This section describes the general servicing standards the Servicer must follow when Servicing Mortgage Loans.
The Servicer is required to service Mortgage Loans in accordance with the requirements of this Guide, which includes payment of escrow items, safeguarding the Mortgaged Property, and adhering to reporting and remitting requirements through Liquidation or disposition of the Mortgaged Property. The Servicer is responsible for servicing each Mortgage Loan until it receives express notice from the MPF Provider relieving the Servicer of its responsibilities in writing.
The Servicer must provide any records, information, data, or documents as requested by the MPF Bank, MPF Provider, Master Servicer, Ginnie Mae, or a designee of one of them, in a timely manner, within the time frame provided for in the Guides or in the request itself, as applicable. Such requests include quarterly quality control servicing review requests, the Servicer is required to address and resolve any deficiencies identified through any such request within the timeframe provided for by the requestor or their designee.
1.8.11.8.1 Applicable Standards
Notwithstanding the presence or absence of language in certain sections of the Servicing Guide or the Applicable Agreement that expressly requires compliance with Applicable Standards, the Servicer must service the Mortgage Loans and fulfill all other obligations under this Servicing Guide and the Applicable Agreement in strict conformance with the Applicable Standards, which are any requirements contained in:
- The Guides;
- The Applicable Agreements;
- Any requirements of any applicable Government Agency;
- Any applicable Ginnie Mae MBS Guide servicing obligations and requirements;
- Any other contractual obligation of the Servicer;
- The reasonable and customary practices of prudent mortgage lending institutions that service mortgage loans of the same type as the Mortgage Loans in the jurisdiction in which the relevant Mortgaged Properties are located;
- The terms of the Mortgage Loan documents; and
- All Applicable Laws (See also MPF Program Guide Chapter 7).
1.8.21.8.2 Servicing Files
The Servicer must maintain an individual Mortgage Loan File for each Mortgage Loan by either storage of:
- the physical documents; or
- images of the documents on:
- optical disks;
- microfilm;
- micro-fiche; or
- other electronic storage medium.
The storage medium must be marked in a way that clearly identifies the MPF loan numbers contained therein.
Any electronic storage of the documents must be in accordance with the Applicable Standards and must meet the following requirements:
- The process must accurately reproduce originals onto a durable medium;
- The MPF loan number and the Servicer loan number must be clearly marked;
- The contents of the media must be easily transferable to legible hard copies;
- The Servicer must retain the original recorded Mortgage, the original of any Assignments; the original Conventional mortgage insurance certificate, the Government Loan insurance certificate or guaranty certificate; and originals of any documents that change the mortgage terms, unless such documents are held by the MPF Government MBS Custodian; and
- The Servicer must make backup copies of the electronic files and retain the backup copies off-site to protect against fire and other hazard losses.
If the copies, optical storage or magnetic media become damaged or lost for any reason, the Servicer must bear the entire cost of restoring each Mortgage Loan File and any other related documents.
Mortgage Loan Files must be made available for review by the MPF Bank, the MPF Provider, the Master Servicer, Ginnie Mae or Government Agency, their representatives, agents, or examiners. If the requestor requires legible hard copies, the Servicer bears the cost for reproducing and delivering the hard copies.
Each Mortgage Loan File, at a minimum, must contain the following information/documents:
- Borrower correspondence letters and responses;
- Loan transaction/payment histories;
- Consolidated conversation notes and telephone contact attempts;
- Any assumption, modification, or other documents;
- Legal notices;
- Documentation of any modifications to the Mortgage Loan or releases of any collateral for the Mortgage Loan;
- A copy of the tax service contract;
- Routine form letters, all customer service/collection/bankruptcy/foreclosure/claims information, and full loan accounting history;
- Any documents required to be maintained in the Mortgage Loan File in accordance with the MPF Government MBS Selling Guide; including any data elements that were provided on the Supplemental Consumer Information Form (SCIF Form 1103) at origination maintained in a queryable format for each mortgage loan* ;
- Any approval required to have been obtained from the MPF Provider or applicable Government Agency, pursuant to the Guides, as to any of the items listed above; and
- All other documents customarily maintained in a Mortgage Loan File in accordance with Applicable Standards, including any applicable Investor or Government Agency requirements.
*Note: In the event of a future transfer of ownership or assumption of the mortgage loan, the Servicer is authorized, but not required, to update these data elements.
1.8.31.8.3 Mortgage Records
The Servicer must maintain records to show the payment history for each Mortgage Loan, including the date of each transaction, funds credited to the account, and disbursements made from the account.
1.8.41.8.4 Record Retention (10/1/25)
For more convenient storage, the Servicer may scan (or otherwise condense, including the use of computer imaging) most of the papers required to document and service the Mortgage Loan.
Servicers must ensure any documents processed, stored, or transmitted electronically, comply with the requirements of the applicable Government Agency Guides and the Ginnie Mae MBS Guides, in addition to any requirements in the MPF Guides that do not conflict with Ginnie Mae or Government Agency requirements.
However, the Servicer shall retain a copy of the original recorded Security Instrument, the original of any Assignments (except for any original Assignment that the MPF Government MBS Custodian may be holding), the original PMI certificate or applicable Government Agency mortgage insurance certificate or loan guaranty, and originals of any documents that modify the loan terms (unless required that they be sent to the MPF Provider). When the Servicer uses any form of reduced (condensed) documents, it shall be able to promptly reproduce legible, exact duplications of the original documents if they are needed for any reason.
The Servicer is responsible for promptly delivering to the MPF Government MBS Custodian any documents that come into its possession which are required to be maintained in the Collateral File.
After a Security Instrument is re-conveyed or assigned, or a Mortgaged Property disposed of, the Servicer must keep the individual Mortgage Loan File for at least seven (7) years (from the date of payoff or the date of disposition).
1.8.51.8.5 Release of Documents
The Note and the Assignment must remain in the MPF Government MBS Custodian's possession, except as needed by the Servicer from time to time as appropriate for Servicing of a Mortgage Loan. When items from the Collateral File are needed, the Servicer must submit a Request for Release of Documents for Government MBS (Form SG340M) to the MPF Government MBS Custodian.
The MPF Government MBS Custodian will release the requested Collateral File upon receipt of a properly executed Request for Release of Documents form. The Servicer will be responsible for the Collateral File while it is in the Servicer's possession and will be deemed to hold such Collateral File in trust for the MPF Provider. The Servicer must safeguard the Collateral File until it is returned to the MPF Government MBS Custodian, which includes protecting it from external elements (such as fire), identifying it as an MPF Provider asset, and keeping it separate from other unrelated documents.
If the Mortgage Loan has not been paid in full or otherwise liquidated, the Servicer shall promptly return the Collateral File when it is no longer required by the Servicer.
The MPF Provider will notify Servicers on a monthly basis regarding Collateral Files that have been released for non-liquidation purposes for more than ninety (90) days.
Within one business day of receipt of notification from the MPF Provider, the Servicer must respond to the MPF Provider with the reason the Collateral File has not been returned to the document Custodian.
The Servicer’s response must indicate one of the following:
- The Mortgage Loan has been paid in full, repurchased, or liquidated as a result of Foreclosure, short sale, or Mortgage Release. The Servicer must provide an updated Form SG340 with reason “1”, “2”, or “4” selected.
- The Servicer no longer needs the documents, and the Servicer will return the documents to the Custodian; or
- The Servicer still needs the released documents, and the reason for the continuing need of the documents.
1.8.61.8.6 Release of Lien (4/15/25)
At payoff, liquidation or as otherwise necessary, the Servicer is responsible for releasing the lien of the Security Instrument, including executing the appropriate satisfaction, release, or reconveyance on behalf of the MPF Provider, and for complying with all Applicable Laws requiring timely release or reconveyance.
The Servicer must complete the appropriate Request for Release of Documents for Government MBS (Form SG340M) and submit it to the MPF Government MBS Custodian no later than the second business day of the month following payoff/liquidation (i.e. Request for Release of Documents for all January payoffs must be submitted by the 2nd business day of February). A separate SG340-M form must be submitted for each MPF Government MBS loan for which Servicer is requesting release of the Notes. Any Servicer failing to submit timely requests will be subject to a $10 monthly late fee. Such fee will be imposed every month a required release remains unsubmitted to the Custodian.
Any specific instructions pertaining to endorsement and/or disposition of the original Mortgage Loan documents must accompany the Request for Release of Documents form.
The MPF Government MBS Custodian shall return the original Note by UPS or FedEx (using account number provided by the PFI at onboarding) once the Mortgage Loan is paid in full or otherwise liquidated. The Servicer is responsible for complying with Applicable Law with respect to the Note being altered to indicate the Mortgage Loan has been paid in full.
The Mortgage Loan must also be deactivated on MERS if the Mortgage Loan is registered with MERS.
1.8.71.8.7 Disclosure of Servicer Information
The Servicer must furnish to the MPF Provider or Ginnie Mae upon request, and to keep up to date, a description of the Servicer and its activities, suitable, in the MPF Provider’s or Ginnie Mae’s discretion, for disclosure purposes related to securitization. The Servicer consents to the inclusion of such description in any prospectus, private placement memorandum, or offering circular. The Servicer recognizes that the MPF Provider and Ginnie Mae will rely upon the truthfulness and accuracy of such description, including when using Mortgage Loans as collateral for mortgage-backed securities or similar transactions.
1.8.81.8.8 Lien Priority
The Servicer must take all such actions as are reasonably necessary to preserve the lien and its priority upon the Mortgaged Property securing each Mortgage Loan at all times.
1.8.91.8.9 Delinquency Ratio Exceeding MPF Program’s Standard
The Servicer shall maintain monthly total portfolio Delinquency ratios at or below the maximum allowable total delinquent ratio as determined by its MPF Bank or MPF Provider.
A Servicer may be disqualified or suspended if the Servicer’s 30-, 60-, or 90-day Delinquency rate or REO property rate for Mortgage Loans is more than 50% higher than the average 30-, 60-, or 90-day Delinquency rate or REO property rate for all Mortgage Loans owned by MPF Banks or delivered under the MPF Program nationally or for loans which are secured by Mortgaged Properties located in the same geographic area (which may include Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area, county, or state) as the loans being serviced by the Servicer and with similar mortgage and borrower characteristics (for example, origination year, loan to value ratio, documentation type, etc.).
1.8.101.8.10 Customer Contact
Servicers must promptly respond to all inquiries received from Borrowers about the terms of their Mortgage Loans, the status of their accounts, loss mitigation, or any actions the Servicer took (or did not take) in servicing their Mortgage Loans.
The Servicer’s staff must be able to communicate with Borrowers in a manner reasonably expected to be understandable to the Borrower.
The Servicer shall not refer Borrowers to the MPF Bank, the MPF Provider or the Master Servicer for resolution of issues that are the Servicer’s responsibility.
If Servicer requires information from Master Servicer, MPF Provider, or MPF Bank to respond to such Borrower inquiry, Servicer must allow at least 5 Business Days for the request to be processed, and to avoid delays, should ensure the request include at minimum the following information:
- MPF loan number;
- Borrower name(s);
- Who inquiry was received from and relationship to Borrower (Note that any request received related to inquiry from alleged successors in interests will be assumed to have been confirmed as a Successor in Interest by Servicer pursuant to its policies and procedures);
- Deadline for response to inquiry, and whether the deadline is regulatory;
- Copy of the original inquiry (if received in writing); and
- Any other relevant loan or borrower information that may be needed to provide response to Servicer’s request.
1.8.111.8.11 Rescission Notices
The Servicer must immediately notify the MPF Provider when a rescission notice is received from or on behalf of a Borrower.
To avoid delays, the notification to the MPF Provider must include at minimum the following information:
- MPF loan number;
- Borrower name(s);
- Loan product, and any applicable Government Agency insuring or guaranteeing the Mortgage Loan;
- Who inquiry was received from and relationship to Borrower (Note that any request received related to inquiry from alleged successors in interests will be assumed to have been confirmed as a Successor in Interest by Servicer pursuant to its policies and procedures);
- Date and method notice of rescission was received by Servicer;
- Copy of the Notice of Rescission;
- Copy of any other communication received from Borrower or Borrower’s representative related to the rescission;
- Status of loan (If loan is in foreclosure or bankruptcy: name and contact information of attorney representing Servicer and attorney representing Borrower); and
- Any other relevant loan or borrower information that may be needed to address the rescission demand.
1.8.121.8.12 Other Loan Inquiries
Servicers must promptly respond appropriately pursuant to Applicable Laws to all inquiries received regarding Mortgage Loans they service, including inquiries from non-authorized individuals, regulators, government representatives etc.
The Servicer shall not refer such individuals to the Master Servicer, MPF Bank, or MPF Provider for resolution of issues that are the Servicer’s responsibility.
If Servicer requires information from the Master Servicer, MPF Bank, or MPF Provider to respond to such inquiry, Servicer must allow at least 5 Business Days for the request to be processed, and, to avoid delays, should ensure the request include at minimum the following information:
- MPF loan number;
- Borrower name(s);
- Who inquiry was received from and relationship to Borrower (Note that any request received related to inquiry from alleged successors in interests will be assumed to have been confirmed as a Successor in Interest by Servicer pursuant to its policies and procedures);
- Deadline for response to inquiry, and whether the deadline is regulatory;
- Copy of the original inquiry (if received in writing); and
- Any other relevant loan or borrower information that may be needed to provide response to Servicer’s request.
1.8.131.8.13 Occupancy Status
The Servicer shall maintain accurate records of the occupancy status of Mortgaged Properties, including any changes in occupancy they have been made aware of. In addition, Servicers must immediately advise the MPF Provider via email, upon discovering that the Mortgaged Property is no longer owner-occupied, including when it is vacant or abandoned, or that it is occupied by a tenant, if the related Mortgage Loan documents require such property be owner-occupied. Included in the communication advising the MPF Provider of such status change, the Servicer must provide recommendations as to any actions that are to be taken as a result of the change in occupancy status.
1.8.141.8.14 MERS Registered Mortgage Loans
If the Servicer uses MERS or if the use of MERS is required under a particular servicing option, in addition to complying with the requirements of the MERS Membership Agreement, Servicers of MERS registered Mortgage Loans must check for electronic messages from MERS. If an unidentified notice related to a Mortgage Loan is received, the Servicer must take any appropriate and timely action based on the notice, and advise MERS that it is the Servicer of the Mortgage Loan.
1.8.151.8.15 Execution by MPF Provider
If the MPF Provider’s signature is required on any document (e.g. for payment in full, Assumption, or Foreclosure), the Servicer must provide a written notice to the MPF Provider requesting the MPF Provider’s execution and certifying the reason that the execution is required. Upon receipt of the executed documents, the Servicer must promptly record, file, or deliver the documents as applicable. Servicer must allow at least 5 Business Days for the request to be processed, and, to avoid delays, should ensure the request include at minimum the following information:
- MPF loan number;
- Borrower name(s);
- Explanation as to why request is being made, including any deadlines related to legal processes; and
- Any other supporting documentation or relevant loan or borrower information that may be needed to respond to Servicer’s request.
1.8.161.8.16 Late Charges
The Servicer must collect late charges pursuant to the terms of the Note and in accordance with the Applicable Standards. However, the Servicer cannot collect a late charge that is more than five percent (5%) of the late Principal and Interest Payment and/or collect a late charge on a monthly payment received on or prior to the 15th calendar day of the month.
The Servicer should use discretion when considering a request for waiver of late charges, taking into consideration delinquency history, etc.
The Servicer must accept a late full monthly payment without the late charge included, unless Applicable Law states otherwise or acceptance of the payment would pose a risk to the Servicer during legal proceedings.
1.8.171.8.17 Property Address Change
When the Servicer has determined that the property address has changed, the Servicer must email the MPF Provider at [email protected] with the following information:
- MPF loan number;
- Borrower name;
- Old property address;
- New property address; and
- Documentation reflecting the property address change.
1.8.181.8.18 Electronic Signatures
PFIs may use electronic signatures to execute servicing documents provided the document is permitted to be electronically signed by applicable laws and the MPF Program, including the requirements provided in MPF Program Guide Section “7.4 Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act (E-SIGN)".
In addition to the above requirements, PFIs must ensure that recording offices (if document is meant to be recorded), and all guarantor, insurer, Investor, or Government Agency (as applicable) permit electronic signatures and their requirements for the use of such electronic signatures are met.
1.8.191.8.19 Notarization Standards
Certain loan documents and instruments may require notarization under applicable laws to allow for either recognition, enforcement, or recordation of the loan document or instrument. PFIs must ensure the notarization complies with applicable laws, MPF Program requirements, recording offices (if document is meant to be recorded) requirements, and all guarantor, insurer, Investor, or Government Agency (as applicable) requirements.
For the MPF Program requirements refer to MPF Program Guide section – “7.4.2 Notarization Standards”.