FHFA Announces Update for Services to Maintain Fair Lending Data

The Federal Housing Finance Agency on Wednesday announced Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will require servicers to obtain and maintain fair lending data on their loans, and for this data to transfer with servicing throughout the mortgage term.

The fair lending data to be maintained includes borrowers’ age, race, ethnicity, gender, and preferred language. Servicers will be required to implement this change starting on March 1, 2023. This update follows a May 2022 announcement, which requires lenders to collect borrowers’ language preference data.

“The need for collection and maintenance of quality fair lending data is a lesson learned from the foreclosure crisis and COVID-19 response,” said FHFA Director Sandra L. Thompson. “Having fair lending data travel with servicing will help servicers do the important work of providing assistance to borrowers in need, helping to further a sustainable and equitable housing finance system.”