CAIVRS
Credit Alert Interactive
Voice Response System

Information by State  Print version

CAIVRS may be accessed Monday through Saturday, 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. US Eastern Standard Time. CAIVRS is not available on Federal holidays.

FHA terminated telephone access to CAIVRS on October 1, 2008. Please read FHA Mortgagee Letter 2008-18 "Termination of Telephone Access to Credit Alert Interactive Voice Response System (CAIVRS)" Published on 7/11/08 for more information. FHA will continue to offer access to CAIVRS via FHAConnection.

To learn more about CAIVRS:

• Frequently asked questions * Including guidance for Internet Access
• Under what legal authority is CAIVRS implemented?

If you are with a participating agency or authorized lending institution:

• Using CAIVRS

If you have a question, please email us . If you need further assistance, contact the CAIVRS Administrator at (301) 292-1661.

CAIVRS was developed by the Department of Housing and Urban Development in June 1987 as a shared database of defaulted Federal debtors, and enables processors of applications for Federal credit benefit to identify individuals who are in default or have had claims paid on direct or guaranteed Federal loans, or are delinquent or other debts owed to Federal agencies.

 In 1989, the Office of Management and Budget set as a performance goal that certain program agencies and their authorized financial institutions should use CAIVRS to conduct prescreening to determine a loan applicant's credit status with the Federal Government. The purpose of this methodology would enable the program agencies to prescreen their borrowers and to broaden the Federal Government's base in determining an applicant's creditworthiness. Some non-tangible factors are:

• Verifying that loan applicants are not in default or delinquent on direct or guaranteed loans of participating Federal programs as required by
  OMB Circular A -129.
• Providing authorized users with a means to prescreen applicants for Federal credit benefit, to avoid extending benefits to individuals who are
  credit risks.
• Demonstrating to the public the Federal Government's commitment to collecting delinquent debt and the importance of meeting Federal
  obligations.