OpenFileData Privacy Policy

OpenFileData is an independent public-interest research resource committed to government data transparency. This policy outlines our platform architecture, public-records sourcing, and data handling practices.

Platform Privacy & Data Practices

1. Platform Architecture & Data Collection

OpenFileData is built as a static research resource publishing public mortgage data. This analytical website does not include commercial third-party advertising trackers or marketing analytics pixels. Standard web server access logs (including client IP address, user agent, requested URL, and timestamp) may be temporarily processed to ensure platform security, verify system uptime, and prevent denial-of-service activity.

2. Non-Commercial Public Mission

OpenFileData operates solely as a public-interest research tool. We do not operate as a loan broker, lender, or lead generator. We do not solicit personal financial applications, loan pre-approvals, or consumer credit inquiries, and we do not provide consumer leads to financial institutions.

3. Official Public Records Sourcing

All aggregate statistics, lender rankings, and mortgage lending figures published on this site are derived exclusively from public federal datasets released by the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC) and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) under the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA).

4. Open Data & Replication

All summaries are provided with direct CSV and JSON static export downloads to support independent academic, journalistic, and public-interest replication.

Methodology & Disclosures

Credit Decision Denominator Rule: Approval and denial rates are calculated strictly among actionable applications reaching a formal credit underwriting decision (Actions 1, 2, and 3: loan originated, approved but not accepted, denied). Applications withdrawn by borrower (Action 4) and closed for incompleteness (Action 5) are tracked in the broader Consumer Mortgage Universe for market completeness but excluded from credit decision rates as no underwriting decision occurred.

Official Data Source & Freeze Date: Official Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) records published by the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC) and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). Primary analysis uses the 2025 Snapshot National Loan-Level Dataset (frozen June 2, 2026); historical baseline uses the 2024 One-Year National Loan-Level Dataset (frozen June 2, 2026).

Public Interest Commitment: OpenFileData does not sell mortgage leads, lender placements, paid rankings, or individualized mortgage recommendations.

For complete technical formulas, SQL implementations, and data definitions, read the full Mortgage Lending Methodology Specification.