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Validate Borrower/Address for
Case Number Assignment
Processing

Part of the Case Number Assignment process includes validating the property address and borrower.

In addition, borrower information is checked in the Credit Alert Verification Reporting System (CAIVRS) to verify the borrower's credit history. For a nonprofit agency, a check is also made to verify that it is a HUD/FHA-approved nonprofit agency.

Entering Address and Borrower Information

Information for the primary borrower (Borr1) must be entered for Case Number Assignment processing. Information for any additional borrowers (co-borrowers) must be provided before processing Insurance Application or HECM Insurance Application.

  1. On the Validate Borrower/Address for Case Number Assignment page, enter the street address for the property in the Hse No, Street Name, and Type fields. Provide information for the Unit, Pre, and/or Post fields, if applicable. See also street address examples.

    -or-

    For proposed construction or property under construction, you can enter the lot, block, and plat information in the Lot and Blk/Plat fields. For the Blk/Plat field, the first three characters you enter identify the block and the next two characters identify the plat. Do not use a slash (/) to separate them.

    Note: For a rural route address, enter the rural route number in the Hse No field using an RR # (or RD #) format. Enter the box number in the Street Name field using a Box # format.

  2. Enter the five numbers of the property's zip code in the first box of the Zip Code field.

    -or-

    Enter the city and state in which the property is located in the City and State fields.

  3. Select Yes or No from the drop-down list in the HECM Case field to specify whether the case is a Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM). If Yes is selected, additional non-borrowing spouse (NBS) information may be provided.

  4. Enter the last name, first name, and middle initial of the borrower in the Borrower Name (Last, First MI) field (e.g., Borr1) as follows:
    • Individual: Use this format: Doe, John T. If the name has a generational suffix (Jr, Sr, II, or III), use this format: Doe III, John T. The maximum number of characters is 22. Note: If the borrower has a single name, enter it as the last name and FNU as the first name (FNU is an acronym First Name Unknown). For example, if Zorro is the single name of the borrower, Zorro, FNU is entered in the Borrower Name (Last, First Mi) field.
    • Nonprofit: Leave the field blank. The name is provided by the system based on the NP TIN entered.
    • Government Entity: Use this format: Government, Entity. The maximum number of characters is 22.

    Note: If the borrower has a single name and on the application for a Social Security Number only enters a last name and does not enter a first name, the first name of the borrower is identified as Unknown by the Social Security Administration. For example, Zorro, Unknown is entered in the Borrower Name (Last, First MI) field for a borrower with only a last name of Zorro. Conversely, if only the first name is entered on the application for a Social Security Number and the last name is omitted, the last name of the borrower is identified as Unknown. For example, Unknown, Zorro is entered in the Borrower Name (Last, First MI) field for a borrower with only a first name of Zorro.

  5. Select the type of identification for the borrower from the drop-down list in the SSN/TIN field. Select SSN for an individual borrower, NP TIN for a HUD/FHA-approved nonprofit agency, or GE TIN for a government agency. Then, enter the borrower's Social Security Number or Employer Identification Number (EIN) in the boxes provided. Enter the SSN or EIN again in the Please Re-enter SSN/TIN field.

  6. Enter the date of birth of the borrower in the Date of Birth field. Use an mm/dd/yyyy format, such as 01/15/1970. Skip this step if a TIN/EIN was entered in step 5 and/or the borrower is a nonprofit agency or government agency.

    Note: For a non-HECM case, the borrower must be 17 years of age or older when Case Number Assignment is processed and 18 years of age on or before the Closing Date when Insurance Application is processed. For a HECM case, the borrower must be 62 years of age on or before the Closing Date. If the Closing Date is not available, the borrower must be 62 years of age within 180 days of the date an FHA case number was assigned.

  7. Skip this step for a forward (non-HECM) mortgage. For a HECM, select No, Eligible Spouse, or Ineligible Spouse from the drop-down list in the Married to NBS field. If Eligible Spouse, or Ineligible Spouse is selected, do the following:
    • Enter the last name, first name, and middle initial of the non-borrowing spouse in the NBS1 field.
    • Enter the non-borrowing spouse's Social Security Number in the SSN field. Enter the Social Security Number again in the Please Re-enter SSN/TIN field.
    • Enter the date of birth of the non-borrowing spouse in the Date of Birth field. Use an mm/dd/yyyy format, such as 01/15/1935. Note: The non-borrowing spouse must be 18 years or older.
    Note: A maximum of three borrowers can have a non-borrowing spouse per case.

  8. If there are co-borrowers, repeat steps 4 through 7 above for the co-borrower fields (Borr2, Borr3, Borr4, and Borr5).
    Notes:
    • For a nonprofit agency borrower, a co-borrower is not permitted.
    • For a government entity borrower, the co-borrower must also be a government entity.

  9. Certify the information entered by clicking the box next to I certify that the lender associated with this case number request has an active loan application for this property address and listed borrower(s).  

  10. Click Send. If processing was successful, the Case Number Assignment page appears. The address you entered is displayed in the Property Address section of the page and can be revised, if necessary. The borrower identification information you entered is displayed in the Borrower Information section of the page. Note: Borrower identification information is validated overnight against government records. Use Holds Tracking the next business day to determine if all borrowers passed validation.

    -or-

    If there is an error, one of the following occurs:
    • An error message box appears. Click OK to clear the message. Make the correction and process again.
    • The Validate Borrower/Address for Case Number Assignment page appears with an Error message above the data entry fields and an Error(s) Detected field below them (in the Details section). Review the information in these fields. Make any necessary corrections and process again. See Correcting Property Address Errors and Correcting Borrower Information Errors.

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Correcting Property Address Errors

You can reenter address information, accept a new address provided, or override the address validation.

Reentering Address Information

If the property address was incorrectly entered, do the following:

  1. On the Validate Borrower/Address for Case Number Assignment page, correct the existing property address information by deleting, adding, or selecting new information.

    Note: Clicking Reset clears the information entered in all the fields (property and borrower information).

  2. Click Send to process again.

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Accepting a New Address

If the property address you entered does not match U.S. Postal Service information, the property address that most closely resembles it appears in the Error(s) Detected field (located at the bottom of the page in the Details section).

  1. On the Validate Borrower/Address for Case Number Assignment page, verify the property address you entered against the U.S. Postal Service address in the Error(s) Detected field.

  2. In the Error(s) Detected field, click Update Address Fields if the U.S. Postal Service address provided is acceptable. The address is updated.

    -or-

    If more than one possible matching address is listed, click Use this address to select the appropriate address. The address is updated.

  3. Click Send to process again.

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Overriding the Address Validation

The U.S. Postal Service information used for validating the property address is updated quarterly. Therefore, the property address may not be listed when processing Validate Borrower/Address for Case Number Assignment. This is sometimes the case for proposed construction. The address validation can be bypassed by using the Override address validation option. Misuse of this option is monitored by the FHA.

  1. On the Validate Borrower/Address for Case Number Assignment page, verify the property address you entered.

  2. If the property address was correctly entered but not validated, click the Override address validation check box. The following pop up message appears: The address will be entered but it will be marked as unvalidated.

  3. Click OK.

  4. Click Send. The Validate Borrower/Address for Case Number Assignment page appears. The Override address validation field is replaced with the statement: Address Accepted.

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Correcting Borrower Information Errors

If the borrower information was incorrectly entered, do the following:

  1. On the Validate Borrower/Address for Case Number Assignment page, correct the existing borrower information by deleting, adding, or selecting new information.

    Note: Clicking Reset clears the information entered in all the fields (property and borrower information).

  2. Click Send to process again.

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See Also

Validate Borrower/Address for Case Number Assignment Page - Field Descriptions

Case Number Assignment - Business Background

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Last revised: November 2, 2022