Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac officials are expressing concerns that the American Securitization Forum's (ASF) efforts to draft consensus secondary market standards could potentially create another mortgage identification standard outside of the MERS Mortgage Identification Number (MIN) and cause confusion in the industry.
ASF has been seeking comment on delivery standards that are still under construction and may or may not include the MERS MIN. The ASF declined to comment on the issue.
Each loan registered on MERS is given a unique MIN that identifies that loan. At present, the MIN and registering the e-note on MERS is mandated by both GSEs if they will accept an e-mortgage from any lender.
Speaking at the Mortgage Bankers Association's Technology Conference in Las Vegas, Ted Adams from Freddie Mac stressed, "The MIN works and we're using it. The introduction of another loan identification number as purposed by ASF would be confusing."
To combat the potential of the MIN being rendered obsolete by anything the ASF creates, R.K. Arnold, president and CEO at MERS, urged lenders to adopt e-processes and use the MIN, arguing that if usage is mainstream, the ASF will have to recognize the validity of the current MIN.
