This report presents statistical summaries of data from the Residential Finance Survey conducted in 1991 as part of the 1990 Census of Housing. Legal provision for this survey was made in the Act of Congress of August 31, 1954 (amended August 1957, December 1975, and October 1976), which codified Title 13, United States Code.

Detailed information is shown on the financing of homeowner and rental properties, including characteristics of the mortgages, properties, and property owners. The data shown relate to the geographic boundaries as they existed for the 1990 census and are presented for the United States total, and for the four census regions.

The data collection and processing procedures for the 1991 survey are similar to those used in the 1981 Residential Finance Survey (see Appendix C for a description of the 1991 collection and processing procedures). However, the scope of the survey was expanded in 1991 to include rental condominium properties and homeowner and rental mobile home properties. In addition, for the first time information was collected on home equity lines of credit. Despite the expanded scope of the 1991 survey, the format of the tables in this report allow for direct comparability with the 1981 survey results. The content of the 1991 survey was also expanded. Several new items were added and some changes were made to existing items to improve the usefulness of the survey results. A description of these changes can be found later in this introduction.

This report contains text—this introduction, a table finding guide, a table of contents, maps, charts, detailed tables, and six appendixes. The table finding guide lists the subjects covered in this report and shows the tables in which the various types of data appear. The detailed tables are presented in eight chapters. The information by property type group for each chapter is shown below.

The appendixes appear after the data tables in this report.

Appendix A—Describes the area classifications (for example, the four census regions).

Appendix B—Provides definitions for the subjects covered in this report.

Appendix C—Summarizes the collection and processing procedures used during the 1991 survey.

Appendix D—Presents information on sources of error, sample design, sample size, ratio estimation, sampling variability, and standard errors.

Appendix E—Provides facsimiles of the questionnaire pages.

Appendix F—Summarizes the 1990 data products program by describing the information available in printed reports and other sources, and provides information on where to obtain assistance.