NATCHEZ — Some local homeowners may not know where to send their monthly house payments after the closure of mortgage bank giant Taylor, Bean & Whitaker earlier this month.

For now, Taylor, Bean & Whitaker customers should just wait, said Cliffie Anderson, vice president and compliance officer for Britton & Koontz Bank in Natchez, which used the company as a mortgage investor.

“(Customers) will get what is called a hello letter from whoever now holds their loan,” Anderson said. “(The loans) didn’t go to all one bank. They had to be parceled out because they were so big.”

Anderson said the letter could come from another large financial institution such as Citibank or Bank of America, so customers should be careful when discarding mail.

“Please don’t think it is just another credit card solicitation,” she said.

According to the Taylor, Bean & Whitaker Web site, taylorbean.com, the company discontinued automatic payment drafts on Aug. 10. They announced the closure on Aug. 5.

Anderson said customers should wait until receiving the hello letter before making any more payments.

“When the payment comes due at the first of (September), don’t write a check to Taylor Bean,” she said. “There’s nobody home.”

But, she said, customers will be expected to make the September payment soon.

“Whether you write a check or get drafted, don’t spend the money,” she said. “Because come October, (you) will get something saying (you) owe two payments.”

Customers, however will not be reported as making a late payment or charged a late fee and payments will remain the same.

The closure does not affect customers who are still in the process of making mortgage loans, Anderson said.

Taylor, Bean, & Whitaker was the 12th largest home-mortgage lender in the first two quarters of the year according to Inside Mortgage Finance, a trade publication.

“This is not just a B&K issue or a Natchez issue,” Anderson said. “A number of banks used them.”

United Mississippi Bank Senior Vice President of Mortgage Lending René Ware said UMB customers are unaffected by the closure.

“We did not sell to Taylor, Bean & Whitaker,” she said.

Customers can visit the Taylor, Bean & Whitaker Web site or call the company’s customer service numbers, 1-888-225-2164 or 1-800-530-2602.