Disclaimer

This paper reports the results of research and analysis undertaken by Census Bureau staff. It has undergone a Census Bureau review more limited in scope than that given to official Census Bureau publications. This report is released to inform interested parties of ongoing research and to encourage discussion of work in progress.

The U.S. Census Bureau has been conducting the Residential Finance Survey (RFS) every ten years since 1951, yet many long-term mortgage bankers have never heard of it! Some may even believe that it counts each mortgage in every portfolio of all mortgage lenders in the United States. However, the RFS is not a complete count of mortgages akin to Census 2000, the most recent comprehensive enumeration of people and households undertaken every ten years by the Census Bureau.