In what scenario would you need to complete the Government Monitoring section of the application?

The Government Monitoring section is required to be completed when the application is taken in a face-to-face meeting. This section is designed to collect data on the applicant’s ethnicity, race, and sex, as part of compliance with federal regulations aimed at ensuring fair lending practices. In face-to-face situations, lenders are required to gather and retain this demographic information to monitor for potential discrimination in lending. This is part of the lender's responsibility under the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA).

In contrast, applications taken over the phone or through other methods may not require this section to be filled out directly by the borrower, as the lender must rely on visual observations in those cases. Therefore, when an applicant applies for a loan in person, the Government Monitoring section must be completed, aligning with regulatory norms.