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Mortgage Lender Sentiment Survey® FAQs

Q1. What is this survey about?

The Mortgage Lender Sentiment Survey®, conducted by Fannie Mae, is a quarterly online attitudinal survey among senior 

executives of Fannie Mae’s lending institution partners. Fannie Mae conducts the survey to provide benchmarking insights 

regarding lenders’ current activities and market expectations.

Q2. What does this survey measure?

Survey questions are organized into two sections:

• Regular quarterly tracking questions about changes in and expectations for consumer mortgage demand, lenders’ 

credit standards, and profit margin outlook.

• Special topic questions that change each quarter to cover industry challenges, opportunities, and emerging trends. 

Fannie Mae has published the following special topic studies:

Timing Title

October 2019 How Lenders Assess Their Digital Transformation Efforts?

July 2019 How Are Lenders’ Business Priorities Evolving to Compete Against Industry Competition?

April 2019 APIs and Mortgage Lending

January 2019 Increase Housing Supply to Improve Affordability

October 2018 How Will Artificial Intelligence Shape Mortgage Lending?

June 2018 Cost Cutting Has Emerged as a Focus of Lender Competitiveness

May 2018 The Gig Economy and Mortgage Lending

January 2018 Mortgage Data Initiatives: Setting the Stage for Digital Disruption

October 2017 As Lenders Digitize, Borrowers Still Want the "Human Touch"

August 2017 Mortgage Lenders Shift Focus to Enhancing the Consumer Experience

May 2017 APIs Are Reshaping Business Strategy: Lenders’ Experiences with APIs and Chatbots

March 2017 Integration: Key to Future Mortgage Technology Success

July 2016 Mortgage Technology Innovation

May 2016 Lenders’ Experiences with TRID

March 2016 What Influences Lenders’ Profit Margin Outlook?

February 2016 How Lenders Plan to Grow Their Mortgage Business in 2016?

October 2015 Lenders’ Consumer-Facing Mobile Technology Priorities

July 2015 Survey Shows Lenders’ Limited Credit Overlay Practices

April 2015 Lenders’ Views About GSEs’ 97% LTV Products and FHA’s Mortgage Insurance Premium Reduction

January 2015 How Lenders Plan to Grow their Mortgage Business in 2015?
© 2020 Fannie Mae. Trademarks of Fannie Mae. 1.8.2020 2 of 3

Q3. What is the value of this survey?

Industry insights and benchmarking are critical in any industry, especially one that is as fragmented as the mortgage 

industry. The Mortgage Lender Sentiment Survey will provide insights and benchmarks to help mortgage industry 

professionals understand industry and market trends and assess their own business practices. This survey will also serve 

as an opportunity for lenders to voice their perspectives or challenges facing the industry and to be shared with key 

audiences and decision-makers.

Q4. What is the survey methodology?

The Mortgage Lender Sentiment Survey is a quarterly online survey among Fannie Mae’s lender partners at the senior or 

executive level, such as CEOs and CFOs. Each quarter, a random sample of senior executives is selected. Selected 

contacts receive an email from Fannie Mae with an invitation and URL to participate in the study. Survey participation is 

absolutely voluntary. Review the survey Technical Notes for more information.

Q5. How well-representative is this study’s sample?

This study leverages Fannie Mae’s total lender partners/institutions, across depository institutions and mortgage banks, 

ranging from larger lenders to smaller. While we cannot guarantee that our sample well represents the whole mortgage 

industry, we hope that, with Fannie Mae’s large and broad lender customer base, this research will provide meaningful 

insights about mortgage industry trends.

Q6. What is the quarterly schedule for the survey?

The survey data collection schedule is February (Q1), May (Q2), August (Q3), and November (Q4).

Q7. Is the survey participation confidential?

Yes. Fannie Mae will not publish respondent names or any personal information or their affiliated institutions in connection 

with this survey. Responses to the survey questions will be collected, aggregated, and analyzed to identify important 

topics, trends, and issues surrounding the mortgage industry. The survey does not ask for any identifying information. In 

addition, to ensure response confidentiality, Fannie Mae has hired a global research company, PSB, to manage the study 

(e.g., online survey programming, data collection, analysis, and reporting). Fannie Mae personnel do not have access to 

the identified individual lender data.

Q8. When are the results published?

The quarterly tracking results are published approximately one month after each quarter’s data collection, and the 

quarterly special topic analysis is published approximately two months after data collection. 

Quarter Data Collection Release of

Key Tracking Indicators*

Release of

Special Topic Analysis

1 February Second week of March April

2 May Second week of June July

3 August Second week of September October

4 November Second week of December January of the following year
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Q9. How can I access the reports?

Public releases can be found on the Mortgage Lender Sentiment Survey web page on fanniemae.com. 

Sign up to receive the latest survey data and other housing market research from Fannie Mae's Economic & Strategic 

Research Group.

Q10. Who at Fannie Mae could I contact to learn more about this research?

All inquiries about the details of this research program should be directed to Steve Deggendorf, Director, Economic and 

Strategic Research at Fannie Mae.