Automated underwriting output containing the system assessment, eligibility information, and file-specific messages.
AUS findings and feedback are the detailed output produced when a lender submits a mortgage file to an automated underwriting system.
The output identifies the system assessment and provides messages about eligibility, documentation, calculations, data quality, and issues the lender must review. Fannie Mae DU calls its main output the DU Underwriting Findings report; Freddie Mac LPA uses a Feedback Certificate.
The summary result is only the headline. The findings tell the lender what work supports that result. A favorable recommendation can still require income, employment, asset, credit, property, mortgage insurance, or other documentation before the lender can approve the loan.
Borrowers may not receive the full system report, but their conditions often come from it. A request for an updated bank statement, explanation of a credit inquiry, proof of reserves, or corrected application data may be tied to a specific AUS message.
Findings also preserve system distinctions. DU recommendation labels and LPA risk classes should not be mixed, and LPA purchase eligibility should not be treated as the same field as its risk class.
Findings are generated after every AUS submission. The lender may review them during preapproval, formal application, underwriting, and any later resubmission.
The underwriter compares the findings with the actual file. If a document contradicts the submitted data, the lender must resolve the difference rather than rely on the earlier result. The final findings or feedback should correspond to the mortgage the lender intends to close under the applicable system rules.
| Output area | Borrower-facing effect |
|---|---|
| risk assessment or recommendation | indicates whether the automated credit path is favorable or needs another review path |
| purchase or product eligibility | identifies whether the submitted mortgage fits the selected agency or program requirements |
| income and employment messages | drives paystub, tax, business, or employment verification |
| asset and reserve messages | drives statement, source-of-funds, gift, and reserve documentation |
| credit and liability messages | identifies debts, inquiries, derogatory items, or data needing review |
| property and collateral messages | connects the file to appraisal, project, occupancy, and property requirements |
| data and calculation messages | flags incomplete, inconsistent, or corrected submission data |
| System | Main output | Headline assessment structure |
|---|---|---|
| Desktop Underwriter (DU) | DU Underwriting Findings report | Recommendation such as Approve/Eligible or Refer with Caution |
| Loan Product Advisor (LPA) | Feedback Certificate | Accept or Caution Risk Class, plus separate Purchase Eligibility |
LPA returns an Accept risk class and Eligible purchase status. Its feedback certificate also requires verification of employment, current asset documentation, and review of a recently opened liability.
The lender has a favorable automated result, but the file is not complete. If the new liability changes the qualifying debt, the lender updates the application, resubmits LPA, and follows the revised feedback.
An AUS recommendation or risk class is one component of the findings. The findings include the broader set of messages and eligibility information.
A conditional approval is a lender status after underwriting review. AUS output can help generate conditions, but the system itself does not issue the lender’s approval.
Conditions to close are the lender’s actual unresolved requirements before closing. They can incorporate AUS messages plus appraisal, title, insurance, compliance, and lender-overlay items.
An AUS resubmission is the act of rerunning the updated file. It produces a new version of findings or feedback.