Organizing bank statements for a mortgage or loan application

Most lenders ask for two to three months of statements for every account you hold. Underwriters read them for three things: that the down payment money is really yours, that your income lands where you say it does, and that there is nothing alarming like overdrafts or undisclosed debt payments.

Large deposits

Any deposit that isn't payroll and is large relative to your income will need a letter of explanation and a paper trail. Converting statements to a spreadsheet and sorting by credit amount surfaces these in seconds, so you can prepare explanations before the underwriter asks.

Recurring payments

Regular transfers to an unknown party may look like an undisclosed loan. Filter by description and category to list all recurring debits and make sure each is accounted for on your application.

Deliver complete PDFs

Lenders want original statements, all pages included—even blank ones. Use the spreadsheet for your own review, and send the untouched PDFs to the lender.