Desktop Underwriter and Desktop Originator
Manage risk and grow your business with confidence
The mortgage industry’s leading underwriting system
Desktop Underwriter® (DU®) is Fannie Mae’s automated mortgage loan underwriting system. Building on 30 years of digital underwriting innovation, DU is a powerful tool to help lenders assess credit risk and establish a loan’s eligibility for sale and delivery to Fannie Mae.
Designed for efficiency, reliability, and ease of use, DU provides clear, actionable guidance for both purchase and refinance loans for a wide range of borrowers. With advanced risk analysis and digital innovations, lenders have access to insights that can instill confidence to reach more potential borrowers than ever before.
Sponsored mortgage brokers have access to DU through Desktop Originator® (DO®).
What’s new in DU?
Discover the latest enhancements and innovations — and find out what’s next.
Just released
Condo Project Manager™ (CPM™) is now integrated with DU to provide automated updates on project status and eligibility — all right inside DU. Less manual work, more efficiency.
June 23, 2025
In case you missed it
The latest update to DU improves credit risk assessment to help you serve more qualified borrowers.
January 11, 2025
See what DU can do
DU offers powerful capabilities to help make the most of every lending opportunity.
Find new lending opportunities
Validate assets, income, and employment with a single data source — and serve more qualified borrowers.
Pre-qualify with a soft credit pull
Get more options for pre-qualification with DU’s early assessment using a soft credit pull.
Help make rent count
Consider on-time rent payments to help more renters become homeowners.
Assess borrowers’ cash flow
Qualify more eligible borrowers based on cash flow assessments.
Loans with at least one digital validation component are 33% less likely to produce defects.
Up to 2.5x more borrowers have benefited from expanded on-time rent payment reporting.
DU early assessment applications had pull-through rate 2x higher than non-early assessment submissions.
Based on internal reporting data.
Unlock DU’s full potential
Grow your business with faster and more reliable validation using an asset report in DU. Data from a borrower’s bank statements streamlines the verification process.
Asset validation
Positive rent payment history consideration
Cash flow assessment
Employment validation
Wage income validation (base, bonus, overtime, commission)
Child support income validation
Alimony income validation
Social Security income validation
Pension income validation
Long-term or VA disability income validation
Explore DU V. 12.0
Are you maximizing the value from every application, loan, and delivery with DU's latest release? Learn how DU V. 12.0 gives lenders greater confidence and the ability to provide more borrowers with affordable mortgage solutions.
- Enhanced risk and eligibility assessment
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Updated debt composition evaluation
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First-time homebuyer evaluation
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Expanded rent data and cash flow assessment
Enhanced risk and eligibility assessment
Improved risk analysis based on the latest data
We’ve improved DU’s ability to analyze the risk of mortgage delinquency by looking at a wide range of factors in borrowers’ loan applications and credit reports, as well as recent loan performance data and the latest market conditions.
14% improvement in loan rating ability
4.5x increase in predicting credit events for loans
Updated debt composition evaluation
Updated evaluations for revolving and student loan debts
We’ve updated how we assess revolving and student loan debt in mortgage applications. We no longer consider variable income or the specific mix of revolving debts in monthly expenses. We also changed how we evaluate loans for people with student debt, because our research shows that these loans often perform better than those without student debt, given similar debt levels and risk factors.
18% of recent loan applicants had student loan debt
Based on data from 2023 and 2024
First-time homebuyer evaluation
Adjusted risk factors for first-time homebuyers
DU now considers first-time homebuyer status as a positive factor when assessing risk. Our research shows that loans for first-time homebuyers perform better, when controlling for other credit factors.
25% of recent loan applicants were first-time homebuyers
Expanded rent data and cash flow assessment
New opportunities to help more borrowers
If a borrower’s credit report includes their on-time rent payments, DU can now use that in its assessment, as well as rent payments shown in bank statements.
We’re also making it easier for people with and without credit scores to qualify. DU can now assess cash flow for both, providing a comprehensive view into money management habits and steady income streams.
2x more borrowers reached
7% of recent applications qualified for expanded cash flow assessments
30 years of innovation
Since launching three decades ago, DU has transformed the mortgage underwriting process. Thanks to DU’s ongoing innovations, lenders today are operating more efficiently and more confidently.
Get more out of DU
View user guides, FAQs, and training resources — and get help from our support team.
DU & DO Learning Center
For information on using Desktop Underwriter and Desktop Originator, visit the learning center.
DU Validation Service Resource Center
For information on using the DU validation service, visit our specialized resource center.
Wholesale resources
Set up DU Wholesale account
Establish and manage a DU Wholesale account for TPOs.
Search sponsoring lenders
Find contact information for sponsoring lenders.
Find job aids
Instructional guides for common Desktop Originator tasks.
Register as a broker
Use this form to sign up as a user for Desktop Originator.
Technology resources
Desktop Underwriter and Desktop Originator are available for use every day, 24 hours a day, except from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. ET the first and third Sundays each month due to scheduled maintenance.
Technology integration resources
Detailed information to help stay current and compliant.
Technology manager
Manage user access to DU and other Fannie Mae applications.
Technology support center
Contact us for help with Fannie Mae technology applications.
Consolidated technology guide
Reference for Fannie Mae’s technology licensing contract and other terms.
