publish, so you can reproduce any number in any article yourself using our extra payment calculator or amortization calculator.
Where an article uses an example loan, we state the loan amount, interest rate, and term explicitly so the math is auditable rather than a black box.
How do we handle corrections?
When we find an error, we fix it and update the article's last-modified date. Substantive corrections — a changed rule, a wrong threshold, a miscalculated figure — are corrected in place rather than quietly deleted. If you spot something wrong, tell us and we will check it against the primary source.
How often is content updated?
Guides covering federal rules are reviewed when those rules change. Articles containing rate-sensitive examples are reviewed periodically so the numbers stay representative. The "Last updated" date on each article reflects the most recent substantive review, not a cosmetic edit.
How do we make money?
This site is free to use and is supported by advertising and, in some cases, affiliate relationships with lenders. Advertising never determines our editorial conclusions: our calculators are neutral math, and our guides recommend the option the numbers support — including "do nothing" or "stay put and prepay" when that is the better answer. Where a link is an affiliate link, our recommendation does not change based on whether a partner pays us.
Is this financial advice?
No. EarlyMortgagePayoff.com publishes general educational information and calculation tools. We do not know your full financial picture, and nothing here is personalized financial, tax, or legal advice. Mortgage terms vary by lender, loan type, and state. Confirm anything that affects a financial decision with your servicer or a licensed professional before acting on it.