most escrow accounts do not earn the account holder interest, though some earn interest at a low rate. For someone with a large house and a $10,000 property tax bill, that adds up to a lot of lost opportunity every year. There are also associated fees which cut into your bottom line.
k*o
3 楼
When you close your refinance, sometimes you will find that you have to bring relatively large amount of funds to escrow because escrow (impound) account which help you pay property tax and home owner insurance. Normally there are about 2 month reserve in the impound account in additional to the monthly paid property tax and home owner insurance. In case the lender unintentionally forget to pay your property tax, which is very unlikely, you might make a few phone calls to sort it out (after deadline). Normally I advice others not to take it (if there is any option).
If you do not have impound account, and the new loan amount is similar to your old one, you just need to pay pre-paid interest. However, if you have impound account, depending on month you do refinance, you might bring much more funds to your escrow account. It is believed that impound account is mainly designed for mainstream. Most Chinese in this board is well educated, and know how to manage their own assets.