When a buyer assumes a mortgage at closing, how are the interest charges typically adjusted?

When a buyer assumes a mortgage at closing, the typical practice involves prorating the interest charges between the seller and the buyer. This is done to ensure that each party is responsible for the interest that corresponds to their period of ownership of the property during that month.

In this situation, the seller has owned the property for part of the month before the buyer takes over, so the interest for that portion of the month is allocated to the seller. The buyer will then be responsible for the interest from the time they take ownership onward. Therefore, the previous month's payment is effectively divided, allowing for a fair distribution of interest expenses between the two parties based on their respective periods of ownership.

This method ensures transparency and fairness in the transaction, as both the seller and buyer pay only for the time they have taken ownership of the property.