Privacy

How to Request Records Under the Privacy Act

Pursuant to the Privacy Act, United States citizens and legal permanent residents can seek information about themselves which is maintained in an FHFA system of records and retrievable by name or other personal identifier. These requests are often made under both the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and Privacy Act.

You can submit a FOIA/Privacy Act request through any of the following methods:

Online Form: Utilize the Fillable FOIA/Privacy Act Request Form. Note: If you do not have Adobe Acrobat Pro, you will need to complete the form, save it on your computer, and email the completed form to Privacy@fhfa.gov.
Email: Send your request directly to Privacy@fhfa.gov. Be sure to include all information required on the fillable form.
FHFA Online Portal: Submit your request via the FOIA/Privacy Act Request Portal at https://foiapal.fhfa.gov/.
National FOIA Portal: File your request on the National FOIA Portal at FOIA.gov.
Mail: Send your request to FHFA Privacy Act Officer, Federal Housing Finance Agency, 400 7th Street, SW, Fourth Floor, Washington, DC 20219.

For assistance with making a Privacy Act request, please see the instructions located on our FOIA webpage.

To submit a Privacy Act appeal to FHFA send by mail to FHFA Privacy Act Appeals Officer, Federal Housing Finance Agency, 400 7th Street, SW, Fourth Floor, Washington, DC, 20219 or by email to Privacy@fhfa.gov.

To submit a Privacy Act request or appeal to FHFA Office of Inspector General send by mail to Federal Housing Finance Agency Office of Inspector General, 400 7th Street, SW, Third Floor, Washington, DC 20219 or by email to Privacy@fhfaoig.gov. See also FHFA-OIG Privacy Program web page: https://www.fhfaoig.gov/privacy for other options.

Please note that all mail sent to FHFA via the United States Postal Service is routed through a national irradiation facility, a process that may delay delivery by approximately two weeks. For any time-sensitive correspondence, please plan accordingly. Envelopes should be marked “Privacy Act Request.” Requests submitted after normal business hours (8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Eastern Time, Monday through Friday) will be deemed received on the next normal business day.

Overview of the Privacy Act

The Privacy Act of 1974, 5 U.S.C. § 552a, establishes a code of fair information practices that governs the collection, maintenance, use, and dissemination of personally identifiable information about individuals that is maintained in a system of records (a group of records under the control of an agency from which information is retrieved by a unique identifier, e.g., name, ssn, etc.) by federal agencies. The Act balances the government’s need to maintain information about individuals with the right of individuals to be protected against unwarranted invasions of their privacy.

Under the Privacy Act, United States citizens and legal permanent residents, upon request, have the right to:

Access and review records about you, and
Amend information about you that is inaccurate, irrelevant, untimely or incomplete that is contained in an agency system of records.

The Act mandates that the Government:

Informs you why information is being collected and how it is going to be used;
Assures that information is accurate, relevant, complete and up-to-date before disclosing it to others;
Allows you to find out about disclosures of your records to other agencies or persons; and
Provides you with the opportunity to correct inaccuracies in your records.