Have Selling Questions? Ask Poli

AskPoli

Fannie Mae customers! Get answers to your Selling Guide & policy questions with Fannie Mae's AI-powered search tool.

Launch Ask Poli for Sellers  

Guide Resources

Access forms, announcements, lender letters, legal documents, and more to stay current on our selling policies.

View Resources  

Is the borrower required to have a valid Social Security number?

Tax Identification Numbers

Fannie Mae requires that each borrower have a valid Social Security number or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN), in addition to meeting existing legal residency and documentation requirements. (For additional information, see B2-2-02, Non–U.S. Citizen Borrower Eligibility Requirements.)

DU and Loan Delivery may identify data integrity issues pertaining to the borrower’s Social Security number. Lenders must take steps to resolve any issues, including invalid format, numbers not issued, borrower age/issue date discrepancies, or Social Security numbers associated with deceased individuals. If a lender cannot resolve any Social Security number inconsistencies, the lender must validate the Social Security number directly with the Social Security Administration (SSA). The following requirements apply:

  • The lender may use one of the two methods listed below to validate a borrower’s Social Security number:
    • Form SSA–89 (Authorization for the Social Security Administration to Release Social Security Number Verification), or
    • Electronic Consent Based Social Security Number Verification (eCBSV) Service.
  • If using a third-party vendor, the lender must ensure that the vendor goes directly to the SSA to validate the Social Security number using one of the two methods listed above.
  • The lender must retain documentation in the loan file that evidences the validation of the Social Security number.
  • The lender must deliver the loan with SFC 162 if the Social Security number was validated through the SSA but there is a discrepancy identified with the Social Security number in the credit report, DU, or Loan Delivery edits
  • If the Social Security number cannot be validated with the SSA, the loan is not eligible for sale to Fannie Mae.

For additional information, see B2-2-01, General Borrower Eligibility Requirements.

Have You Tried Ask Poli?

Poli knows. Just ask.

Ask Poli features exclusive Q&As and
more—plus official Selling & Servicing
Guide
content.

Try Ask Poli

Related Articles


AskPoli

Customers Recommend Ask Poli

If you have additional questions, Fannie Mae customers can visit Ask Poli to get information from other Fannie Mae published sources.

Guide Resources

For a comprehensive list of resources such as access forms, announcements, lender letters, notices and more.

Visit Selling and Servicing Guide Communications and Forms

X
Having Issues with Seeing this Page Correctly?

Use Firefox or Chrome   How to do a hard refresh in Internet Explorer
We recommend that you use the latest version of FireFox or Chrome.

Download Firefox
Download Chrome
  A hard refresh will clear the browsers cache for a specific page and force the most recent version of a page.
    Hold the Ctrl key and press the F5 key.
     

Email Us
If you still have Technical Support questions, feel free to emailAsk_Poli@fanniemae.com.