Residential Finance Survey, 2001

<p>PI-provided abstract: The Census Bureau took the Residential Finance Survey (RFS) as part of the decennial census from 1950-2000. The RFS is the only survey designed to collect and produce data about the financing of nonfarm, privately-owned residential properties. The RFS is a unique survey for several reasons: It collects, tabulates, and presents data for properties, the standard unit of reference for financial transactions related to housing. In most other demographic surveys, the unit of reference is the person, household, or housing unit. It is the only source of information on property, mortgage, and financial characteristics for multi-unit rental properties. Information on multi-family loans and properties is particularly difficult to obtain, but is important to understand if progress is to be made in the development of standards for underwriting multi-family mortgages. It conducts interviews of property owners and mortgage lenders, resulting in more accurate information on property and mortgage characteristics. The RFS is the only survey which is able to provide a comprehensive view of mortgage finance in the USA, by providing information not only about the loan itself from the lender, but also information about the property owner's demographic characteristics. As part of the decennial census, it is mandatory. This is important in collecting information from mortgage lenders. The RFS is exempt from statutes prohibiting release of financial records by financial institutions. It is able to subdivide the industry into relevant components. Different parts of the industry have excellent information on their own loans and clients, but not that of the industry as a whole. Information on lending by individual investors or small groups of investors such as pension funds is collected only by the RFS.</p>