How mortgage brokers request a bank statement from borrowers
By Arthur Teboul, DokuTrak · Published
In short
Ask the borrower for their two most recent monthly statements for every checking and savings account they will use, which is what lenders usually ask for. Every page counts, blank ones included, so it must be the full PDF statement from the bank, not a screenshot. Ask them to explain any large deposit up front, since the underwriter will question it.
Why mortgage brokers need a bank statement
Bank statements show the underwriter where the down payment, closing costs and reserves come from, and that the money has sat in the borrower’s account long enough to be theirs. A large deposit that is not payroll needs a paper trail, such as a gift letter or a statement from the account it came from. The statements also reveal recurring payments to debts that do not appear on the credit report.
What exactly to ask for
The two most recent complete monthly statements for each account being used, with every page, including pages marked “intentionally left blank”. The statement should show the bank name, the account holder and the account number. Transaction lists and screenshots usually come back. Depending on how long the file takes, the lender may ask for the following month’s statement before closing.
What to check when it arrives
- All pages are there: a statement marked page 3 of 4 with no page 4 goes back to the borrower.
- The account holder is the borrower, and the ending balance covers the funds they say they have.
- Any non-payroll deposit that stands out against usual activity is flagged, with a source document requested.
Email to send your client
Replace the bracketed parts. The same text fits in the message of a DokuTrak request (up to 1,000 characters).
Subject: Bank statements for your loan, every page
Hi [Client name],
To show where your down payment and closing funds will come from, I need your two most recent monthly statements for each checking and savings account you plan to use.
Please download the full PDF statements from your bank’s website, with every page, even the ones marked as intentionally blank. Screenshots and transaction lists usually get sent back by the underwriter.
If there is a large deposit that is not your paycheck, a quick note on where it came from will save us a question later.
Could you send them by [date]? Happy to help if you cannot find the statements online.
Thanks, [Your name]
Ask once. DokuTrak does the chasing.
- Your client uploads from one link, with no account and no password.
- Reminders go out on a schedule, by default 2, 5, 10 and 14 days after the request, until the file arrives.
- With AI review switched on in your workspace (it is off by default), each upload gets a first pass that flags a file that is not a bank statement, an unreadable or blurry scan or a copy where one of these is missing or cut off: the account holder, the statement period. It says so when it is not sure.
- You accept every file or mark it for re-upload, and your client gets the note by email. The AI never accepts a file.