EXHIBIT 3.1

 CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION OF RESIDENTIAL FUNDING MORTGAGE SECURITIES I,
                                      INC.



<PAGE>


                          CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION

                                       of

                SALOMON BROTHERS MORTGAGE SECURITIES IV, INC.

1. The name of the corporation is Salomon Brothers Mortgage Securities IV, Inc.

2. The  address  of the  registered  office of the  corporation  in the State of
Delaware  is  Corporation  Trust  Center,  1209  Orange  Street  in the  City of
Wilmington,  County  of New  Castle.  The name of the  registered  agent at such
registered office is The Corporation Trust Company.

3. The purpose for which the corporation is organized is to engage in any lawful
act or  activity  for which  corporations  may be  organized  under the  General
Corporation Law of Delaware.

4. The total number of shares of stock that the corporation shall have authority
to issue is 1,000 shares of Common Stock, $.01 par value.

5.  Elections  of  directors  need not be by ballot  unless  the  By-laws of the
corporation  shall so provide.  The books of the corporation may (subject to any
statutory  requirements)  be kept at such place  whether  within or outside  the
State of  Delaware  as may be  designated  by the Board of  Directors  or in the
By-laws of the corporation.

6. In furtherance and not in limitation of the power conferred upon the Board of
Directors by law, the Board of  Directors  shall have the power to adopt,  amend
and repeal from time to time By-laws of the corporation.

7. The corporation is to have perpetual existence.

8. The  corporation  reserves  the right to amend,  alter,  change or repeal any
provision  contained in this Certificate of Incorporation,  in the manner now or
hereafter  prescribed by statute,  and all rights  conferred  upon  stockholders
herein are granted subject to this reservation.

9. The  incorporator of the corporation is Eileen Bannon,  whose mailing address
is c/o Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton, One State Street Plaza, New York, New
York 10004.

            I, THE UNDERSIGNED,  being the incorporator named above, in order to
form a  corporation  pursuant  to the  General  Corporation  Law of the State of
Delaware, do make this certificate, hereby declaring and certifying that this is
my act and deed and that the facts herein stated are true, and accordingly  have
hereunto set my hand this 25th day of January, 1985.


                                          /s/ Eileen Bannon
                                          Eileen Bannon


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                            CERTIFICATE OF AMENDMENT

                                       of

                          CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION

                                  * * * * *

            SALOMON BROTHERS MORTGAGE SECURITIES IV, INC., a corporation
organized and existing under and by virtue of the General Corporation Law
of the State of Delaware, DOES HEREBY CERTIFY:
            FIRST:  That the Board of  Directors  of Salomon  Brothers  Mortgage
Securities IV, Inc., by the unanimous written consent of its members, filed with
the minutes of the board,  duly  adopted  resolutions  setting  forth a proposed
amendment to the Certificate of  Incorporation  of said  corporation,  declaring
said amendment to be advisable and calling a meeting of the stockholders of said
corporation for consideration thereof. The resolution setting forth the proposed
amendment is as follows:
                  RESOLVED,  that  the  Certificate  of  Incorporation  of  this
            corporation  be amended by  changing  the first  Article  thereof so
            that, as amended said Article shall be and read as follows:

                  "1.  The  name  of  the  corporation  is  Residential  Funding
            Mortgage Securities I, Inc."

            SECOND:  That  thereafter,  the  stockholder  of all the  issued and
outstanding  shares of said  corporation  by a  consent  in  writing  in lieu of
meeting of  stockholders  voted all the issued  and  outstanding  shares of said
corporation in favor of the amendment.
            THIRD:  That said amendment was duly adopted in accordance  with the
provisions  of  Section  242 of the  General  Corporation  Law of the  State  of
Delaware.
            IN WITNESS WHEREOF,  said SALOMON BROTHERS  MORTGAGE  SECURITIES IV,
INC.  has caused this  certificate  to be signed by Michael P.  Mortara its Vice
President and attested by Zachary Snow,  its  Secretary,  this 1st day of April,
1987.


                                          SALOMON BROTHERS MORTGAGE
                                          SECURITIES IV, INC.


                                          By:/s/ Michael P. Mortara
                                                Vice President

ATTEST:


By: /s/ Zachary Snow
        Secretary