Mortgage document checklist to send borrowers (and how to stop chasing missing pages)

Step 1: Build your mortgage document checklist by loan type

Start with one master list, then trim it per borrower. This version covers a typical purchase loan for a salaried borrower, based on the CFPB's loan application packet and Fannie Mae's documentation rules. Your lenders' own needs lists win if they differ.

MORTGAGE DOCUMENT CHECKLIST - [BORROWER FIRST NAME]
Upload to: [PORTAL OR FOLDER NAME]   Please send by: [DATE]

For each borrower on the loan:
[ ] Photo ID (driver's license or passport), front and back
[ ] Pay stubs covering the last 30 days, the newest dated after [DATE]
[ ] W-2s for [YEAR] and [YEAR]
[ ] Federal tax returns for [YEAR] and [YEAR], every page and schedule
[ ] Bank statements for [MONTH] and [MONTH], every page, every account
    you'll use for the down payment or closing costs
[ ] Retirement or investment statements, latest two, if you'll use them

Only if this applies to you:
[ ] Self-employed: business tax returns for [YEAR] and [YEAR], plus a
    year-to-date profit and loss statement
[ ] Gift money: a signed gift letter from the person giving it
[ ] Social Security, pension or disability income: your award letter
[ ] Divorce or child support: the court order or decree
[ ] Large deposits not from your paycheck: a short note on each one

For the property:
[ ] Signed purchase contract, all pages
[ ] Your homeowners insurance agent's name and email

Tips: Send PDFs, not photos, when you can. Send every page, even
blank ones. Don't black out account numbers unless I ask you to.

For a refinance, swap the purchase contract for your current mortgage statement and homeowners insurance declarations page. Fannie Mae asks for one month of bank statements on a refinance instead of two, so trim that line too.

Step 2: Write the request email and reminders with AI

Paste this prompt into ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or Copilot. It uses placeholders only. Never paste a borrower's name, Social Security number, account numbers or income into a public AI tool. If you're unsure what counts, read how to remove private details before you paste into ChatGPT first.

Write four short emails from a mortgage loan officer at an
independent mortgage brokerage to a home buyer.
1) Day 0: the borrower has decided to move ahead. Thank them, say the
   checklist is attached, explain where to upload ([UPLOAD PLACE]),
   and give the date we need everything by ([DUE DATE]).
2) Day 2: friendly check-in. List only what's still missing:
   [MISSING ITEMS]. Offer to help if anything is hard to find.
3) Day 5: specific and calm. Name each missing item and why the
   underwriter needs it, in one plain line each.
4) Day 8: short, personal, from the loan officer. Say the file is
   waiting on [MISSING ITEMS] and ask what's in the way.
Blanks to keep: [FIRST NAME], [LOAN OFFICER NAME], [PHONE].
Rules: under 120 words each, plain words, no pressure, no promises
about rates, approval or closing dates. Subject lines under 50
characters with no personal or loan details in them.

Read every draft and cut anything that sounds like a promise. The day 5 email should look roughly like this:

Subject: Two items left for your file

Hi [FIRST NAME],

We're close. Your file is waiting on two things:

- Page 3 of your [MONTH] bank statement. Underwriters need every
  page, even the blank last one.
- Your [YEAR] W-2 from [EMPLOYER]. It confirms the income on your
  pay stub.

You can upload both at [UPLOAD PLACE]. If either one is hard to
track down, reply and I'll tell you where to find it.

[LOAN OFFICER NAME]
[PHONE]

Step 3: Send the checklist and reminders from the tools you use

If you use Floify. Floify sends borrowers a Needs List when you create a loan flow, which gives them portal access. It also sends a Deadline Notice while document requests are still open, and you can set when and how often those reminders go out, before and after the deadline. Floify's email templates can list the outstanding documents, so paste your AI-drafted wording into the Deadline Notice template. Search Floify's help center for "deadline reminder" to find the settings for your account.

If your LOS has a borrower portal. Arive, Encompass and BeSmartee all offer borrower-facing tools. Look up "document request" or "needs list" in your vendor's help center before you build anything new. Use the checklist from Step 1 as the request list.

If you only have Gmail. Save each email as a Gmail template. Go to Settings, then See all settings, then Advanced, and turn on Templates. Write the email, then select More options, then Templates, then Save draft as template. After you send the day 0 email, write the day 2 one and use the arrow next to Send to pick Schedule send. Update the missing items before each one goes out.

The same schedule as a list:

• Day 0, checklist: sent right after the borrower decides to move ahead.
• Day 2, check-in: a friendly note listing only what's missing.
• Day 5, specifics: each missing page by name and why it's needed.
• Day 8, personal: a short note from the loan officer asking what's in the way.

This timing is from experience, not a rule. Tighten it when a closing date is close.

Example (illustrative): a two-person brokerage

This is a walkthrough, not a client story. Picture a broker-owner and one processor, closing purchase loans for first-time buyers through a few wholesale lenders.

The processor keeps the Step 1 checklist as a master file and trims it per borrower. When a borrower says yes to moving ahead, she sends the day 0 email with the checklist attached. Each morning she checks what's arrived and updates the missing items. The broker sends the day 8 note himself, because borrowers answer a person faster than a system.

At a glance

• Problem: loan files stuck waiting on missing pages and the wrong months.
• What was set up: one master checklist plus four follow-up emails on day 0, 2, 5 and 8.
• Tools it lives in: the borrower portal or Gmail, plus a shared checklist file.
• Owner still does: decides what each loan needs, reviews every document, writes the day 8 note.
• Payoff: not measured here. Track days from application to complete file before and after.

Mistakes to avoid

• Asking for "recent statements." Name the exact months, so nobody has to guess.
• Sending the full list in a text. Borrowers can't tick off a text message.
• Re-sending the whole checklist each time. Follow-ups list only what's still missing.
• Letting AI decide what a loan needs. The lender's guidelines and the underwriter decide that, not a chat tool.
• Pasting borrower documents into a public AI tool. Templates go in, real details stay in your own systems.

If it still doesn't work

If borrowers stall on one item, it's usually the tax return or a statement they can't download. Send them the exact place to find it, like their bank's statements page or their tax preparer. Ask for a full PDF, not a phone photo.

If you have no portal, create one shared Google Drive folder per borrower. Share it only with their email address, and give them editor access so they can upload. They'll need a Google account to upload this way. Name the subfolders after your checklist sections.

Doing this inside the tools you already use

Deeplathe is a team of developers who build custom AI inside the tools a business already uses. For this job, a custom build could compare what's arrived in your borrower portal against the checklist each morning. It drafts the next follow-up with the exact missing pages, like "page 3 of the March statement", and flags files near their deadline. You approve each email, it sends from the loan officer's address, and it logs the send on the loan.

You stop rereading every file to see what's missing. See how a custom build works.

FAQ

What documents do you need for a mortgage?

Most borrowers need a photo ID, pay stubs for the last 30 days, W-2s and federal tax returns for the last two years, and bank statements for the last two months. Self-employed borrowers usually add business returns and a profit and loss statement. Gift money needs a gift letter. Each lender sets its own final list, so check theirs.

When should a broker send the mortgage document checklist?

Send it once the borrower has their Loan Estimate and tells you they want to move ahead. CFPB rules say a lender or broker can't require documents before giving the Loan Estimate. You can still share the checklist earlier so borrowers can start gathering, as long as you don't make it a condition.

How do you get borrowers to send documents faster?

Give them one checklist with exact months and years, one place to upload, and a due date. Then follow up with only what's missing, on a set schedule. A short personal note from the loan officer often works when the automated reminders don't. Tell them why each item matters in one plain line.

Is it safe to use AI for mortgage borrower emails?

Yes, when the AI only sees placeholders. Write your templates with blanks like [FIRST NAME] and [MISSING ITEMS], then fill them in inside your own portal or email. Never paste Social Security numbers, account numbers, tax returns or bank statements into a public AI chat tool.

Keep these

• Name the exact months and years on every request.
• Ask for every page, even the blank ones.
• Follow-ups list only what's still missing.
• Placeholders go into AI, borrower details never do.

Sources

• CFPB: Create a loan application packet
• CFPB: Can a lender make me provide documents like my W-2 or pay stub in order to give me a Loan Estimate?
• Fannie Mae Selling Guide B3-3.2-01: Standards for Employment and Income Documentation
• Fannie Mae Selling Guide B3-4.2-01: Verification of Deposits and Assets
• Floify: Managing how, or when, Floify sends notifications to borrowers

Related reading

• Part of Quotes and leads you never followed up
• Remove private details before you paste into ChatGPT
• How to remind clients to send their tax documents
• An estate planning questionnaire template clients actually finish
• Insurance renewal reminder email template