Customers

Payments are due on the first day of each month. Allowing for a 15-day grace period for mailing, the late fee is charged if we receive payment after 5:00 p.m. on the 16th of the month. Accounts are reported to the credit bureaus as delinquent if payment is not received by 3:00 p.m. on the 30th. If the 30th falls on a weekend, the payment must be received by the last business day of the month prior to the 30th.

No. NDHFA does not accept credit card payments or any payments over the phone. We have several secure and easy payment options available to our loan customers. 

Options with check, cashier’s check or money order:

• By Mail: You can mail a check, cashier’s check or money order with your account information to: NDHFA, PO Box 1535, Bismarck, ND 58502-1535. Do not mail cash!
• Secure Drop Box: For those who prefer to drop off payments, a secure drop box is available on the east side of our office at 2624 Vermont Avenue in Bismarck, for check, cashier’s check or money order payments only. Please ensure all payments placed in the drop box are clearly labeled with your account information.
• In Person: Stop in with your check, cashier’s check or money order during regular business hours.

Options utilizing a bank account:

• ACH Payments: NDHFA can withdraw your mortgage payment automatically from your bank account for a hassle-free experience.
• Online Payments: Our website is available 24/7 for you to make one-time ACH payments at your convenience. If you do not yet have an online account, please visit www.ndhfa.org/Borrower/Setup/SignUpHere.aspx.
• Bank Bill Pay: An online service that allows you to schedule and pay your bills electronically from your bank account. You can set up one-time or recurring payments through your bank. 

Although the principal and interest portion of your payment is fixed, taxes and insurance are also paid with funds accumulated from the payment. Those premiums change each year and the changes are reflected in a payment adjustment through escrow analysis.

Your equity is the difference between what is owed on the home and what the home is worth. You can obtain current market values from your county tax office, a real estate agent, an appraiser or a comparable property sale in your area.

Sending us a copy of the document supporting a name change (marriage certificate, divorce decree, Quit Claim Deed) will allow us to change how your name appears on your account. This does not change the legal ownership of your property.

We cannot add a spouse to a loan, but you can share interest on the property with a spouse by executing a deed. Contact an attorney for legal advice on property transfers.

In a divorce situation, removing an ex-spouse from having interest and liability on a mortgage can only be done through refinancing your loan, or a release of liability (depending on loan type). Contact NDHFA for more information.

The principal balance is the amount remaining on the original loan. The payoff amount includes the principal balance, daily interest since the last payment, less funds in escrow. In most cases when completing a loan application or credit information, the principal balance will work. If your loan is actually paying off, the title company handling the closing will contact us for a payoff statement.

You are required to maintain homeowner’s insurance, also known as hazard insurance, on your property at all times. 

As your loan includes an escrow account for payment of insurance, we must receive a renewal billing before the due date. It is the customer’s responsibility to ensure that we are provided with bills and evidence of insurance. Please contact your insurance agent to ensure they send us the required information.

You may choose to change insurance companies at any time. If you do so, you must ensure that your property is not uninsured for any period. If you change to a different insurance company, notify us immediately. 

To learn more about insurance, visit with your insurance agent, or view the consumer section of the North Dakota Insurance Department website, www.nd.gov/ndins.

The service fee schedule is as follows.

• Processing or reprocessing a mortgagor’s NSF check. $15.00
• Providing a copy of the mortgage or Deed of Trust, if the copy is a duplicate of what has already been provided to the mortgagor. $5.00
• Providing a replacement coupon book. $5.00
• Providing a copy of the Mortgage Note, if the copy is a duplicate of what has already been provided to the mortgagor. $5.00
• Providing a copy of the settlement statement, gift letters and other documents, other than those provided at closing. $5.00
• Providing a new amortization schedule, other than the schedule provided at closing. $5.00
• Providing a payment history to the mortgagor, other than the current year and one year prior. $5.00
• Providing duplicate year-end statements $5.00

For additional escrow account information, you can:

Access your account online here: www.ndhfa.org/OnlineAccess.aspx

Check your annual escrow account disclosure statement mailed to you in January (this statement is not currently available online).

No, your escrow account is mandatory.

To determine your escrow payments, NDHFA estimates the amount we’ll have to pay over the next 12 months for your real estate tax and homeowners insurance bills. We base this estimate on information from your loan closing documents, your taxing authority and insurance company, or your previous tax and insurance bills.

NDHFA then divides the estimated amount by 12 and add the result to your monthly payment.

We also determine whether any adjustments, such as shortage payments, are necessary to keep your escrow account in balance.

It may. NDHFA conducts an escrow analysis annually to make sure we’re collecting the right amount to cover your projected taxes and insurance premiums. If these payments increase or decrease, we’ll recalculate your escrow payment. This is separate from the calculation to determine whether you have a shortage or overage, so your payment amount could increase even if you pay your shortage in full.

You will have to contact your insurance agent to discuss your policy and/or premium changes.

You will need to contact your local property tax assessor’s office to discuss your property taxes. 

If your property taxes or insurance costs go down and you’ve paid more than needed, we’ll send you a refund if the extra amount is more than $50. If the surplus is $50 or less (after keeping a two-month payment cushion), we’ll keep it in your escrow account and apply it toward next year’s escrow payments.

You can pay an escrow account shortage in the following ways:

• You can mail a check to NDHFA to repay the full amount of the shortage referenced in your most recent escrow analysis statement. Please indicate “escrow shortage” on the check so that it is applied properly.
• Pay the amount over 12 months, with 1/12 added to each monthly mortgage payment. We’ll do this automatically if you don’t pay the shortage in full.
• Make a payment online.
  • If you are paying your escrow shortage or deficiency, you must notify us via email, hfaservicing@nd.gov, that you have submitted it online in order for us to be able to adjust your payment. If you do not notify us, we will not know as we do not receive any notification you have submitted an escrow payment (this process is not automated)! 
    
    Once you have logged in, go to "Payment Center" which is found at the top of the screen. Once in the Payment Center, there is a section called "Make a Payment." In this section you will select One-Time Payment". Uncheck the "make monthly payment" if you are wanting to make an escrow payment only. Then, enter the amount you wish to pay in the "Additional Escrow" box. Be sure to confirm the total payment amount at the bottom of the screen before proceeding. This is the amount that will pull from your bank account. If you are paying your escrow shortage or deficiency, you must also email us notification that you have set up a web payment for this so we can adjust your payment when the funds are received. 

You can make escrow payments on NDHFA's website, ndhousing.nd.gov, if you have an online account. 

If you do not have an online account, visit www.ndhfa.org/OnlineAccess.aspx.

If you are paying your escrow shortage or deficiency, you must notify us via email, hfaservicing@nd.gov, that you have submitted it online in order for us to be able to adjust your payment. If you do not notify us, we will not know as we do not receive any notification you have submitted an escrow payment (this process is not automated)!

Once you have logged in, go to "Payment Center" which is found at the top of the screen. Once in the Payment Center, there is a section called "Make a Payment." In this section you will select One-Time Payment". Uncheck the "make monthly payment" if you are wanting to make an escrow payment only. Then, enter the amount you wish to pay in the "Additional Escrow" box.  Be sure to confirm the total payment amount at the bottom of the screen before proceeding. This is the amount that will pull from your bank account. If you are paying your escrow shortage or deficiency, you must also email us notification that you have set up a web payment for this so we can adjust your payment when the funds are received. 

A minimum balance helps ensure that if taxes or insurance premiums increase, your account can cover them without ending up with a large shortage. The minimum balance is equal to two months of escrow payments (not including mortgage insurance), unless state law or your loan contract requires a lesser amount.

NDHFA will pay the taxes in accordance with the early discount date. 

Not all loans have provisions for cancelling PMI/MIP. You may send a written request to have your PMI/MIP requirements reviewed to determine if you are allowed to have your PMI/MIP removed to hfaservicing@nd.gov. Our loan specialist department will review your requirements and will respond to you in writing. 
 

North Dakota Housing Finance Agency
PO Box 1535
Bismarck, ND 58502-1535

The Primary Residence Credit is a state property tax credit available to North Dakota homeowners through the North Dakota Office of State Tax Commissioner via an online application. Qualifying homeowners may receive up to $1,600 toward their property taxes.. 

You may qualify if:

• You own a home in North Dakota (house, mobile home, townhome, duplex, or condo).
• The home is your primary residence.
• The home is owned individually or through a trust.

There are no age or income restrictions, and only one credit per home is allowed.

• If approved, the credit may appear as a deduction on your 2025 property tax statement (mailed December 2025 from your county).
• Some counties will not show the PRC reduction on your bill. Instead, they bill the full amount and later send the credit directly to your mortgage company. 

View an example from Cass County that shows a deduction on a property tax statement. 

Applications for the Primary Residence Credit were submitted online at tax.nd.gov/prc during the annual application window from Jan. 1 - Apr. 1. 

No. The credit does not reduce special assessments – only property taxes.

NDHFA uses the amount billed by your county when completing your escrow analysis:

• If the county tax bill reflects the PRC, NDHFA will use the lower amount.
• If the county does not reduce the bill (because the credit will be refunded later), NDHFA must use the higher billed amount, as we do not receive advance notice of your approved credit.

Best practice for borrowers is to review their annual escrow analysis statement as soon as they receive it to ensure the tax amount shown matches their property tax billing statement.

In most cases, no.

Most counties bill NDHFA electronically, and we pay the amount billed. Because we do not review bills manually, it is important that homeowners review their own tax statements for accuracy.

Please contact your county tax office. NDHFA does not receive information about your PRC application status or approval.

Tax credits follow the owner, not the property. If the previous owner received a PRC, your county will determine whether any portion of that credit still applies to the tax statement after the transfer of ownership.

Review www.tax.nd.gov/prc or your county’s website for updates on when PRC applications open for the upcoming tax year.