Government Monitoring Information

Government Monitoring Information (GMI) consists of details about the applicant’s and the co-applicant’s ethnicity, race and sex.

This chart will guide you in properly collecting GMI.

Initial Receipt of Application / Application Date / GMI
Face to Face / Date when you first began to evaluate or collect information about the applicant / Completing the GMI is optional for the borrower. However, if the borrower refuses to provide the GMI, it must be completed by the loan officer (based on visual observance).
By Mail or Internet / Date when the application is first available for processing / Completing the GMI is optional for the borrower. If the applicants choose not to provide GMI, but the Loan Officer meets with them before the application is completed, the Loan Officer must complete the GMI (based on visual observance).
By Telephone / Date when you first began to evaluate or collect information about the applicant / Completing the GMI is optional for the borrower. However, the Loan Officer must ask the borrower for the GMI. If the applicants choose not to provide the GMI, but the Loan Officer meets with them before the application is completed, the Loan Officer must complete the GMI (based on visual observance).

Follow these steps when requesting GMI:

Face to Face Applications
  1. Give the applicants a copy of the Government Monitoring disclosure to read, or read it to them.
  2. Have the borrowers fill out the GMI, or ask them if they want to provide the information.
  3. If the borrower provides the information, record their response on the application.
  4. If the applicants do not provide the requested information, tell them that you are required to note the data on the basis of visual observation or surname.
  5. Complete the GMI on the basis of visual observance or surname.
  6. Note on the written application that you collected the monitoring information based on visual observance.
Telephone Applications

If you take an application over the telephone, you must note on the application that it was taken by telephone and you must ask applicants about their ethnicity, race and sex. Follow these steps when asking for monitoring information over the telephone.

Step / Applicant’s Answer
1 / Explain to the borrower that you are required by federal law to give the following disclosure.
Say: “The Federal Government requests certain information for certain types of loans related to a dwelling in order to monitor Home Federal’s compliance with equal credit opportunity, fair housing and home mortgage disclosure laws. You are not required to furnish this information, but are encouraged to do so. The law provides that a lender may discriminate neither on the basis of this information, nor on whether you choose to furnish it. If you furnish the information, please provide both ethnicity and race. For race, you may check more than one designation.
Do you wish to furnish this information about yourself?” / Yes- Proceed to step 2.
No- Say “Thank You” and continue the application
2 / Which of the following best describes the primary applicant’s ethnicity:
  1. Hispanic or Latino
  2. Not Hispanic or Latino
/ Note the applicant’s response on the monitoring form, proceed to step 3
3 / Which of the following best describes the co-applicant’s ethnicity:
  1. Hispanic or Latino
  2. Not Hispanic or Latino
/ Note the applicant’s response on the monitoring form, proceed to step 4
4 / Which of the following (you may select more than one) best describes the primary applicant’s race:
  1. American Indian or Alaska Native
  2. Asian
  3. Black or African American
  4. Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
  5. White
/ Note the applicant’s response on the monitoring form, proceed to step 5
5 / Which of the following (you may select more than one) best describes the co-applicant’s race:
  1. American Indian or Alaska Native
  2. Asian
  3. Black or African American
  4. Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
  5. White
/ Note the applicant’s response on the monitoring form, proceed to step 6
6 / Is the primary applicant male or female? / Note the applicant’s response on the monitoring form, proceed to step 7
7 / Is the co-applicant male or female? / Note the applicant’s response on the monitoring form,
End Procedure