<Li> Signed into law by President Gerald Ford on December 31, 1975 </Li> <P> The Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (or HMDA, pronounced HUM - duh) is a United States federal law that requires certain financial institutions to provide mortgage data to the public . Congress enacted HMDA in 1975 . </P> <P> HMDA grew out of public concern over credit shortages in certain urban neighborhoods . Congress believed that some financial institutions had contributed to the decline of some geographic areas by their failure to provide adequate home financing to qualified applicants on reasonable terms and conditions . Thus, one purpose of HMDA and Regulation C is to provide the public with information that will help show whether financial institutions are serving the housing credit needs of the neighborhoods and communities in which they are located . A second purpose is to aid public officials in targeting public investments from the private sector to areas where they are needed . Finally, the FIRREA amendments of 1989 require the collection and disclosure of data about applicant and borrower characteristics to assist in identifying possible discriminatory lending patterns and enforcing antidiscrimination statutes . </P> <P> As the name implies, HMDA is a disclosure law that relies upon public scrutiny for its effectiveness . It does not prohibit any specific activity of lenders, and it does not establish a quota system of mortgage loans to be made in any Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) or other geographic area as defined by the Office of Management and Budget . </P>

Who is responsible for enforcing the home mortgage disclosure act