Holidays and weekends do not count as business days for rate locks. Plan your lock with holidays in mind. Recording offices are closed on holidays.
Rate lock periods are measured in business days, and holidays can eat into your available window. If your lock expires on a holiday, it effectively expires the next business day.
Business Days and Rate Locks
Mortgage rate locks are typically quoted in business days, meaning Monday through Friday excluding federal holidays. A 30-day lock that includes a holiday week like Thanksgiving or Christmas effectively gives you fewer processing days. When helping homebuyers in San Antonio and the Texas Hill Country choose a lock period, I factor in upcoming holidays to ensure the lock covers the full time needed for underwriting, appraisal, and closing.
How Holidays Impact Your Rate Lock
When a federal holiday falls during your lock period, title companies, county recording offices, and many lender processing departments are closed. That means documents cannot be recorded, funds cannot be wired, and closings cannot happen on those days. If your lock is set to expire right after a holiday weekend, you may have fewer business days than expected to complete your closing.
Planning Your Rate Lock Around Holidays
If you are closing during or near a holiday season, consider locking for a longer period. A 45-day lock may be safer than 30 days if your closing is near Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's, or Independence Day. Discuss holiday closings with your loan officer early so you can choose a lock period that accounts for all non-business days.
Recording Offices and Holidays
County recording offices in Texas close for all federal and state holidays. If your closing date falls on a holiday, you cannot record the deed and your closing will need to shift to the next business day. Your rate lock must remain valid through the actual recording date. Always confirm the recording office's holiday schedule with your title company when scheduling a closing.
