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URLA/ULAD FAQ

Disclaimer

The information on this page is not part of, and is not a replacement or substitute for, the requirements found in the Freddie Mac Single-Family Seller/Servicer Guide and your other Purchase Documents.

Please review these frequently asked questions (FAQs) about the redesigned Uniform Residential Loan Application (URLA) and its use by Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae (the GSEs) with our automated underwriting systems (AUSs) – Freddie Mac Loan Product Advisor® (LPASM) and Fannie Mae Desktop Underwriter® (DU®). The questions are organized into the following categories:

  1. URLA: Questions about Freddie Mac Form 65/Fannie Mae Form 1003
  2. Data Requirements: Questions about the Uniform Loan Application Dataset (ULAD), data collected by the GSEs’ AUSs
  3. iLAD and SCIF: Questions about MISMO’s Industry Loan Application Dataset (iLAD) and the Supplemental Consumer Information Form (SCIF)
  4. Implementation and Timeline: A road map highlighting key implementation milestones
  5. Historical: Background information about the URLA/ULAD project that remains accurate

New questions that were added since the last update are labeled NEW, while updated questions are labeled UPDATED. Visit the Freddie Mac's URLA/ULAD web page for additional information and supporting documents. For FAQs related to technology and integration, visit the Freddie Mac’s Software Partner Resource Center webpage.

URLA

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  • 1. What is the Uniform Residential Loan Application (URLA)?

    The URLA (also known as the Freddie Mac Form 65/Fannie Mae Form 1003) is a standardized document used by borrowers to apply for a mortgage. The URLA is jointly published by the GSEs and has been in use for more than 40 years in all U.S. states and territories.

  • 2. Does the redesigned URLA change the application process?

    The loan application relationship exists between the applicant(s) and the lender. The GSEs do not prescribe how the lender should interact with applicants or obtain loan application data.

  • 3. How should the interactive URLA files be retrieved from the GSEs’ web pages and used?

    The GSEs recommend that the interactive URLA components be downloaded and then opened using a PDF document reader such as Adobe Acrobat Reader or Adobe Acrobat Pro®. If the forms are opened within a web browser, the fillable PDF fields may lose some functionality and as a result, not perform as designed. The URLA was created using Adobe Acrobat 7 Pro, which was released in 2005. Updated versions of Adobe Acrobat software should be compatible with the redesigned URLA.

  • 4. What documents are available to assist with using the URLA?

    The GSEs have published the following supporting documents to their respective URLA webpages:

    • URLA Rendering Design Options - guidance for rendering the updated interactive appearance and functionality of URLA components.
    • URLA Instructions - directions for completing new URLA form fields and clarifying existing usage.
    • ULAD Mapping Document - ties each data field on the URLA to its equivalent data point(s) in the Mortgage Industry Standards Maintenance Organization Reference Model Version 3.4 (MISMO® v3.4). ULAD is not a specification but can be used to familiarize organizations with the standard MISMO terms used to support the URLA.
    • Translation Aids - non-executable versions of Form 65 / Form 1003 and translation aids in Spanish, traditional Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean and Tagalog are available on our Multi-language Resources for Lenders and other housing professionals webpage.
  • 5. Will a lender be required to repurchase a loan if the AUS data format submitted and the URLA form do not match?

    The GSEs do not intend to require a lender to repurchase a mortgage loan started before the mandate date solely due to the lender’s use of the legacy AUS data format with the redesigned URLA (and vice versa). However, it is a lender’s responsibility to ensure the data used to underwrite and determine eligibility is accurately reflected in the transaction, and that the lender has otherwise complied with the terms of their contracts with the GSEs. Lenders must apply all policies that may or may not be represented on the new vs. old URLA form and included or not included in either of the GSE’s data file formats: MISMO v2.3.1, v2.4, v3.4 or the RLD 1003, v3.2 (1003 Flat File).

  • 6. Is there a “purchase by” date for seasoned loans that are in the legacy AUS formats (for Fannie Mae MISMO v2.3.1 or 1003 Flat File and for Freddie Mac v2.4) to be eligible for sale to the GSEs?

    No, there is no “purchase by” date for seasoned loans in the legacy AUS formats to be delivered to either of the GSEs’ selling/delivery systems (Fannie Mae Loan Delivery / Freddie Mac Loan Selling Advisor®). Loans are subject to all committing and delivery requirements for each respective GSE.

Data Requirements

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iLAD and SCIF

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Implementation and Timeline

Historical

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  • 23. Why was the URLA redesigned?

    Changes in the mortgage industry and the regulatory environment led the GSEs to reassess the information obtained at the time of loan origination. The URLA/ULAD initiative has the following objectives:

    1. Update the URLA form to collect loan application information that is relevant and useful to the industry in making a loan underwriting decision, as well as update the physical format and layout to enhance the collection of information and usability of the form.
    2. Develop and publish a corresponding standard dataset to support the URLA. The ULAD Mapping Document provides a cross reference for every field on the redesigned URLA to the equivalent data point(s) in the MISMO Version 3.4 Reference Model.
    3. Publish GSE-specific AUS specs for DU and Loan Product Advisor updated to MISMO v3.4 and including the new URLA data fields
  • 24. Who participated in the URLA redesign?

    The GSEs began by interviewing a group of lenders and software providers to understand the current loan origination process and data flow, and to assess how the URLA is used today. This was followed by meetings with the government housing agencies (Federal Housing Administration (FHA), Veterans Affairs (VA), and U.S. Department of Agriculture – Rural Development (USDA-RD)) to understand their data needs. From this research, the project team drafted the first version of the redesigned URLA.

    The project team continued to expand outreach to other lenders, software providers, Ginnie Mae, CFPB, mortgage insurance companies, the trade associations, housing advocates, and consumer groups to obtain feedback on the several iterations of the proposed redesigned URLA and the associated AUS specs. All of this feedback was reviewed by the project team and most was incorporated into subsequent versions of the redesigned URLA.

    Later drafts of the redesigned URLA underwent eight rounds of extensive usability testing with borrowers, mortgage loan processors, underwriters, and loan officers. The project team also provided previews of the redesigned URLA at various industry meetings and conferences.
  • 25. Why are the GSEs still supporting the URLA in its paper form?

    The GSEs serve the entire mortgage industry from the smallest bank to the largest, most sophisticated lending and servicing operations. We have heard from many small to midsize lenders and credit unions that still need a paper form to collect and present loan application information from and to the borrower.

  • 26. What is the page length of the redesigned URLA?

    The length of the redesigned URLA will vary depending on the number of borrowers, the type of loan and the type of transaction. The form allows borrowers to indicate which sections of the application may not apply and which may also impact the page length. The URLA Rendering Design Options Document provides additional formatting guidance for software providers and lenders to tailor production of the form according to their system capabilities.

  • 27. Why are the updated AUS datasets based on MISMO Version 3.4 instead of the MISMO Version 3.3 used by the Uniform Closing Dataset (UCD)?

    In order to support the redesigned URLA, many modifications were necessary to MISMO v3.3, which were incorporated into MISMO v3.4. If MISMO v3.3 had been selected, extensive use of EXTENSIONS would have been necessary.

  • 28. Why were the preferred language and housing counseling questions removed from the redesigned URLA?

    The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) determined that the redesigned URLA is not the appropriate vehicle to collect data on a borrower’s preferred language or information on housing counselling. This information is now collected on the SCIF form. The data collected on the URLA is based on two principles:

    1. Information that is most relevant and useful in making a loan underwriting decision; and
    2. Data that is statutorily required to be collected at application (e.g., demographic information required by the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act [HMDA]).