The average property tax bill has risen nearly 30% in the last five years, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. More than half of homeowners—57%—experienced an increase in escrow costs in 2025, J.D. Power research shows, with property data and analytics firm Cotality projecting that 65% of escrow accounts will have shortages in 2026 due to rising taxes and insurance costs.
This is a growing issue for homeowners, and as escrow-related payment changes become more common, servicers face increased pressure to provide clear explanations, proactive outreach and convenient self-service options. As the industry works to address these challenges, Cenlar leads with proactive communications, self-service education and AI-powered support designed to give homeowners faster, clearer answers.
Like many servicers, escrow is the No. 1 reason homeowners call us. Our approach to helping homeowners with escrow is rooted in our philosophy of making servicing simpler: using the right tools, thoughtfully and responsibly, to make the loan journey easier to understand, easier to navigate and easier to trust.
The results are tangible. In June, more than one-third of homeowners who called with an escrow question received the help they needed without advisor assistance. Our escrow chatbot has resolved issues for the vast majority homeowners who have interacted with it this month, while proactive education and outreach efforts are helping homeowners find answers before they ever need to pick up the phone.
One of the more cutting-edge ways we're improving the experience is through our new escrow voice bot. Launched in February 2026, our first authenticated AI bot represents a meaningful shift in how homeowners receive personalized support. We focused the initial deployment on escrow because it offered the opportunity to help the greatest number of homeowners. By using automation to answer the easy questions, our expert advisors can spend more time with homeowners when they really need help.
When a homeowner calls our interactive voice response (IVR) system and has a recent escrow analysis on file, the system recognizes that context and offers the AI bot as part of the escrow flow. The interaction transfers securely and remains authenticated, allowing the bot to deliver loan-specific answers based on curated knowledge resources and account-level information.
We have continued to enhance the experience based on homeowner feedback and interaction data. Rather than walking homeowners through lengthy calculations, the bot now provides clearer, more conversational responses. For example, if an insurance premium increase caused a payment change, the bot simply explains the reason and the amount of the increase, helping homeowners get to the answer faster.
The number of homeowners using the escrow voice bot has grown every month since launch.
When additional help is needed, homeowners can transition seamlessly to a live advisor without repeating information. Because the interaction remains authenticated, advisors can see the homeowner's previous conversation and continue helping from that point. The result is a faster, more seamless experience that combines the efficiency of AI with the expertise of a trusted advisor.
Our escrow chat bot on the homeowner website also has produced strong results, resolving issues for 85% of homeowners used it in July 2026.
We have also focused on giving homeowners answers before they need to contact us. Through articles and educational resources on Cenlar.com, Home Matters content, YouTube videos, our revamped escrow hub on CenNet and proactive outreach campaigns, we're helping homeowners better understand their escrow accounts and what to expect throughout the year.
Earlier this year, we analyzed servicing data and proactively notified 40,000 homeowners that their annual escrow analysis was approaching, helping reduce uncertainty before questions arise. The newly enhanced escrow hub on CenNet also attracted thousands of users in its first month, demonstrating homeowners' desire for simple, accessible self-service resources.
These efforts reflect a simple belief: homeowner satisfaction is driven by simplicity and clarity. Whether through AI-powered support, proactive communications or self-service education, we're helping homeowners get the information they need, when they need it and in the way that works best for them.
The result is a more informed homeowner, a simpler servicing experience and better outcomes for everyone involved.