Supplement I to 12 CFR Part 1003 — Official Bureau Interpretations (Regulation C / HMDA Commentary)
Supplement I to 12 CFR Part 1003 is the CFPB's official staff commentary on Regulation C (HMDA). This register captures the most operationally-load-bearing commentary interpreting §§1003.2–.6 (definitions, exempt transactions, LAR data fields, disclosure and reporting, and bona-fide-error enforcement). Each obligation cites the verbatim comment text and identifies the parent rule it interprets via the `interprets` field.
Verbatim regulatory text
Verbatim provisions from Supplement I to 12 CFR Part 1003 — Official Bureau Interpretations (Regulation C / HMDA Commentary) — each quote is a verified substring of the regulator-published source snapshot, not retyped. Quoted for reference; this is not legal advice. The operational layer (P&P updates, prompts) lives in the regulation update kits.
Supplement I — Comment 2(b)-2: Prequalification not reportable
2. Prequalification. A prequalification request is a request by a prospective loan applicant (other than a request for preapproval) for a preliminary determination on whether the prospective loan applicant would likely qualify for credit under an institution's standards, or for a determination on the amount of credit for which the prospective applicant would likely qualify. Some institutions evaluate prequalification requests through a procedure that is separate from the institution's normal loan application process; others use the same process. In either case, Regulation C does not require an institution to report prequalification requests on the loan/application register, even though these requests may constitute applications under Regulation B for purposes of adverse action notices.
Supplement I — Comment 2(b)-3: Preapproval-program written-commitment criteria
3. Requests for preapproval. To be a preapproval program as defined in § 1003.2(b)(2) , the written commitment issued under the program must result from a comprehensive review of the creditworthiness of the applicant, including such verification of income, resources, and other matters as is typically done by the institution as part of its normal credit evaluation program. In addition to conditions involving the identification of a suitable property and verification that no material change has occurred in the applicant's financial condition or creditworthiness, the written commitment may be subject only to other conditions (unrelated to the financial condition or creditworthiness of the applicant) that the lender ordinarily attaches to a traditional home mortgage application approval.
Supplement I — Comment 2(d)-2: Extension of credit means new debt obligation
2. Extension of credit. Under § 1003.2(d) , a dwelling-secured loan is not a closed-end mortgage loan unless it involves an extension of credit. For example, some transactions completed pursuant to installment sales contracts, such as some land contracts, depending on the facts and circumstances, may or may not involve extensions of credit rendering the transactions closed-end mortgage loans. In general, extension of credit under § 1003.2(d) refers to the granting of credit only pursuant to a new debt obligation. Thus, except as described in comments 2(d)-2.i and .ii, if a transaction modifies, renews, extends, or amends the terms of an existing debt obligation, but the existing debt obligation is not satisfied and replaced, the transaction is not a closed-end mortgage loan under § 1003.2(d) because there has been no new extension of credit.
Supplement I — Comment 2(f)-4: Mixed-use property — primary use governs
4. Mixed-use properties. A property used for both residential and commercial purposes, such as a building containing apartment units and retail space, is a dwelling if the property's primary use is residential. An institution may use any reasonable standard to determine the primary use of the property, such as by square footage or by the income generated. An institution may select the standard to apply on a case-by-case basis.
Supplement I — Comment 2(g)-2: 2026 asset-size exemption threshold ($59 million)
2. Adjustment of exemption threshold for banks, savings associations, and credit unions. For data collection in 2026, the asset-size exemption threshold is $59 million. Banks, savings associations, and credit unions with assets at or below $59 million as of December 31, 2025, are exempt from collecting data for 2026.
Supplement I — Comment 3(c)(3)-1: Temporary financing exclusion requires designed-for-replacement
1. Temporary financing. Section 1003.3(c)(3) provides that closed-end mortgage loans or open-end lines of credit obtained for temporary financing are excluded transactions. A loan or line of credit is considered temporary financing and excluded under § 1003.3(c)(3) if the loan or line of credit is designed to be replaced by separate permanent financing extended by any financial institution to the same borrower at a later time.
Supplement I — Comment 4(a)-2.i: Only one institution reports an origination — the credit-decider
i. Only one financial institution reports each originated covered loan as an origination. If more than one institution was involved in the origination of a covered loan, the financial institution that made the credit decision approving the application before closing or account opening reports the loan as an origination. It is not relevant whether the loan closed or, in the case of an application, would have closed in the institution's name. If more than one institution approved an application prior to closing or account opening and one of those institutions purchased the loan after closing, the institution that purchased the loan after closing reports the loan as an origination.
Supplement I — Comment 4(a)(1)(i)-1: ULI uniqueness
1. ULI—uniqueness. Section 1003.4(a)(1)(i)(B) ( 2 ) requires a financial institution that assigns a universal loan identifier (ULI) to each covered loan or application (except as provided in § 1003.4(a)(1)(i)(D) and (E) ) to ensure that the character sequence it assigns is unique within the institution and used only for the covered loan or application. A financial institution should assign only one ULI to any particular covered loan or application, and each ULI should correspond to a single application and ensuing loan in the case that the application is approved and a loan is originated. A financial institution may use a ULI that was reported previously to refer only to the same loan or application for which the ULI was used previously or a loan that ensues from an application for which the ULI was used previously.
Supplement I — Comment 4(a)(1)(i)-2: ULI privacy — no direct PII
2. ULI—privacy. Section 1003.4(a)(1)(i)(B) ( 3 ) prohibits a financial institution from including information that could be used to directly identify the applicant or borrower in the identifier that it assigns for the application or covered loan of the applicant or borrower. Information that could be used to directly identify the applicant or borrower includes, but is not limited to, the applicant's or borrower's name, date of birth, Social Security number, official government-issued driver's license or identification number, alien registration number, government passport number, or employer or taxpayer identification number.
Supplement I — Comment 4(a)(3)-2: Cash-out refinancing classification driven by institution/investor guidelines
2. Purpose—refinancing and cash-out refinancing. Section 1003.4(a)(3) requires a financial institution to report whether a covered loan is, or an application is for, a refinancing or a cash-out refinancing. A financial institution reports a covered loan or an application as a cash-out refinancing if it is a refinancing as defined by § 1003.2(p) and the institution considered it to be a cash-out refinancing in processing the application or setting the terms (such as the interest rate or origination charges) under its guidelines or an investor's guidelines.
Supplement I — Comment 4(a)(8)(i)-6: File closed for incompleteness vs. denial
6. Action taken—file closed for incompleteness. A financial institution reports that the file was closed for incompleteness if the financial institution sent a written notice of incompleteness under Regulation B, 12 CFR 1002.9 (c)(2), and the applicant did not respond to the request for additional information within the period of time specified in the notice before the applicant satisfies all underwriting or creditworthiness conditions. See comment 4(a)(8)(i)-13. If a financial institution then provides a notification of adverse action on the basis of incompleteness under Regulation B, 12 CFR 1002.9 (c)(1)(i), the financial institution may report the action taken as either file closed for incompleteness or application denied. A preapproval request that is closed for incompleteness is not reportable under HMDA.
Supplement I — Comment 4(a)(8)(i)-9: Counteroffers — action-taken mapping
9. Action taken—counteroffers. If a financial institution makes a counteroffer to lend on terms different from the applicant's initial request (for example, for a shorter loan maturity, with a different interest rate, or in a different amount) and the applicant declines to proceed with the counteroffer or fails to respond, the institution reports the action taken as a denial on the original terms requested by the applicant. If the applicant agrees to proceed with consideration of the financial institution's counteroffer, the financial institution reports the action taken as the disposition of the application based on the terms of the counteroffer.
Supplement I — Comment 4(a)(9)(i)-1: Property address is the SECURING-property address, not the mailing address
1. General. Except for partially exempt transactions under § 1003.3(d) , § 1003.4(a)(9)(i) requires a financial institution to report the property address of the location of the property securing a covered loan or, in the case of an application, proposed to secure a covered loan. The address should correspond to the property identified on the legal obligation related to the covered loan. For applications that did not result in an origination, the address should correspond to the location of the property proposed to secure the loan as identified by the applicant. For example, assume a loan is secured by a property located at 123 Main Street, and the applicant's or borrower's mailing address is a post office box. The financial institution should not report the post office box, and should report 123 Main Street.
Supplement I — Comment 4(a)(10)(iii)-1: Income — only the income relied on
1. Income data—income relied on. When a financial institution evaluates income as part of a credit decision, it reports the gross annual income relied on in making the credit decision. For example, if an institution relies on an applicant's salary to compute a debt-to-income ratio but also relies on the applicant's annual bonus to evaluate creditworthiness, the institution reports the salary and the bonus to the extent relied upon. If an institution relies on only a portion of an applicant's income in its determination, it does not report that portion of income not relied on. For example, if an institution, pursuant to lender and investor guidelines, does not rely on an applicant's commission income because it has been earned for less than 12 months, the institution does not include the applicant's commission income in the income reported.
Supplement I — Comment 4(a)(16)-1: Denial reasons must be specific and accurate
1. Reason for denial—general. A financial institution complies with § 1003.4(a)(16) by reporting the principal reason or reasons it denied the application, indicating up to four reasons. The financial institution should report only the principal reason or reasons it denied the application, even if there are fewer than four reasons. For example, if a financial institution denies the application because of the applicant's credit history and debt-to-income ratio, the financial institution need only report these two principal reasons. The reasons reported must be specific and accurately describe the principal reason or reasons the financial institution denied the application.
Supplement I — Comment 4(a)(23)-2: DTI was a factor — must be reported even if not dispositive
2. Transactions for which a debt-to-income ratio was one of multiple factors. A financial institution relies on the ratio of the applicant's or borrower's total monthly debt to total monthly income (debt-to-income ratio) in making the credit decision if the debt-to-income ratio was a factor in the credit decision even if it was not a dispositive factor. For example, if the debt-to-income ratio was one of multiple factors in a financial institution's credit decision, the financial institution has relied on the debt-to-income ratio and complies with § 1003.4(a)(23) by reporting the debt-to-income ratio, even if the financial institution denied the application because one or more underwriting requirements other than the debt-to-income ratio were not satisfied.
Supplement I — Comment 4(a)(28)-1: Property value — report the value relied on
1. General. Except for partially exempt transactions under § 1003.3(d) , § 1003.4(a)(28) requires a financial institution to report the property value relied on in making the credit decision. For example, if the institution relies on an appraisal or other valuation for the property in calculating the loan-to-value ratio, it reports that value; if the institution relies on the purchase price of the property in calculating the loan-to-value ratio, it reports that value.
Supplement I — Comment 4(a)(34)-3: Multiple MLOs — report the primary-responsibility MLO
3. Multiple mortgage loan originators. If more than one individual associated with a covered loan or application meets the definition of a mortgage loan originator, as defined in Regulation G, 12 CFR 1007.102 , or Regulation H, 12 CFR 1008.23 , a financial institution complies with § 1003.4(a)(34) by reporting the NMLSR ID of the individual mortgage loan originator with primary responsibility for the transaction as of the date of action taken pursuant to § 1003.4(a)(8)(ii). A financial institution that establishes and follows a reasonable, written policy for determining which individual mortgage loan originator has primary responsibility for the reported transaction as of the date of action taken complies with § 1003.4(a)(34).
Supplement I — Comment 4(f)-1: Quarterly LAR recording within 30 days of quarter-end
1. General. Section 1003.4(f) requires a financial institution to record the data collected pursuant to § 1003.4 on a loan/application register within 30 calendar days after the end of the calendar quarter in which final action is taken. Section 1003.4(f) does not require a financial institution to record data on a single loan/application register on a quarterly basis. Rather, for purposes of § 1003.4(f) , a financial institution may record data on a single loan/application register or separately for different branches or different loan types (such as home purchase or home improvement loans, or loans on multifamily dwellings).
Supplement I — Comment 5(a)-1.i: Quarterly reporting trigger — 60,000 loans/applications
i. Section 1003.5(a)(1)(ii) requires that, within 60 calendar days after the end of each calendar quarter except the fourth quarter, a financial institution that reported for the preceding calendar year at least 60,000 covered loans and applications, combined, excluding purchased covered loans, must submit its loan/application register containing all data required to be recorded for that quarter pursuant to § 1003.4(f) .
Supplement I — Comment 6(b)-2: Census-tract geocoding-tool safe harbor (and its limits)
2. Information from the Bureau. Section 1003.6(b)(2) provides that an incorrect entry for census tract number is deemed a bona fide error, and is not a violation of the Act or this part, provided that the financial institution maintains procedures reasonably adapted to avoid an error. Obtaining the census tract numbers for covered loans and applications from a geocoding tool available on the Bureau's Web site that identifies the census tract of a property using property addresses entered by users is an example of a procedure reasonably adapted to avoid errors under § 1003.6(b)(2) . Accordingly, a census tract error is not a violation of the Act or this part if the financial institution obtained the census tract number from the geocoding tool on the Bureau's Web site. However, a financial institution's failure to provide the correct census tract number for a covered loan or application on its loan/application register, as required by § 1003.4(a)(9)(ii)(C) or (e), because the geocoding tool on the Bureau's Web site did not provide a census tract number for the property address entered by the financial institution is not excused as a bona fide error. In addition, a census tract error caused by a financial institution entering an inaccurate property address into the geocoding tool on the Bureau's Web site is not excused as a bona fide error.