On August 8, 2019, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (the GSEs) announced changes to be made to the revised Uniform Residential Loan Application (URLA) and a postponement of the mandatory use date. The mandatory use date was previously set for February 1, 2020, and a new date has not yet been determined. The postponement will “allow industry participants time to make necessary changes,” before implementing the revised URLA and automated underwriting system.
Per the announcement, the GSEs have been directed by the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) to make specific modifications to the revised URLA form, including:
- Removal of The Language Preference question (Borrower Information, Section 1a.) and The Homeownership Education and Housing Counseling question (Lender Loan Information, Section L5.) Instead, this information will be collected on a separate “voluntary consumer information form” to be developed for this purpose.
- Revision of the “Use and Sharing of Information” in the Acknowledgment and Agreements (Borrower Information, Section 6.) to address specific uses of borrower data.
- The Military Service question will be moved from Borrower Information, Section 1a. to Section 7: Demographic Information.
- Additional minor edits for consistency and usability to be made throughout the URLA form.
The announcement states that the “GSEs and the FHFA will assess the impact of these changes to the timeline and will provide more information about the new implementation dates as soon as it is available.”
To view the announcement, click here.
DocMagic will continue to provide updates about our ongoing work to support the implementation of the revised URLA when further information is announced.
