Frequently asked questions

Uniform Residential Loan Application (URLA)

There is not a technical constraint on this, but you should review with your own compliance and legal counsel with regard to how your organization will treat these scenarios. The new URLA also includes support for an unmarried addendum, where the borrower(s) will disclose additional details about their relationship and community property status.

Similar to how we handle all major industry changes, ICE Mortgage Technology has been and will continue to provide ongoing education and documentation for all changes in business process and software. A recorded webinar series was previously launched with helpful information on using the new form. We also have URLA Training Roadshows scheduled across the U.S. that offer hands-on training with all the new URLA functionality in Encompass. In addition, ICE Mortgage Technology will continue to provide detailed documentation and instructions about all changes that affect Encompass and related products and services which can be found in the ICE Mortgage Technology Resource Center.

This will depend on jurisdiction. The footer shows the borrower to which the page applies. As there can be multiple copies of the URLA for different borrowers in the package, the name on the bottom is a guide for identifying which borrower is associated with that particular page.

ICE Mortgage Technology and the GSEs (Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac) have strategic partnerships and have remained in constant communication on many industry topics including the new Uniform Residential Mortgage Application (URLA). On December 18, 2019 the GSEs announced the new planned implementation timeline for the new URLA based on the form changes announced in October 2019. In summary, lenders may choose to use the updated URLA starting in June 2020. The GSEs will require applications taken after November 1, 2020 be on the new form. Most of the updates have already been released in the 19.3 and 19.4 releases in the Encompass Digital Lending Platform Major Releases launched in the last half of 2019. ICE Mortgage Technology is also assessing the impacts that these changes will have on our partner integrations, including the AUS engines used by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Our product plan is the make the new URLA generally available early May 2020 to provide these updates with the 20.1 Major Release. Testing on the new URLA may be done in advance of the 20.1 release. For more specific information about these updates, here is the link to the announcement.

No, the new URLA, like the existing 1003/65, does not include HELOC as a loan type.

Yes, we have a provided a list of all data fields, with mapping to the new fields. This is available on the ICE Mortgage Technology Resource Center.

Yes, Encompass Consumer Connect will be supporting the new URLA as will Encompass Loan Officer Connect and Encompass TPO Connect.

Since we are aware that there will be a significant period of time of transition for the new MISMO format, we will plan to support both FNMA 3.2 and MISMO 3.4 for the foreseeable future.

Lenders should consult with their own compliance resources to determine to what extent the URLA might impact existing disclosure requirements.

Although there is verbiage in the Acknowledgements and Agreements covering this, lenders will need to work with their credit providers to assess if the following language will meet their needs:

(6) Use and Sharing of Information
I understand and acknowledge that the Lender and Other Loan participants can obtain, use, and share the loan application, a consumer credit report, and related documentation for purposes permitted by applicable laws.

As mentioned previously, there has been no indication at this time as to whether or not any states (including the District of Columbia) will be revising any of their existing requirements based on the new URLA format, nor has there been confirmation from the GSE’s on how to accommodate any state specific requirements. We will share any information we receive if and when information is made available.

Yes, we will be supporting the concurrent use of both the current 1003 and new URLA. This will be policy driven and in the control of the lender.

All borrowers will receive their own application, and the lender will be able to control which version the co-borrowers on the application receive. For any co-borrower on a borrower pair, the Lender has the option to indicate “Use Additional Borrower (Joint) Format” to provide the co-borrower with their own application, but a reference back to the borrower’s application for joint assets and liabilities. By default all borrowers will receive their own application with a full listing of their individual and joint assets and liabilities.

The policy will be company level, and will drive a mandatory use date.

These are shown on the lender pages. The lender has the option to provide the borrower with only the borrower application or the borrower and the lender application.

Lenders have the option to show or hide this field on the Consumer Connect and TPO Connect applications, as well as controlling access to the field within Encompass. We are investigating adding additional controls to show or hide the fields within Encompass, but that will be a later enhancement to the solution.

There has been no indication at this time as to whether or not any states (including the District of Columbia) will be revising any of their existing requirements based on the new URLA format, nor has there been confirmation from the GSE’s on how to accommodate any state specific requirements. We will share any information we receive if and when information is made available.

No. We are going to retain the same user experience in the Encompass Smart Client. There will be new URLA pages to replace the existing 1003 pages but will follow a similar format and flow.

The short answer to this is no! There is significant reuse of data between the existing 1003/65 and the new URLA. With the recent minor updates to the new form, some fields were changed, and others were moved. The GSEs have provided an excellent guide to compare the old and new forms, to which ICE Mortgage Technology is updating a companion data guide to assist our clients in understanding how the comparison relates to Encompass fields. This will be made available again on the ICE Mortgage Technology resource center once it has been updated.

We are targeting to have the updates to the new URLA in Encompass in the 20.1 Major Release planned for May 2020 with regular updates through Q3 2020. However, since we released most of the changes in 2019, customers have the ability to test the new URLA now.

Yes, if you wish to perform a pilot test with a subset of your loan files during the Limited and/or Open Production phases, you can provide access to users at the persona level to Change URLA Form Version (under Personas, Loan Tab, Other). This will allow the selected users to modify the URLA form version on the loan level without enabling the company setting to set all loans to 2020 by default. You could use this with your existing personas or create a pilot group persona(s) for controlling access and assign to your pilot group users.



Disclaimer: The content below is intended for general information purposes only and is provided to assist ICE Mortgage Technology’s customers and non-customers in complying with the new Uniform Residential Mortgage Application (URLA). This content may contain forward-looking statements about ICE Mortgage Technology, Inc.’s ability and timing to enhance the features and functionality of its software and services. While these forward-looking statements represent our current judgment on what the future holds, they are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results that differ materially. This information is provided as a courtesy to ICE Mortgage Technology’s customers and ICE Mortgage Technology makes no representation or warranty regarding the accuracy of the information set forth herein, and you may not rely on this information to ensure your company’s compliance with the URLA. This publication should not be construed as legal advice or opinion on any specific facts or circumstances, including the application of the URLA requirements. You are advised to consult your own compliance staff or attorney regarding your specific residential mortgage lending questions or situation to ensure your compliance with all applicable laws and regulations.