Loan Selling Advisor May 2024 Updates

It’s spring planting season and also time to see what’s growing with Loan Selling Advisor^®. Look at how you can expand your loan delivery capabilities with these updates. Dig into the details.

New Cash-Released XChange^® Transferee Servicer

Marlin Mortgage Capital, LLC is now a participating Cash-Released XChange^® Transferee Servicer. View the full list of Transferee Servicers here.

Please note, Fifth Third Bank and Massachusetts Housing Finance Agency (MassHousing) are no longer participating in the Cash-Released XChange program.

Guarantor Pricing API: New Apigee Dynamic Routing Capabilities

Effective May 31, we’re enhancing the Guarantor Pricing application programming interface (API) to give users a better experience, faster response time, more reliability and more system up time. If you need to make an adjustment to your system, Freddie Mac has implemented a 60-day adoption period that runs through July 31.

For both production and the customer test environments (CTEs), if no changes are made, beginning May 31, your API requests will continue to route to the current service through the adoption period.

Beginning August 1, all API Guarantor Pricing requests will automatically route to the new services. What’s changing?

• Production - Users will continue to use a single URI endpoint. Beginning May 31, users have the option to test the new services by passing the environment and version values in the header of the API request.
• Customer Test Environment - Users will now have a single new URI endpoint for both the pre-production and production baseline CTEs. Dynamic routing in our CTEs will allow users to toggle between the production baseline and pre-production environment when they are testing, also bypassing the environment and version values in the header of the API request.

Our Guarantor Pricing API Technical Specification, Business Supplement, API Guide, and the Swagger in Developer Portal will highlight additional details on how to test your configurations, and you can try it out.

Want to learn more? Check out the APIs in our Developer Portal. If you do not have access to our Developer Portal, please contact your Freddie Mac representative or start here.

Updated Delivery Requirements for the Duty to Serve Credit Fee Cap for Eligible Mortgages Originated by Small Financial Institutions

Effective May 1, 2024, as announced in Guide Bulletin 2024-6 and in connection with Guide Bulletin 2022-22, you are no longer required to deliver Uniform Loan Delivery Dataset (ULDD) Data Point Investor Feature Identifier (IFI) (Sort ID 368) valid value of “J84” in Loan Selling Advisor, indicating the mortgaged premises is located in a rural area and the mortgage was originated by a small financial institution (SFI).

Freddie Mac now uses ULDD Data Points Party Role Type (Sort ID 628) and Party Role Identifier (Sort ID 627) in Loan Selling Advisor when determining whether a mortgage meets the requirements of the Federal Housing Finance Agency’s (FHFA’s) definitions of small financial institutions and mortgaged premises located in rural areas. In Loan Selling Advisor, Party Role Identifier displays as Loan Origination Company Identifier.

For more information on mortgages eligible for credit fee caps, refer to Exhibit 19A, Credit Fee Cap Eligibility Criteria.

Uniform Loan Delivery Dataset (ULDD) Updates

Condo Project Advisor^® Identifiers Go-Live Date and Testing Availability

We notified you on March 29, about a delay in the availability of two Condo Project Advisor data points from testing and the optional delivery period which begins June 3 for all other ULDD Phase 4a and 5 data points.  

Today, we are announcing a revised format as well as effective dates for the optional delivery period and testing of the following two data points:

*Note: Continue to deliver the required Condo Project Advisor Project Assessment Request (PAR) and Project Certified Identifiers (IFI) K01 and (IFI) J97.

Please note, while the optional delivery period and customer testing dates are revised for these two datapoints, the ULDD Phase 5 mandate date for these two data points is still July 28, 2025, consistent with all other ULDD Phase 5 datapoints.

These updates have been added to the ULDD Revisions Page.

Customer Testing Reminders for ULDD Phase 4a updates and Phase 5

Effective April 24, Loan Selling Advisor and Loan Quality Advisor^® pre-production CTEs are now open, except for the Condo Project Advisor data points noted above.

• Loan Selling Advisor Pre-Production CTE: From April 24 to June 17, 2024
• Loan Quality Advisor CTE: From April 24, onward

We have also updated the resources below. Be sure to bookmark these pages for the latest updated information online:

• Verification Test Case Binders for Loan Selling Advisor and Loan Quality Advisor: Software Partner Resource Center
• Implementation Guide for Loan Selling Advisor Export (Phase 4a updates and Phase 5) – Sellers.xlsx
• ULDD Revisions Page
• Learning Pages for ULDD Phase 4a updates and Phase 5
• ULDD Webpage

New First-Generation Homebuyer Mortgage Investor Feature Identifier (IFI)

To establish an industry standard for first-generation classification, Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, under the guidance of Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), have created an aligned definition of “First-Generation Homebuyer Mortgage.” The definition was announced in the Freddie Mac revised Equitable Housing Finance Plan and aims at fostering growth, adoption and greater utilization of first-generation programs.

For a Mortgage to be considered a First-Generation Homebuyer Mortgage, the Seller must deliver ULDD Data Point Investor Feature Identifier (IFI) and enter the valid value “K09.” The Glossary, Guide Chapter 6302 and Guide Exhibit 34, Investor Feature Identifiers, will be updated with a future Bulletin. Read Guide Bulletin 2024-B for additional details.

ULDD Data Point Implementation Note Updates

Down Payment Source Type (Sort IDs 173/174)

We have added clarifying language to the implementation notes for ULDD Data Point Down Payment Source Type (Sort ID 173/174) to use the valid value of “Originating Lender” for all lender sources, including a non-originating lender. Read Guide Bulletin 2024-6 for additional details. Guide impact: Section 6302.5

We have added clarifying language to the implementation notes for ULDD Data Point Bedroom Count (Sort ID 77) for one-unit properties valued by a hybrid appraisal. Read Guide Bulletin 2024-6 for additional details. Guide impact: Section 6302.8

For more information on any of these ULDD updates, please contact your Freddie Mac representative or our ULDD mailbox.

Important Dates – Loan Delivery Purchase Eligibility Rules

• Condo Project Advisor Not Eligible status PAR Finding
  Effective April 29, the warning edit in Loan Selling Advisor indicating a condominium project has a “Not Eligible” status became critical. Please refer to Guide Bulletin 2023-24.
• Application Received Date
  We previously announced, effective May 27, there will be a new critical edit in Loan Selling Advisor to validate that ULDD Data Point Application Received Date (Sort ID 224) is before ULDD Data Point Note Date (Sort ID 320). 
  Today, we are notifying you that there is a change to that logic and the effective date. 
  Effective June 3, 2024, there will be a new critical edit in Loan Selling Advisor to validate that ULDD Data Point Application Received Date (Sort ID 224) is on or before ULDD Data Point Note Date (Sort ID 320).
• TLTV/HTLTV for Condominiums with Streamlined Reviews
  Effective July 29, critical edits will be introduced in Loan Selling Advisor to enforce the total loan-to-value (TLTV) and Home Equity Line of Credit total loan-to-value (HTLTV) requirements for Condominium Unit Mortgages with a streamlined project review in Guide Section 5701.4, Streamlined reviews.

2024 Area Median Income Limits

Area Median Income limits have been updated for 2024 and will be effective on May 19, 2024.

Please refer to Single-Family Seller/Servicer Guide (Guide) Bulletin 2024-C for more information.