'Just go there': the confirmation call

The importance of the confirmation call cannot be overstated.  It serves many purposes, and it is imperative that this call be made -- as soon as possible after receiving the closing confirmation.

Some of the reasons for making the confirmation call are:

• confirm the time and place of the closing with the borrower
• inform the borrower that they should provide a photocopy of their ID
• get directions, if necessary

There are many more reasons. Those are just a few.

Personally I like to make the confirmation call to briefly introduce myself.  If someone is going to show up at the borrower's front door, or place of work, then they want to have some idea who that person is.  This is especially important when you're dealing with older people who may be leery of answering their door.

Amazingly there are many schedulers who don't understand the importance of the confirmation call. You don't have to have experience doing loan closings to be a scheduler. If you've done this long enough, then you have no doubt been in a situation where you weren't able to reach the borrower, and the scheduler told you, 'Just go there. The borrower is expecting you.'  I don't believe in doing that -- just showing up at someone's front door.  I will either insist that someone give me a number where the borrower can be reached, or I will refuse to do the closing.  I have never gone to a closing unannounced, and I never will.  And for good reason. 

I was in a situation yesterday where I couldn't reach the borrower.  The scheduler told me to 'just go there'. What do they care?  Fortunately I was able to reach the borrower's wife an hour before the closing.  To my surprise, she told me that her husband is in Ireland. He has been there for two weeks.  Not only that, but he canceled the loan.

That is the importance of the confirmation call.  If I had 'just gone there', it would have been a wasted trip.  So keep that in mind the next time a scheduler tells you to 'just go there'. 

It's possible that the borrower is indeed expecting you.

Then again, the borrower may be out of the country.

Good luck.