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Georgia curriculum lesson · Finance and Closing

Georgia Loan Closing, Good Funds, Payoffs, and Wire-Fraud Prevention

A Georgia loan closing requires satisfaction of lender conditions, final loan documents, verified payoff and title figures, authorized buyer funds, lawyer-controlled receipt and disbursement, execution of the note and security deed, and recordation. Funds should be disbursed only when the closing lawyer has the required authority and cleared or good funds. Wire instructions must be verified through a trusted independent channel because last-minute email changes are a common fraud pattern.

Facts checked against the current PSI Candidate Information Bulletin and GREC sources. Editorial standards.

What is the exam-ready answer?

A Georgia loan closing requires satisfaction of lender conditions, final loan documents, verified payoff and title figures, authorized buyer funds, lawyer-controlled receipt and disbursement, execution of the note and security deed, and recordation. Funds should be disbursed only when the closing lawyer has the required authority and cleared or good funds. Wire instructions must be verified through a trusted independent channel because last-minute email changes are a common fraud pattern.
Official syllabus mapping for Georgia Loan Closing, Good Funds, Payoffs, and Wire-Fraud Prevention
Official syllabus topicFinance and Closing: Finance; Closing Procedures
Official PSI groupFinance and Closing
Published group count15 of the 52 Georgia questions
Exam portionGeorgia salesperson supplement
Source editionPSI Georgia Candidate Information Bulletin dated July 1, 2026

The Rule

PSI publishes 16, 21, and 15 items for the three Georgia groups. It does not publish a guaranteed subtopic count. The statute, current GREC rule, contract, or other cited primary authority controls each lesson.

The lesson

Georgia questions reward the Georgia rule. A national rule that sounds right can still be the wrong answer when the question names a Georgia statute, document, role or procedure.

Lender conditions

Closing does not cure missing underwriting conditions. The lender controls loan approval and funding authorization.

Payoffs

Payoff statements identify the amount and deadline needed to release existing liens. Expired or unverified figures can leave title problems.

Good funds

A deposit confirmation is not always final collected money. The closing lawyer follows governing law, bank status, lender instructions, and professional duties before disbursement.

Wire safety

Unexpected email instructions or changed account details should be treated as a stop signal. Verify by calling a known number, not one supplied in the suspicious message.

Decision rule

Stop when instructions change. Independently verify the person, account, amount, and authority before money moves.

Georgia rule and national contrast

The Georgia lawyer controls closing and disbursement, while the federal wire-fraud warning supplies a consumer-safety practice. Fraud prevention is not a claim that a specific wire method is legally guaranteed.

Worked Georgia example

Scenario. Hours before closing, a buyer receives an email that appears to come from the attorney and changes the destination account.

Reason it through. Last-minute changes are a classic business-email-compromise signal. Replying to the same email does not independently verify it.

Answer. Pause the wire and call the closing firm using a previously verified number before sending funds.

Common exam traps

  • Trusting an email display name
  • Calling the number in the changed instructions
  • Disbursing before funds clear
  • Treating lender approval as recordation

Original practice questions with detailed explanations

These are original instructional questions mapped to the July 1, 2026 PSI outline. They are not copied from PSI or a live examination. Choose an answer before opening the explanation.

Question 1

Hours before closing, a buyer gets an email that appears to come from the closing attorney with new wiring instructions. What should the buyer do first?

  1. A. Reply to the email and ask the sender to confirm the account
  2. B. Call the phone number listed in the new instructions
  3. C. Wire the funds, since the display name matches the firm
  4. D. Call the firm at a number known from earlier, not the email
Show answer and explanation →

Answer: D. Call the firm at a number known from earlier, not the email

A last-minute change to wire instructions is a classic business email compromise signal, so the buyer should stop and verify through a trusted, independent channel. A phone number supplied in the suspicious message may reach the fraudster. Replying to the email feels like verification, but it goes straight back to whoever sent it.

Question 2

At a Georgia closing, who controls the receipt and disbursement of closing funds?

  1. A. The closing attorney
  2. B. The listing broker
  3. C. The lender's loan officer
  4. D. The title insurance agent
Show answer and explanation →

Answer: A. The closing attorney

A Georgia closing is conducted by a Georgia-licensed attorney, who receives the funds and disburses them only with proper authority and good funds. Brokers do not disburse closing funds, and the lender authorizes funding without running the closing. The title-agent answer reflects closing models used in other states, not Georgia.

Question 3

The seller's payoff statement expired two days before a delayed closing. What is the right step?

  1. A. Use the old figure, since the principal has not changed
  2. B. Add an estimate of extra interest and close on that figure
  3. C. Get an updated payoff before any funds are disbursed
  4. D. Close now and let the seller settle any shortage later
Show answer and explanation →

Answer: C. Get an updated payoff before any funds are disbursed

A payoff statement gives the amount and the deadline needed to release the existing lien. An expired figure can leave part of the debt unpaid and the security deed uncanceled. Estimating the extra interest sounds practical, but only a current payoff from the lender or servicer is reliable.

Ready to move on?

You are ready for the next lesson when all of these are true.

  • Explain Georgia Loan Closing, Good Funds, Payoffs, and Wire-Fraud Prevention in one clear answer without notes.
  • Separate Lender conditions from Payoffs using a fresh example.
  • Apply the decision rule to a new fact pattern and name the fact that controls the result.
  • State the Georgia-specific point or explain why the national rule applies unchanged.
  • Answer every practice question and explain the rule each rejected option misapplies.
  • Revisit this topic later in mixed practice without category labels.

Recommended next lesson

Continue with Georgia Finance and Closing Scenario Workshop. The workshop pulls this lesson together with the note, security deed, title, and tax lessons, so you can work a full Georgia closing and decide which document, base, party, or moment each answer choice describes.

Return to the Finance and Closing hub for the complete official branch and the full lesson list for this Georgia group.

Georgia Loan Closing, Good Funds, Payoffs, and Wire-Fraud Prevention questions

Facts checked against the current PSI Candidate Information Bulletin and GREC sources. Editorial standards.

Is Georgia Loan Closing, Good Funds, Payoffs, and Wire-Fraud Prevention on the Georgia real estate exam?

Yes. It maps to PSI's Finance and Closing group, which has 15 of the 52 Georgia questions. PSI does not publish a guaranteed question count for this individual lesson.

What is the main Georgia rule for Georgia Loan Closing, Good Funds, Payoffs, and Wire-Fraud Prevention?

Stop when instructions change. Independently verify the person, account, amount, and authority before money moves.

How is this different from a national real estate rule?

The Georgia lawyer controls closing and disbursement, while the federal wire-fraud warning supplies a consumer-safety practice. Fraud prevention is not a claim that a specific wire method is legally guaranteed.