Lenders, and others in the mortgage industry often use the terms “prequalification” and “preapproval” interchangeably. If your institution is subject to HMDA’s data collection and reporting requirements; however, this can get you into hot water. Under HMDA, a prequalification and a preapproval are two totally different things. In most cases, preapprovals are reportable and prequalifications are not. A preapproval is defined as:
A request for preapproval for a home purchase loan, other than a home purchase loan that will be an open-end line of credit, a reverse mortgage, or secured by a multifamily dwelling, is an application under this section if the request is reviewed under a program in which the financial institution, after a comprehensive analysis of the creditworthiness of the applicant, issues a written commitment to the applicant valid for a designated period of time to extend a home purchase loan up to a specified amount. The written commitment may not be subject to conditions other than:
(i) Conditions that require the identification of a suitable property;
(ii) Conditions that require that no material change has occurred in the applicant's financial condition or creditworthiness prior to closing; and
(iii) Limited conditions that are not related to the financial condition or creditworthiness of the applicant that the financial institution ordinarily attaches to a traditional home mortgage application.
David explains more in the video.
Published 2026/03/05