How to Verify Wiring Instructions Before Mortgage Payoff Wires

The problem

Why this matters

Verification isn't about distrust. It's about recognizing that even trusted parties can have their email compromised — and that a two-minute phone call is a small price to pay to confirm that six figures of someone's money is going to the right place.

The Wire Verification Protocol

Source the Phone Number Independently

Find the title company's or attorney's phone number on their official website — not from any email or document you received in the transaction. This is the only number that counts.

Call and Ask Specifically

Ask to speak with the escrow officer handling your file. Ask them to read back the routing number and account number. Don't read it to them — ask them to state it first.

Compare Against What You Were Sent

Write down what the escrow officer tells you. Compare it digit by digit to the instructions you received. Any discrepancy — no matter how small — stops the wire until resolved.

Confirm on the Morning of the Wire

Don't verify the day before and wire the day of. Accounts can be changed in hours. Verify on the same day you wire, within a few hours of the transfer.

Save the Verification Record

Note who you spoke with, at what time, and what they confirmed. If anything is ever disputed, you have documentation of the steps you took.

Verification steps for mortgage payoff wires

Request your mortgage payoff instructions directly from the servicer's official website or customer service line — not from any email
Verify the payoff amount and account number with the servicer by phone the morning of closing
Your title company or closing attorney should manage the payoff wire — if anyone else asks you to send it directly, that's a red flag

Build Verification Into Every Transaction — Not Just the Scary Ones

Garded makes secure wiring instruction delivery standard practice. Free to start.

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Common questions

What if I can't reach the escrow officer by phone?

Don't wire until you can. If closing day pressure makes phone verification seem inconvenient, remember that it's far less inconvenient than losing your down payment.

Does my lender also need to verify?

Your lender typically has their own wire verification protocols for the loan disbursement. Your obligation is to verify the closing cost and down payment instructions — the portion you're wiring directly.

Is there a tool that makes this verification permanent?

Yes — Garded. When wiring instructions are delivered through Garded's encrypted channel rather than email, the verification step is built into the delivery mechanism itself.