HB-1-3555

Appendix 7

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(03-09-16) SPECIAL PN

Revised (03-01-21) PN 548

APPENDIX 7

CREDIT ALERT INTERACTIVE VOICE RESPONSE SYSTEM (CAIVRS) 

What is CAIVRS?

CAIVRS is a Federal government database of delinquent Federal debtors that allows 

federal agencies to reduce the risk to federal loan and loan guarantee programs. 

CAIVRS alerts participating Federal lending agencies when an applicant for credit 

benefits, or for a position of trust in support of the administration of a Federal credit 

program, has a Federal lien, judgment or a Federal loan that is currently in default or 

foreclosure, or has had a claim paid by a reporting agency.

What does it do?

CAIVRS allows authorized employees of participating Federal agencies and 

approved private lenders acting on the Government’s behalf to access a database of 

delinquent Federal borrowers for the purpose of pre-screening applicants for credit 

worthiness for federal assistance. 

How does it work?

CAIVRS has delinquent borrower records from the Department of Housing and 

Urban Development (HUD), the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), the 

Department of Education (DOE), the Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Small 

Business Administration (SBA), the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), 

and the Department of Justice (DOJ). Authorized users may access CAIVRS via the 

Internet.

How does CAIVRS relate to Government Financial Management?

Federal law prevents “delinquent Federal debtors from obtaining Federal loans or 

loan insurance guarantees.” CAIVRS provides a single repository of delinquent Federal

debtor records with easy access through a variety of media for pre-screening applicants 

for Federal benefits. Most credit bureau reports do not identify insured debts as being 

delinquent Federal debts. By participating in CAIVRS, Federal lending agencies have 

ready access to an interdepartmental database of delinquent Federal debts that provide 

Federal financial managers with the information necessary to comply with the U.S. 

Code requirements.
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ACCESS TO CAIVRS

A. CAIVRS Access through GUS

Through a business to government agreement, an interface with CAIVRS occurs once 

adequate information is complete. GUS will automatically obtain a CAIVRS number 

once the “Borrower Information” page of GUS is complete and saved. When the lender 

opens the “Assets and Liabilities” page of GUS, the results of the CAIVRS request will 

be displayed in the “CAIVRS Information” section. A new CAIVRS result number will 

display for each borrower.

Possible Results Codes of A CAIVRS Request

“A” There are no Government loan claims/defaults against a Social Security Number.

“B” There is more than one “hit” on a Social Security Number- mostly on Department of 

 Education Guaranteed Loans – when an FHA insured loan is in default and a claim is 

 paid.

“C” A “claim” has been paid to the mortgage company to pay off the loan that has gone 

 into foreclosure. This will remain on the CAIVRS system for 3 years. (These can be 

 either on Title II or Title I -Title I is for mobile homes or home improvement.)

 When a “claim” has been paid then HUD/FHA gets title back HUD/FHA sells the 

 property as a HUD-Repo.

 PLEASE NOTE: There are “C” codes in CAIVRS for the Loss Mitigation Program.

 These are what are HUD calls “partial claims” but since a dollar amount was paid 

 by HUD/FHA it is input into CAIVRS as a “C” or “claim paid”.

“D” The loan is more than 90 days past due.

“F” FHA insured loan is the first stages of foreclosure via the mortgage company (if the

 loan is brought current then it can be reinstated).

“J” Judgments – via the Department of Justice (these can be for the Department of

Education Guarantee Loans, child support, and a few FHA-insured loans if the 

 borrower was an investor.)

If GUS automatically retrieves a CAIVRS response, the CAIVRS response cannot be 

revised/overridden. If an applicant that will be a party to the loan does not receive a clear 

“A” CAIVRS response the lender must obtain evidence of an “A” CAIVRS response 

outside of GUS. This documentation must be uploaded as part of a complete loan 

application submission of the GUS application to USDA. 

For manually submitted loans, USDA will retrieve and confirm an “A” CAIVRS 

response when the loan file is processed in the Agency’s internal Guaranteed Loan 

System (GLS).
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(03-09-16) SPECIAL PN

Revised (03-01-21) PN 548

B. Access to CAIVRS outside of GUS

FHA approved lenders may use their FHA Connection User Ids to access CAIVRS.

Non-FHA Lenders 

Each non-FHA lender must request at least one Application Coordinator User ID 

and a Standard User ID for each individual use.

• Non-FHA lenders new to Single Family Housing Guaranteed Loan Program 

(SFHGLP) that have not yet made a SFHGLP loan, must request CAIVRS 

access from the National Finance and Accounting Operations Center (NFAOC) 

guaranteed loan branch in St. Louis prior to completing the steps below. This 

may be requested at:

E-Mail Address: RD.NFAOC.HSB@usda.gov

Telephone Number: (314) 457-4192

Toll Free Telephone Number: (877) 636-3789

• Non FHA Lenders-Currently participating Single Family Housing Guaranteed 

Loan Program (SFHGLP) that have previously participated in the SFHGLP can 

request CAIVRS access from HUD’s Internet site at 

https://entp.hud.gov/caivrs/public/home.html.

Once access is granted, register as Application Coordinator or Standard User by

Selecting “Registering Lender User ID” from the main menu. 
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Register for Application Coordinator ID:

• To apply for an Application Coordinator ID, check the “Coordinator” 

radio button fill out the form below, and click Send Application.

• A six-character password will be required in the password field. The password is 

case sensitive and can include numbers and letters. The password must contain at 

least one number and can consist entirely of numbers.

• Your business email address will require the @ sign. 

Example:johndoe@internet.org.

• Select the USDA – Rural Development for the Agency. Ensure the user 

selects the correct Agency, as there are multiple USDA choices.

• The Lender ID must correspond to the Tax ID Number (no hyphens or spaces) 

reflected on Form RD 3555-16, “Agreement for Participation in Single Family 

Housing Guaranteed/Insured Loan Programs of the United States 

Government.” This will be a 9-digit number.

• As a security question, the page will require the user to type the last name of 

their mother, before marriage, in the Mother’s Maiden Name field.
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(03-09-16) SPECIAL PN

Revised (03-01-21) PN 548

Registering as a Standard User:

• To apply for a Standard User ID, check the “User” radio button, fill out the 

form below and click Send Application. Upon verification of the information 

below, a User ID will be assigned. The “Application Coordinator” of your 

organization will retrieve the User ID. The password will not be disclosed. 

The user will need to remember it.
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• After clicking Send Application on the CAIVRS Application Coordinator or 

Standard User Registration form, the user is notified by email if processing was 

successfully completed or if there are errors that need to be corrected before 

processing can be completed. Help guides are available online at this website to 

assist with questions.

• Upon verification of the information, an ID will be assigned and e-mailed. The 

password will not be disclosed, so ensure users remember it

• After successful submission, the following screen will appear.

NOTE: Displayed as an Example only – Coordinator
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(03-09-16) SPECIAL PN

Revised (03-01-21) PN 548

Obtaining a CAIVRS Authorization:

When CAIVRS is obtained outside of GUS, a printout of the result must be placed 

in the lender’s permanent file and a copy submitted to the Agency. 

1. Once the user receives access capabilities, at the same website, the user 

 selects “CAIVRS Prescreening” under the “Lending Institutions” menu to

obtain a CAIVRS number for borrower(s).

2. Enter your username and password. Click “Login” to continue.
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3. Review CAIVRS message. Check “I Agree” and then click “Continue.”

NOTE: Password expires every 21 days. If your password is about to expire, you 

may get this pop-up screen before or after the initial login screen. It is suggested that you 

have a reminder to change your password every 20 days to avoid being locked out.
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(03-09-16) SPECIAL PN

Revised (03-01-21) PN 548

4. At the “CAIVRS Prescreening” page enter the following:

• Borrower’s social security number; 

• “Lender ID”; and 

• Choose “USDA – Rural Development” as the Agency and click “Send”. 

TIN numbers for borrowers are not allowed.

5. A CAIVRS number will be issued upon successful submission. 

If assistance is needed, the lender may email the CAIVRS Administrator at 

caivrs_admin@hud.gov.