How do I get answers regarding CAIVRS?

Q: I am on CAIVRS. My old mortgage company has no idea about it and the FHA doesn't know much either. How do I get answers?

A: For starters, HSH.com has published a very informative article titled, “On the Fed's deadbeat database? Here's how to get off it.” This article not only explains what CAIVRS is and why you may be on it, but the article also explains to readers how to get off this list.

The federal government's Credit Alert Verification Reporting System (CAIVRS) is a database created by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to track people who have defaulted on federal obligations, including direct or guaranteed federal loans, incurred a federal lien or judgment or have had a claim paid by one of many government agencies.

Authorized employees of participating federal agencies access this list of delinquent federal borrowers for the purpose of prescreening loan applicants for credit worthiness. You won't have access to CAIVRS yourself, but your mortgage lender should check CAIVRS first thing when you apply for a mortgage. The last thing you want is to get loan approval or preapproval, only to get bad news within days of closing that your name was found on the CAIVRS list.

This is important: the reason why you’re on the list--you defaulted on a student loan, you lost an FHA-backed home to foreclosure, you owe the federal government, or you're on CAIVRS by mistake—will dictate how you get off the list.

Be sure to read “On the Fed's deadbeat database? Here's how to get off it” in order to learn more about CAIVRS and how you can get off the list.

Gina Pogol contributed to this answer.