12 U.S.C. §2604 — Home buying information booklets

respa-12usc-2604

RESPA Special Information Booklet ("Your Home Loan Toolkit") section. Two operative lender duties: (1) include with the booklet a good-faith estimate of charges plus a list of certified homeownership counselors in the lender's area (subsec c); and (2) deliver the booklet to every federally related mortgage loan applicant for purchase of residential real estate not later than 3 business days after the lender receives the application (subsec d), unless the application is denied within that 3-day window.

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source:
  type: regulation
  id: respa-12usc-2604
  authority: 12 U.S.C. §2604 — Home buying information booklets
  description: |
    RESPA Special Information Booklet ("Your Home Loan Toolkit") section.
    Two operative lender duties: (1) include with the booklet a good-faith
    estimate of charges plus a list of certified homeownership counselors
    in the lender's area (subsec c); and (2) deliver the booklet to every
    federally related mortgage loan applicant for purchase of residential
    real estate not later than 3 business days after the lender receives
    the application (subsec d), unless the application is denied within
    that 3-day window.
obligations:
  - id: respa-12usc-2604-c-include-gfe-and-counselor-list
    canonical_id: respa-12usc-2604-c-include-gfe-and-counselor-list
    section: 12 U.S.C. §2604(c) — Estimate of charges and counselor list with booklet
    description: |
      [LENDER] shall include with the Home Buying Information Booklet
      delivered under §2604(d) (1) a good-faith estimate of the amount or
      range of charges for specific settlement services the borrower is
      likely to incur in connection with the settlement, as prescribed by
      the Bureau, and (2) a reasonably complete or updated list of
      homeownership counselors who are certified pursuant to §1701x(e)
      of this title and located in the area of [LENDER].
    type: do
    audit_question: For every federally related mortgage loan application for residential real estate that [LENDER] receives or prepares, can [LENDER] evidence that the §2604 Home Buying Information Booklet was accompanied by (a) a Bureau-prescribed good-faith estimate of settlement charges and (b) a reasonably current list of §1701x(e)-certified homeownership counselors in the area of [LENDER]?
    program_review: Do the P&Ps ensure the §2604 Home Buying Information Booklet is accompanied by (a) a Bureau-prescribed good-faith estimate of the amount or range of settlement charges the borrower is likely to incur, and (b) a reasonably complete/updated list of §1701x(e)-certified homeownership counselors located in the lender's area?
    file_review: Pull federally-related-mortgage residential-real-estate application files; confirm the booklet was accompanied by the prescribed good-faith estimate and the current §1701x(e)-certified counselor list.
    judgment: false
    feeds: []
    workflow_phase: application
    owner_role: loan_officer
    secondary_owner_role: compliance_officer
    cadence: per-loan
    consequence: ''
    tags:
      - round-c
      - regulator-direct
      - respa
      - special-information-booklet
      - homeownership-counselor
      - origination
      - promoted
    primary_source:
      tier: 1
      authority: 12 U.S.C. §2604(c)
      source_class: respa-statute
      source_url: https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/12/2604
      snapshot_id: 73896d34c4e0cb82
      fetched_at: '2026-05-24T16:52:38Z'
      content_hash: sha256:eed1ed20a71fe80591d75f18cf18c533ad071cab298e7398e15a7325ebf20ae2
      paragraph_quote: Each lender shall include with the booklet a good faith estimate of the amount or range of charges for specific settlement services the borrower is likely to incur in connection with the settlement as prescribed by the Bureau. Each lender shall also include with the booklet a reasonably complete or updated list of homeownership counselors who are certified pursuant to section 1701x(e) of this title and located in the area of the lender.
      drafter_attestation: |
        Copied verbatim from snapshot 73896d34c4e0cb82 (content.txt) at
        2026-05-24T17:05Z. Substring is the full §2604(c) operative text
        ("Estimate of charges") including the post-Dodd-Frank counselor-list
        sentence added by Pub. L. 111-203, §1450(3). The §1701x(e) reference
        is preserved verbatim.
    sub_criteria:
      - id: respa-12usc-2604-c-gfe-included
        description: Good-faith estimate of settlement charges accompanies the booklet
        derivation_kind: from-regulatory-text
        cite: 12 U.S.C. §2604(c) sentence 1
        evidence_kinds:
          - delivered_gfe_document
          - loan_origination_system_disclosure_log
      - id: respa-12usc-2604-c-counselor-list-included
        description: Reasonably complete or updated list of §1701x(e)-certified homeownership counselors located in [LENDER]'s area accompanies the booklet
        derivation_kind: from-regulatory-text
        cite: 12 U.S.C. §2604(c) sentence 2
        evidence_kinds:
          - delivered_counselor_list
          - cfpb_hud_counselor_list_export
          - loan_origination_system_disclosure_log
    promoted_at: '2026-05-24T20:12:19+00:00'
    promoted_from: respa-12usc-2604-roundc-v1.yaml
  - id: respa-12usc-2604-d-deliver-booklet-3-business-days
    canonical_id: respa-12usc-2604-d-deliver-booklet-3-business-days
    section: 12 U.S.C. §2604(d) — Distribution by lenders to loan applicants at time of receipt or preparation of applications
    description: |
      [LENDER] shall provide the Home Buying Information Booklet described
      in §2604(a) to each person from whom [LENDER] receives, or for whom
      [LENDER] prepares, a written application to borrow money to finance
      the purchase of residential real estate. The booklet must be in the
      version that is most appropriate for the person receiving it, and
      must be delivered (or placed in the mail) not later than 3 business
      days after [LENDER] receives the application. No booklet need be
      provided if [LENDER] denies the application for credit before the
      end of the 3-day period.
    type: do
    audit_question: For every written application to borrow money to finance the purchase of residential real estate that [LENDER] received or prepared, can [LENDER] evidence that the §2604(a) Home Buying Information Booklet (in the most-appropriate version) was delivered or mailed within 3 business days of application receipt — OR that the application was denied before the end of that 3-day window?
    program_review: Do the P&Ps ensure the §2604(a) Home Buying Information Booklet (in the version most appropriate for the recipient) is delivered or placed in the mail within 3 business days after the lender receives a written application to finance the purchase of residential real estate — suppressing only where the application is denied before the end of that 3-day window?
    file_review: Pull purchase-of-residential-real-estate application files; confirm booklet delivery/mailing within 3 business days of receipt (or a denial within that window).
    judgment: false
    feeds: []
    workflow_phase: application
    owner_role: loan_officer
    secondary_owner_role: compliance_officer
    cadence: per-loan
    consequence: ''
    tags:
      - round-c
      - regulator-direct
      - respa
      - special-information-booklet
      - 3-business-day
      - origination
      - promoted
    primary_source:
      tier: 1
      authority: 12 U.S.C. §2604(d)
      source_class: respa-statute
      source_url: https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/12/2604
      snapshot_id: 73896d34c4e0cb82
      fetched_at: '2026-05-24T16:52:38Z'
      content_hash: sha256:eed1ed20a71fe80591d75f18cf18c533ad071cab298e7398e15a7325ebf20ae2
      paragraph_quote: Each lender referred to in subsection (a) shall provide the booklet described in such subsection to each person from whom it receives or for whom it prepares a written application to borrow money to finance the purchase of residential real estate. The lender shall provide the booklet in the version that is most appropriate for the person receiving it. Such booklet shall be provided by delivering it or placing it in the mail not later than 3 business days after the lender receives the application, but no booklet need be provided if the lender denies the application for credit before the end of the 3-day period.
      drafter_attestation: |
        Copied verbatim from snapshot 73896d34c4e0cb82 (content.txt) at
        2026-05-24T17:05Z. Substring is the full §2604(d) operative text,
        including the post-1992 mailing-window rule (Pub. L. 102-550) and
        the post-Dodd-Frank "most appropriate version" sentence
        (Pub. L. 111-203, §1450(4)).
    sub_criteria:
      - id: respa-12usc-2604-d-deliver-or-mail-within-3-business-days
        description: Booklet delivered or placed in mail not later than 3 business days after application receipt
        derivation_kind: from-regulatory-text
        cite: 12 U.S.C. §2604(d) sentence 3
        evidence_kinds:
          - disclosure_delivery_log
          - postal_mailing_record
          - email_delivery_confirmation
      - id: respa-12usc-2604-d-most-appropriate-version
        description: Booklet provided in the version most appropriate for the recipient (Director-prepared language/cultural variant)
        derivation_kind: from-regulatory-text
        cite: 12 U.S.C. §2604(d) sentence 2
        evidence_kinds:
          - delivered_booklet_version_identifier
          - borrower_language_preference_record
      - id: respa-12usc-2604-d-denial-within-3-day-exception
        description: If application denied for credit before end of 3-day period, no booklet need be provided (denial-record substitutes for delivery)
        derivation_kind: from-regulatory-text
        cite: 12 U.S.C. §2604(d) sentence 3 proviso
        evidence_kinds:
          - adverse_action_notice
          - denial_decision_record
    promoted_at: '2026-05-24T20:12:19+00:00'
    promoted_from: respa-12usc-2604-roundc-v1.yaml
_promotion_history:
  - promoted_at: '2026-05-24T20:12:19+00:00'
    candidate_path: obligations\_remediation\round-c-type-a\respa-12usc-2604-roundc-v1.yaml
    candidates_promoted: 2
    candidates_skipped_existing: 0

Verbatim regulatory text (2)

Verbatim provisions from 12 U.S.C. §2604 — Home buying information booklets — 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.

12 U.S.C. §2604(c) — Estimate of charges and counselor list with booklet

Each lender shall include with the booklet a good faith estimate of the amount or range of charges for specific settlement services the borrower is likely to incur in connection with the settlement as prescribed by the Bureau. Each lender shall also include with the booklet a reasonably complete or updated list of homeownership counselors who are certified pursuant to section 1701x(e) of this title and located in the area of the lender.

Source: 12 U.S.C. §2604(c) · source URL · snapshot 73896d34c4e0cb82

12 U.S.C. §2604(d) — Distribution by lenders to loan applicants at time of receipt or preparation of applications

Each lender referred to in subsection (a) shall provide the booklet described in such subsection to each person from whom it receives or for whom it prepares a written application to borrow money to finance the purchase of residential real estate. The lender shall provide the booklet in the version that is most appropriate for the person receiving it. Such booklet shall be provided by delivering it or placing it in the mail not later than 3 business days after the lender receives the application, but no booklet need be provided if the lender denies the application for credit before the end of the 3-day period.

Source: 12 U.S.C. §2604(d) · source URL · snapshot 73896d34c4e0cb82