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A borrower provides bank statements showing a $45,000 balance in her checking account. The MLO notices that the account received a single large deposit of $44,800 exactly three days before the statement date, and the account balance was only $1,200 before that deposit. What is the MOST likely concern?

Ethics · 18% of the SAFE exammedium

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Correct answer: The funds may be an undisclosed loan or gift that was temporarily deposited to inflate the account balance

A large, unexplained deposit immediately before a statement date is a major red flag for asset fraud — specifically, a practice sometimes called 'mattress money' or 'artificially seasoned funds.' Lenders require documentation for large deposits to ensure funds are not borrowed (which would affect the borrower's debt-to-income ratio) and to verify that the borrower genuinely has the assets stated. The IRS gift tax issue is a distractor; the concern here is undisclosed debt, not tax compliance. The deposit does not constitute income.

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