What is different about a refinance
In a purchase, you are buying from a seller and the deed changes hands. In a refinance, you already own the property, so no new deed is normally needed. You sign a new note and a new mortgage, and the new loan pays off the old one.
The signing package still contains the Closing Disclosure, the note, the security instrument and the usual affidavits, but it also includes a notice of the right to cancel.
The right of rescission explained
For many refinances of a borrower's primary residence, federal lending rules give the borrower a few business days to cancel the loan after signing, with no penalty. The rules, including which days count and which loans qualify, are set by federal regulation, so check details with the lender.
The notice lists the date the period ends. Each borrower with an ownership interest in the home typically receives their own copy, and the signing agent has you sign and date the acknowledgment of receipt.
Why funding waits
Because of that window, the lender generally does not release the money until the rescission period has passed. If you signed on a Monday, funding may not happen until later in the week.
This matters if you have a rate lock expiring or a payoff good-through date. Ask the lender or title company when the payoff figure expires so a delay does not cost extra interest.
Who has to sign
Everyone on title usually signs the rescission notice, even someone who is not on the new loan. The lender decides who must sign each document, and the signing agent follows the instructions in the package.
If one owner cannot attend, do not improvise with a loose signature. Tell the title company, who can reschedule or arrange a separate signing.
Small habits that help
Keep your copy of the rescission notice until the loan funds. Do not make plans that depend on cash-out funds arriving on signing day. Confirm the last payment on your current mortgage, since the old servicer keeps billing until payoff posts.
Scenarios worth planning for and counting the days correctly
Suppose you refinance in a month when your current mortgage payment is due soon. Ask the servicer whether to send that payment, since the payoff and the next billing cycle may overlap. Never assume the old loan stops the day you sign.
Suppose you are cashing out equity to pay a contractor or a tax bill. The delay between signing and funding can be several days, so arrange a bridge if the payment cannot wait. Finally, if a co-owner lives out of state, start early. Mailing a package and returning originals takes real time, and the rescission clock does not begin until everyone required has signed.
People often miscount the cancellation window. Federal rules define which days count as business days for this purpose, and Sundays and certain holidays are treated differently from other days. A signing on a Friday can therefore end the period later than you might expect.
Rely on the date printed on your notice, and ask the lender if it looks wrong. Write the final day on your calendar and avoid making financial commitments that depend on the money before then.
Common questions
Can I cancel after signing a refinance?
On many primary-residence refinances you can cancel within the notice period. The notice in your package states the exact deadline, and you should contact the lender if you want to use it.
Does a purchase loan have this cancellation period?
No, the three-day right generally applies to refinancing and some home-equity transactions on a principal dwelling, not to loans used to buy the home.
Why did the lender not fund right away?
The waiting period must end first. The lender may also do a final review of the signed package.
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Fees and procedures change; check with the office involved or an attorney for your situation.