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DictionaryMoney

Remittance transfer: what it means

A remittance transfer is an electronic money transfer you send from the United States to a person or company in another country through a remittance transfer provider, such as a bank or another financial services company. Federal law protects transfers above a minimum amount made by a provider in the normal course of its business.

In Spanish it is

Remesa

Also written as: remittance · international money transfer · international wire

The full explanation

The provider must tell you, before and after you pay, the fees, taxes, exchange rate and how much the other person will receive, in your language if it advertises in it or served you in it. You have up to thirty minutes to cancel at no charge, if the money has not been picked up, and one hundred eighty days to report an error.

An example

Every month, Óscar sends money to his mother in another country. Before paying, he checks the provider's disclosure for the fees and how much she will receive, and compares two providers.

You will see it in…

  • The prepayment disclosure and receipt the remittance provider gives you
  • Records of steady transfers, which Fannie Mae accepts as nontraditional credit
  • The provider's response when you report an error

Words that go with it

You will rarely see this word alone. These are the ones that show up with it on the same papers.

A man shakes hands with the specialist who helped him with his loan, in the kitchen of his new home.

Still confused by a paper?

A HUD-approved housing counselor can walk you through it. Agencies usually charge little or nothing, many work in Spanish, and they do not sell you anything.

Official sources

We sum up what these official sources say, in plain words. We add no rules they do not state; when a rule changes, the definition and its date change.

  1. 1. CFPB · What is a remittance transfer and what are my rights? (external site) · in English · Verified on October 17, 2026
  2. 2. CFPB · 12 CFR § 1005.30: remittance transfer definitions (Regulation E) (external site) · in English · Verified on October 17, 2026
  3. 3. Fannie Mae · Selling Guide B3-5.4-02: Number and Types of Nontraditional Credit References (external site) · in English · Verified on October 17, 2026