If there is a dealer accepting applications and then submitting them to the bank, that would still be considered Submitted directly to your institution? The way I am reading that is if were submitted to another FI it would be considered "not submitted directly to your institution"? Am I reading that correctly?

What makes you think that?

Well... I guess because what I keep reading refers to FI's and the dealer is not an actual FI and maybe the fact that the dealer isn't making the credit decision?

Where and for what reason. Application date? - it just referenced third party:

2. Application date—indirect application. For an application that was not submitted directly to the financial institution, the institution may report the date the application was received by the party that initially received the application, the date the application was received by the institution, or the date shown on the application form. Although an institution need not choose the same approach for its entire HMDA submission, it should be generally consistent (such as by routinely using one approach within a particular division of the institution or for a category of loans).

Any application received through a 3rd party would not be an application submitted directly to the FI.

1. Whether or not the applicant or borrower submitted the Application directly to the Financial Institution.