Fannie Mae Legal Documents

Notes, riders & addenda, security instruments, and special purpose documents (updated July 2021)

All of the security instruments, notes, riders & addenda, and special purpose documents that should be used in connection with regularly amortizing one- to four-family conventional first mortgages that are sold to Fannie Mae are available for viewing, printing, or downloading in Microsoft® Word format.

Each document is accompanied by an Instructions document providing:

  • the latest revision date for the document;
  • the document’s purpose and the type of mortgage transactions for which it is used;
  • specific changes that must be made to the document;
  • additional changes that may be made to the document, and
  • other pertinent information about how special situations may affect the use or completion of the document.

This page provides downloadable copies of standard and negotiated instruments, including:

  • Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac Uniform Instruments
  • Fannie Mae Uniform Instruments (marked with an*)

For more information on the instruments, refer to the Uniform Instruments Fact Sheet

News and updates archive

The news and updates archive is a cumulative list of changes concerning the availability or use of specific legal documents, and document and instruction page changes.

News and updates archive

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We periodically make minor revisions to the legal documents, typically to comply with changes to applicable laws. When we revise the documents, we include a notation in the tagline at the bottom of the form to indicate the revision date, and we also include a notation of the revision date in the Instructions page for the document. Users may begin using revised legal documents immediately. Unless we specify, or applicable law requires, an earlier effective date, we require the use of revised documents by no later than six months after the revision date.

Users may reproduce any of the mortgage documents under the user's company name or logo (or without an identifying company name or logo), but the text should NOT be altered except as authorized in the instruction documents.

The footer showing the document name, number, and date must always appear on the document; any format revisions must also provide for the appropriate pagination (number and sequence) to appear on each page.

Electronic versions of the security instruments, notes, and riders are generally presented as individual letter-sized pages; however, a few documents are presented as individual legal-sized pages. We give users blanket authorization to comply with changes in state or local recordation statutes as soon as they become effective, by allowing users to select the most appropriate printing alternative.

Any of the mortgage documents may be printed as:

  • individual one-sided, letter-sized or legal-sized pages;
  • individual two-sided, letter sized or legal-sized pages; or
  • any other page size or construction that is necessary to comply with specific state or local recordation statutes or requirements or to avoid incurring additional recordation costs for over-sized or lengthy documents.

Any other changes that are necessary to assure that the documents are in compliance with any other requirements of state or local recordation statutes or laws are also authorized.

A user must verify the accuracy of any document it reproduces (or has reproduced). If a mortgage document is altered in any way that we have not specifically authorized (other than ministerial changes such as format changes related to recording requirements), we will consider the document to be a non-standard document. A lender that delivers a loan to us using such altered documentation must make a number of non-standard document warranties related to various provisions in the document. The specific warranties are set out in the Selling Guide. Further, a party that makes alterations that we have not specifically authorized (other than ministerial changes such as format changes related to recording requirements) must include a specific notation indicating that the form has been modified by that party, i.e., "modified by ABC".

Notes

Notes for regularly amortizing mortgages include the Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac Uniform Fixed-Rate Notes and the Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac Uniform Adjustable-Rate Notes and other notes that Fannie Mae has developed for specific programs.

Download all notes

Riders & Addenda

It is sometimes necessary to add (or delete) provisions to the security instrument or note for regularly amortizing mortgages to acknowledge special provisions that either apply or do not apply for certain:

  • types of mortgages (such as adjustable-rate mortgages, Texas Section 50(a)(6) mortgages, etc.);
  • property types (such as condominiums, PUDs, or one- to-four-family properties); or
  • occupancy statuses (such as second homes).

The amendments are incorporated by the use of a rider (to the security instrument) or an addendum (to either the note or the security instrument).

Occasionally, an addendum is also used to amend a rider.

Download all riders & addenda

Security Instruments

Security instruments for regularly amortizing mortgages include the Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac Uniform Mortgages, Mortgage Deeds, Deeds of Trust, or Security Deeds for each of the jurisdictions from which we purchase conventional mortgages.

  • Master/Short Forms: Many states have statutes that allow originating lenders to record a Master Form in a given recording district and then to record a Short Form for any mortgage loan originated in that district after that time. The Short Form contains the loan-specific information (e.g., borrower name, lender name, loan amount, description of property, etc.) and identifies the provisions of the Master Form that are being incorporated into the Short Form. The borrower signs the Short Form document and any applicable riders, and the lender must provide the borrower with a copy of the recorded Master Form. Master Forms and Short Forms are available for the states that have authorized their use.

Download all security instruments

Special Purpose Documents

Special purpose documents are designed for use:

  • as an alternative to the standard security instrument and note under certain circumstances (as is the case with the New York Consolidation, Extension and Modification Agreement);
  • in connection with specific types of mortgages that require extra documentation in addition to the standard security instruments, notes, riders, and addenda (such as the affidavit and agreement that is required for Texas Section 50(a)(6) mortgages or documentation related to HomeStyle® Renovation mortgages);
  • when changes are made to the terms of a mortgage (such as the Loan Modification Agreement); or 
  • as a standardized means of assigning a security instrument.

Download all special purpose documents