To put a finer point on it, it's required for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac loans -- it's their form, after all. It may have been adopted as a requirement by other secondary market investors. But if you hold your loans in portfolio, it's only required if the bank elects to require it.
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John S. Burnett
BankersOnline.com
Fighting for Compliance since 1976
Bankers' Threads User #8