Goodbye Letter

Servicing-transfer notice from the prior servicer telling the borrower account handling is moving.

A goodbye letter is a servicing-transfer notice from the prior servicer telling the borrower that account handling is moving to another company.

Why It Matters

Goodbye letter matters because it is often the borrower’s first clear signal that the company collecting payments is changing. The borrower needs to know when the prior servicer stops handling the account and where to look for the new payment instructions.

It also matters because borrowers may mistake the letter for a scam or collection notice if they do not understand servicing transfers. The letter should be read alongside any communication from the new servicer.

Where It Appears in the Borrower Process

Borrowers encounter a goodbye letter after closing when servicing is transferring away from the company that has been managing the loan account.

The term becomes practical when the borrower is preparing the next payment, reviewing autopay, or trying to reconcile activity around the Effective Transfer Date.

Goodbye Letter Compared with Nearby Notices

Notice or termBorrower-facing role
Goodbye letterMessage from the prior servicer saying servicing is leaving
Welcome LetterMessage from the new servicer saying servicing is arriving
Servicing Transfer NoticeBroader notice category explaining the handoff
Mortgage StatementRegular account statement, not the transfer notice itself

Practical Example

A borrower receives a letter from the current servicer saying the loan account will be serviced by a different company beginning on a stated date. That borrower-facing departure notice is commonly called a goodbye letter.

How It Differs From Nearby Terms

Goodbye letter differs from Welcome Letter because the goodbye letter comes from the prior servicer, while the welcome letter comes from the company taking over.

It differs from Servicing Transfer because the transfer is the account-management event, while the goodbye letter is one communication about that event.

It also differs from Late Notice because a late notice concerns a past-due payment problem, while a goodbye letter concerns a servicing handoff.

Knowledge Check

  1. Which company usually sends a goodbye letter? The prior servicer, because it is telling the borrower servicing is moving away from that company.
  2. Why should borrowers not ignore a goodbye letter? It may explain when old payment instructions stop being the right account-management path.
Revised on Saturday, May 23, 2026