Federal law requires your Closing Disclosure (CD) in your hands at least three business days before closing, and it’s worth reading closely rather than skimming to the signature line. Page one covers the loan terms — amount, rate, monthly payment, and whether any of those can change, plus a projected-payments table showing how taxes and insurance stack on top of principal and interest.

Page two itemizes closing costs into loan costs (origination, underwriting, appraisal, credit report) and other costs (recording fees, transfer taxes, prepaid interest, the first year of insurance, and your escrow deposit). Page three shows the calculating cash to close — comparing your CD to your original Loan Estimate so you can see exactly what changed and why.

A handful of costs are subject to tolerance limits, meaning they can’t increase beyond a set threshold from your Loan Estimate without the lender covering the difference. If a number on your CD looks unfamiliar or larger than expected, that’s the right moment to ask — before closing, not after.