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Chase Mortgage Recast: Fees and How to Request One

RD By RecastDesk editors · Updated October 2026 · 7 min read

Chase is one of the few large servicers that publishes a recast page with plain answers, and the answers are unusually generous: no appraisal, no credit check, minimal paperwork, and no fee listed on its own fee schedule. It also states plainly what many servicers leave vague — FHA, VA and USDA loans are not eligible. Everything below is taken from Chase's own published pages, checked on 27 October 2026. Where Chase does not publish something, this page says so rather than filling the gap with guesswork.

What Chase publishes

Chase describes a recast as taking your remaining balance and spreading it over the remaining term, keeping the current interest rate. Their page lists three selling points — "No appraisal required", "No credit check", "Minimal paperwork" — and the FAQ confirms the paperwork is limited to signing the recast agreement.

Two conditions appear in Chase's own wording: the loan "must be in good standing", and there must be "a large principal balance reduction". The second is the only hint at a size threshold, and it is a hint rather than a number.

Which loans qualify, and which do not

Chase states directly that "FHA, VA and USDA loans are not eligible for a recast", and that "the availability of a recast is based on investor guidelines and can change without notice".

That second sentence matters more than it looks. It means a conventional loan serviced by Chase is not automatically eligible: the investor behind your particular loan has a say, and the answer can change without the site being updated. A verbal yes is worth less than the investor's own rules.

Chase also confirms you can recast again later: "if you pay down the principal balance ahead of schedule, you could be eligible to recast your loan again."

What it costs

Chase's fee schedule, last revised July 2026, lists "Recast modification" under no-cost services, described as: "If you make a large principal balance reduction and we agree to modify your loan so you can lower your monthly payments. Your account must be in good standing."

That is about as clear as this gets in servicing: the service appears in the no-cost list, and no fee is attached to it anywhere on that page. Chase's worked example on the recast page also assumes "no fees".

Two cautions. First, the fee schedule opens by saying "we may charge other fees and costs that aren't listed here", so a no-cost listing is strong evidence rather than a guarantee. Second, if your loan has been modified previously, the modification agreement may carry its own terms.

Is there a minimum lump sum?

Chase's FAQ says: "No, there is no minimum amount required. However, a recast after a small principal reduction will not significantly lower your payment."

That is unusually borrower-friendly, and it is also slightly in tension with the fee schedule's "large principal balance reduction" wording. The practical reading: there is no published floor, but a reduction of a few thousand dollars produces a payment change so small that it is hard to justify the paperwork — and the page says as much.

Use the calculator to see what your intended lump sum actually buys before you call. On a $320,000 balance at 6.5%, $10,000 moves the payment by about $66; $50,000 moves it by about $328.

How to request one

Chase's page does not publish a dedicated online recast form or a standalone phone number for the product. It directs borrowers to discuss it with their lender, and the standard route is the mortgage servicing contact channel on your statement or in the Chase app.

When you ask, do it in writing through the secure message centre so the answer is durable. Ask the four questions that decide everything: is this loan eligible given its current investor, is there a fee, what will the new principal and interest be, and what effective date applies.

What Chase does not say

Three things are absent from the published material, and you should expect to get them only from the servicing team: the processing timeline, the effective date convention (which billing cycle the new payment starts), and the practical minimum at which a reduction is considered large enough to process.

The timeline matters financially. Interest accrues on the old balance until the effective date, so a four-week gap on a $50,000 lump sum at 6.5% costs about $250.

Worth knowing: Chase's published position is unusually clear: no appraisal, no credit check, no fee listed, no stated minimum, but no government-backed loans. Get the investor eligibility and the effective date confirmed in writing anyway — those are the two things the page cannot answer for your specific loan.

If your loan is not eligible

FHA, VA and USDA borrowers at Chase cannot recast. The realistic alternatives are extra principal — which reduces the balance and shortens the loan without lowering the payment — or a refinance, which for FHA and VA borrowers usually means a streamline or IRRRL rather than a full application.

For conventional borrowers refused on investor grounds, the same two options apply, plus patience: servicing transfers are frequent, and eligibility travels with the loan rather than with you.

Frequently asked questions

The questions that come up most often.

Q
Does Chase charge a fee to recast a mortgage?
Chase's fee schedule, last revised July 2026, lists "Recast modification" among its no-cost services, and its worked example assumes no fees. The schedule does say other fees may apply, so ask for written confirmation on your specific loan. If a fee is quoted, get the amount and whether it is deducted from the lump sum or billed separately.
Q
Is there a minimum lump sum at Chase?
Chase's own FAQ says no minimum is required, while also noting that a recast after a small principal reduction will not significantly lower the payment. In practice the threshold is a judgement about how much paperwork a small reduction justifies. Use the calculator to see what your lump sum buys before requesting anything.
Q
Can I recast an FHA, VA or USDA loan at Chase?
No. Chase states on its recast page that FHA, VA and USDA loans are not eligible. For those loans the alternatives are extra principal, which lowers the balance without lowering the payment, or a refinance — usually a streamline or IRRRL rather than a full application.
Q
Does a recast at Chase require an appraisal or a credit check?
Neither. Chase states no appraisal is required and no credit check is performed, and the only documentation is signing the recast agreement. Your loan does have to be in good standing, which is the one eligibility condition the page names explicitly alongside investor guidelines.
Q
Can I recast more than once at Chase?
Chase says yes: if you pay down the principal balance ahead of schedule again, you could be eligible to recast again. Each recast is a separate request, so confirm the current terms rather than assuming the first one's conditions still apply.
Q
Does a Chase recast lower my interest rate or shorten my loan?
No. Chase's description is explicit that recasting spreads the remaining balance over the remaining term at your current rate. The rate stays, the payoff date stays, and the payment falls. Chase also notes the recast does not increase the total interest planned at origination, though it does reduce the interest savings you would have gained from extra principal alone.
Q
What does Chase not tell me on the page?
The timeline, the effective date convention and the practical minimum are not published. Those are the three things to ask in writing. The effective date is the one with money attached, because interest accrues on the old balance until it takes effect — roughly $8.90 a day per $50,000 at 6.5%.