Uniform Loan Delivery Dataset FAQ

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The GSEs recognize the need for continued alignment on the ULDD data standards. The GSEs are fully aligned on the ULDD Phase 3 Demographic Information (DI) data requirements for borrower’s race, ethnicity and gender. However, there are certain other data requirements that are unique to each GSE. To determine these differences, we recommend merging the list of data points from each GSE’s Appendix D (Microsoft Excel® format with filtering capabilities) and reviewing the list side by side.

The GSEs collect the warehouse lender identifier through the ULDD XML import file to identify loans that are pledged to a warehouse line of credit. Sellers can more efficiently identify the warehouse lender on the loan record at delivery, thereby streamlining the identification of loans requiring release of funds at settlement.

In Q1 2016, in support of the Uniform Mortgage Data Program®, the GSEs introduced Condominium Project Questionnaires to provide greater consistency and clarity for lenders as they collect information to determine eligibility for mortgages secured by units in condominium projects. To further support this effort, the ULDD includes conditional requirements for a unique project identifier, when the identifier is available. The GSEs will look at future opportunities to collect an identifier to help streamline the evaluation of units in condominium, cooperative and PUD projects, and reduce variations in the data being collected.

The HOA EIN may be obtained from the HOA or the HOA’s management company. Many lenders choose to use a form to gather needed information from the HOA or their management company. If lenders do not have a proprietary form to collect this information, they may use either of the Condominium Project Questionnaires (Form 476 or Form 477).

Collecting escrow data helps streamline the onboarding process for loans delivered through Freddie Mac’s Cash-Released XChange℠ execution. Escrow data reported at loan delivery is passed to the transferee servicer. Transferee servicers use the escrow balance information to support loan/borrower onboarding and for settlement of the servicing contract rights purchase with the servicing-released seller. If the loan has not been delivered through Cash-Released XChange, reporting of escrow data is not required.

No. Failure to accurately report the current escrow balance may result in funding adjustments between the transferee servicers and loan seller after acquisition. The loan seller is not required to notify Freddie Mac of escrow adjustments through post-funding adjustments or other methods of correction.

Yes. In May 2019, the GSEs announced that closing cost and down payment amounts should be delivered to the GSEs if they are available. Sellers that are already providing or are planning to provide this data should continue to do so. Any closing cost or down payment data provided must be accurate and complete. For example, if an amount is provided, a related source and type should also be provided. The GSEs will not generate fatal edits if closing cost or down payment amounts are absent from the ULDD for any loan, including affordable housing loans.

The conditionality and enumerations of the data points are aligned between the GSEs. Freddie Mac supports up to 4 unique Type/Source/Amount combinations and provides instructions to sellers regarding the summing and prioritization of reported enumerations when more than 4 unique Type/Source/Amount combinations exist; whereas Fannie Mae supports up to 12 unique Type/Source/Amount combinations.

In addition, the redesigned Uniform Residential Loan Application (URLA) provides the opportunity for collection of Funds Source Types and Asset Types which are not valid ULDD enumerations; in those cases, the following mapping should be used.

The ULI is a unique number assigned by a financial institution to a loan or application; it can be up to 45 characters in length. The ULI may be used to track loans throughout the loan’s lifecycle, whereas the MERS® Mortgage Identification Number (MIN) is primarily used to identify a loan’s servicer or to facilitate servicing transfers. For additional information about generating a ULI refer to Compilation of Reportable Data from Part 1003.4 of Regulation C on the CFPB website. For more information on generating the ULI check-digits, refer to Appendix C to Part 1003 on the CFPB website.

The ULI may be used to track a loan throughout its lifecycle. Per the HMDA Final Rule, most lenders must begin assigning a ULI for loans with an Application Received Date on or after January 1, 2018. The ULI is Conditionally Required; the GSEs require sellers to deliver the ULI at loan delivery, if it is available. Sellers should report the same ULI to the GSEs that they report for regulatory purposes to CFPB.

Loan Affordable Indicator Sort ID 238 is used to identify a first lien mortgage meeting Freddie Mac’s affordable lending criteria, such as a Home Possible® Mortgage. Loan Affordable Indicator Sort ID 513.1 is used to identify when a first mortgage has secondary financing meeting Freddie Mac’s affordable lending criteria, such as Affordable Seconds®. The ULDD Specification contains Loan Role Type information used to differentiate between data points with the same MISMO name. The Sort ID 238 Loan Role Type is “Subject Loan”, whereas the Sort ID 513.1 Loan Role Type is “Related Loan”. Data point, Loan Affordable Indicator (Sort ID 513.1) replaced Investor Feature Identifier (IFI) 583, indicating Mortgage with an Affordable Second®.

No. The ULDD does not expect the Refinance Cash Out Amount (Sort ID 293) to be equal to the UCD Cash To Borrower At Closing Amount in all circumstances. The amount reported in the ULDD data point includes loan amounts for which the use is not limited to specific purposes; see Freddie Mac’s Single-Family Seller Servicer Guide (Guide) Section 4301.5:Cash-out refinance Mortgages. The Refinance Cash Out Amount must only be entered for Mortgages meeting the definition of a cash-out refinance mortgage, and delivered according to the delivery requirements set forth in Guide Section 6302.16: Special delivery requirements for refinance Mortgages. The seller should follow Freddie Mac’s implementation guidance rather than a strict interpretation of MISMO’s definition.

The ULDD continues to leverage the MISMO v3.0 Build 263-12 Reference Model (version 2010-05). Please note that other versions of the reference model are not currently compatible with the ULDD.

No. We have no plans at this time to transition to another version of MISMO.

Although the basic loan delivery XML file format is supported by each GSE, there are differences in the data conditionality and/or the supported valid values for certain data points based on each GSE's policies and delivery eligibility requirements. These differences are detailed in the GSE-specific Implementation Guides. Additionally, it is important to note that when delivering loans to either GSE, Sellers must continue to meet the terms and conditions of their contracts.

XML stands for eXtensible Markup Language. It is a flexible and widely used standard to transport and store data that simplifies the way businesses exchange electronic data.

Based on each GSE's credit policy and delivery eligibility, there are certain data points that have different expected and allowable values or enumerations. The details in the GSE-specific Implementation Guides for Loan Delivery Data provide the information needed to code these data points with the GSE-specific values.

The data points within the ULDD also have varying levels of conditionality – some are required for both GSEs, some are conditionally required (such as ARM data attributes), and some are conditionally independent (such as pool data for Fannie Mae only). The basic framework of the file is the same and the hierarchical structure of the containers that define specified collections of loan data points within the file is the same.

The GSEs jointly developed Appendix D in Excel® format. The GSEs’ spreadsheets can be easily merged, allowing you to compare the differences.

The ULDD includes some data points and valid values that are not supported by the MISMO v3.0 Reference Model. Because MISMO allows for expansion of the schema through the use of extension containers, the GSEs are leveraging this feature to accommodate the ULDD data requirements without transitioning to a newer MISMO model. Sellers and technology solution providers will need to build their XML files according to the GSE proprietary extended MISMO v3.0 schema.

To invoke the ULDD extension schema, which in turn invokes the MISMO schema, you must modify the header record in your ULDD XML data submission file to specify the ULDD extension information. The ULDD namespace has been added to uniquely identify the ULDD extended containers and data, and is necessary to distinguish the ULDD extension schema from the MISMO 3.0 schema. If the schema location is not accurately specified, your XML files may incorrectly validate, or may not validate prior to submission to Freddie Mac. Freddie Mac recommends using the Customer Test Environment (CTE) to confirm the validity of ULDD XML files.

NOTE: To correctly validate the submission file against the schema and extension, implementers will need to modify the submission file header to align with one of the sample header records below. Notice the update below to the “ULDD” namespace.

Sample 1. For applications where the MISMO 3.0 Schema, ULDD Phase 5 Extension, and XML submission files are located within the same folder:

Sample 2. For applications where the MISMO 3.0 Schema and ULDD Phase 5 Extension files are not located within the same folder as the XML submission file, include the path for your schema location:

Appendix A – XML Data Requirements and Appendix D – XML Data Requirements Reference Tool contain identical information; however, Appendix A is in PDF format and Appendix D is in Microsoft Excel® format.

Within the ULDD Appendix A XML Data Requirements (PDF format) or Appendix D (XLSX format), the data points are divided into four categories:

No. You do not need to support the exact format length in your systems. In the example of address length, the loan delivery XML file will allow a maximum of 100 characters. Provided the address does not exceed 100 characters, your loan delivery XML file will be in compliance with the ULDD format length for this field. For specific fields, each GSE may specify reasonable business values.

The GSEs require delivery of “Related Loan” data when the subject loan has subordinate financing. Delivery of up to three Related Loan containers is permitted.

Yes. Freddie Mac works with mortgage technology software partners to test that an interface has been developed in accordance with our data specifications. Software Partners are encouraged to request Freddie Mac review and verify their ULDD integration. Verified software partners are listed on Freddie Mac’s Technology Integration Software Partners webpage. To engage Freddie Mac’s software partner technology integration representative, email [email protected]. Freddie Mac does not endorse, or make any representations or warranties regarding, any service provider.  Each lender is solely responsible for the decision of whether to engage a given provider, and on what terms, and for ensuring that the providers it engages have in place and maintain controls, processes, and procedures that satisfy the lender's business, operational, risk, legal and regulatory requirements.

Previous ULDD specifications can be viewed in the Archived Freddie Mac XML Data Requirements Reference Tool - Appendix G.

Demographic information is used by the GSEs for fair lending analysis and other business uses. The ULDD supports the collection and delivery of the new Demographic Information, which is also consistent with the redesigned URLA, Section 8. Demographic Information and the URLA – Demographic Information Addendum.

Sellers should report the same Demographic Information to the GSEs that they report for regulatory purposes to CFPB. In the event CFPB requires the seller to curtail the reporting of demographic data to accommodate a maximum number of simultaneously reported instances (e.g., a maximum of five races), the GSEs are not similarly constrained and can accept all the Demographic Information provided by the borrower. Sellers are encouraged to report to the GSEs all the Demographic Information collected from the borrower

Sellers should report the actual Demographic Information as reported by the borrower. Sellers should also report the Refusal Indicator = “true”, since the “I do not wish to provide this information” checkbox was selected.

No, when the borrower selects “I do not wish to provide this information” on the loan application, or otherwise refuses to provide Demographic Information, then the corresponding ULDD Refusal Indicator (Sort ID 608.2, 609.5, or 610.2) should be set to “true”. Sellers should ensure their data mapping does not automatically set the Gender, Race or Ethnicity Type to “InformationNotProvided…” when the Refusal Indicator is “true”. The Refusal Indicator is a separate data point and can co-exist with any Gender, Race, or Ethnicity Type enumeration. The Type enumeration “Information Not Provided…” is mutually exclusive with other Type enumerations.

Question: I have a loan application where the borrower provided their Race, Ethnicity, and Gender data using the “old” format, where there was no provision for them to provide supplemental ethnicity or race data such as “Cuban” or “Samoan”. How do I report the Race, Ethnicity, and Gender data that the borrower provided?

Answer: The borrower’s Race, Ethnicity, and Gender data must be reported using the XML extension containers, regardless of the Application Received Date.

No. Freddie Mac's loan delivery data requirements are based on our business needs. Demographic Information is used by the GSEs for fair lending analysis and other business uses. The HMDA dataset and the ULDD have different purposes and contain different data.

No. Sellers should seek assistance from their legal counsel, regulator, or the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).

Sellers should indicate if the borrower’s Demographic Information was collected by the financial institution based on visual observation or (sur)name regardless of the application method, including for applications not taken in person. If the financial institution collected the borrower’s Gender, Race or Ethnicity Type based on visual observation or (sur)name, report “true” in the corresponding ULDD Visual Observation Or (Sur)name Indicator (Sort ID 608.1, 609.4, or 610.1), otherwise, report “false”.

The GSEs accept all values that are simultaneously reported. For example, for any borrower, the simultaneous reporting of all Ethnicity Origin Types: Cuban, Mexican, Other Hispanic or Latino, and Puerto Rican as well as an Ethnicity Origin Type Other Description is allowed.

The CTE closely mirrors the Loan Selling Advisor production environment and offers an opportunity to test your ability to submit your loans (via XML import file or manual entry) and experience edits prior to delivery in the live production environment.

Yes. A total of five test case scenarios are available in Appendix B – Freddie Mac Test Case Scenarios on the ULDD page to assist sellers and technology solution providers with testing. These test case scenarios exercise a variety of ULDD data requirements and include a test case developed jointly with Fannie Mae.

Yes, a total of 10 borrower test scenarios, developed jointly with Fannie Mae, are available as part of Appendix B – Freddie Mac Test Case Scenarios to assist Sellers and vendors with testing. We also provide examples of well-formed XML for each of the 10 test scenarios to guide you in the construction of your XML file submissions; refer to Appendix C – Freddie Mac XML Sample Files.