Fannie, Freddie To Begin Using Loan-Level Identifiers

Fannie Mae (FNM) and Freddie Mac (FRE) are now required to identify the mortgage loans they purchase by originator and appraiser, in a move aimed at preventing fraud and predatory lending.

The mortgage finance giants will begin collecting such "loan-level identifiers" effective for all mortgage applications dated on or after Jan. 1, their regulator announced Thursday.

"If originators or appraisers have contributed to the incidences of mortgage fraud, these identifiers allow the enterprises to get to the root of the problem and address the issues," Federal Housing Finance Agency Director James B. Lockhart said in a statement.

The new rules were mandated by a federal housing law enacted last summer. The law also created a national registry for mortgage brokers and appraisers.

The regulator told the chief executives of Fannie and Freddie about the new requirement in October, the agency said. -By Jessica Holzer, Dow Jones Newswires; 202-862-9228; [e-mail]

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