RD Certification Templates

Request for Approval under the “Generic Clearance for the Collection of Routine Customer Feedback” (OMB Control Number: 0503-0021)

expires 11/30/14

T ITLE OF INFORMATION COLLECTION: RD/Single Family Housing (SFH) Customer Satisfaction Survey to solicit feedback on levels of satisfaction related to loan servicing performed at the Centralized Servicing Center (CSC), St. Louis Mo.

PURPOSE: The purpose of the survey is to measure the movement of overall customer satisfaction for the RD/SFH Direct loan program related to loan servicing and identify areas that require focused attention for improvement and early detection of problems. The measurement of these components must be achieved using a consistent, reliable method which reveals action items that can be initiated to increase overall satisfaction and program delivery.

Data collected will be compared to previous surveys which will gauge the trend for performance for customer satisfaction over an extended period of time. The results also show the effectiveness of action items implemented from past surveys. The survey is administered every 24-36 months depending on budget availability.

The Centralized Servicing Center, which services the SFH direct loans, plans to conduct the next survey in early calendar year 2015. A cover letter and survey are distributed to the randomly selected customers then approximately 7 days later a follow-up post card is sent to all customers.

DESCRIPTION OF RESPONDENTS: The targeted group includes a randomly selected group of SFH homeowners (aka customers) who are in current standing with their loan repayment and have no legal action pending on their loan. Selected respondents should be representational to the geographic distribution of the loan portfolio as well as a corresponding percentage in the identified persistent poverty regions and borrowers who select a Spanish language service.

TYPE OF COLLECTION: (Check one)

[ ] Customer Comment Card/Complaint Form [X ] Customer Satisfaction Survey

[ ] Usability Testing (e.g., Website or Software [ ] Small Discussion Group

[ ] Focus Group [ ] Other: ______________________

CERTIFICATION:

I certify the following to be true:

1. The collection is voluntary.

2. The collection is low-burden for respondents and low-cost for the Federal Government.

3. The collection is non-controversial and does not raise issues of concern to other federal agencies.

4. The results are not intended to be disseminated to the public.

5. Information gathered will not be used for the purpose of substantially informing influential policy decisions.

6. The collection is targeted to the solicitation of opinions from respondents who have experience with the program or may have experience with the program in the future.

Name:___Terrie J. Barton, Customer Service Branch Director 314-457-5133_______________

To assist review, please provide answers to the following question:

Personally Identifiable Information:

1. Is personally identifiable information (PII) collected? [ ] Yes [X ] No

2. If Yes, will any information that is collected be included in records that are subject to the Privacy Act of 1974? [ ] Yes [ ] No

3. If Yes, has an up-to-date System of Records Notice (SORN) been published? [ ] Yes [ ] No

Gifts or Payments:

Is an incentive (e.g., money or reimbursement of expenses, token of appreciation) provided to participants? [ ] Yes [ X ] No

BURDEN HOURS

Category of Respondent	No. of Respondents	Participation Time	Burden
SFH borrowers	5,320 per survey	10 min	887 hrs
SFH borrowers	5,320 per survey	10 min	887 hrs
Totals (for 2 survey administrations)			1774 hrs

FEDERAL COST: The estimated annual cost to the Federal government is _$75,000 per survey administered. Anticipate 2 surveys to be completed within 3 years (pending budget availability) which would place the total cost at approximately $150,000.

If you are conducting a focus group, survey, or plan to employ statistical methods, please provide answers to the following questions:

The selection of your targeted respondents

1. Do you have a customer list or something similar that defines the universe of potential respondents and do you have a sampling plan for selecting from this universe? [X ] Yes [ ] No

If the answer is yes, please provide a description of both below (or attach the sampling plan)? If the answer is no, please provide a description of how you plan to identify your potential group of respondents and how you will select them?

The sample for the CSC Customer Survey is drawn randomly from the portfolio of CSC customers. After first selecting for customers who are current on their payment, a sample is drawn using the nth select methodology. In 2012, 62 states and U.S territories were represented in the portfolio and the sample was drawn from each State/Territory corresponding to seven defined geographical regions.

With a customer base of approximately 320,000 (or 46,000 in each of the seven regions) we estimate that 380 survey responses in each region will provide 95% confidence in the results (+/-5%). Assuming a 50 percent response rate, mailing 760 surveys per region or 5,320 total for CSC will yield the required number of responses per region.

A 2002 study in the Journal of Official Statistics (vol. 18, no. 2 pp 257-273) reported 42.5% response rate for customer surveys conducted via mail. Large mortgage servicers usually have a response rate in the 25%-40% range for mail surveys. The most recent 2012 survey yielded a 49% response rate.

Administration of the Instrument

1. How will you collect the information? (Check all that apply)

[ ] Web-based or other forms of Social Media

[ ] Telephone

[ ] In-person

[X ] Mail

[ ] Other, Explain

2. Will interviewers or facilitators be used? [ ] Yes [X ] No

Please make sure that all instruments, instructions, and scripts are submitted with the request.

Instructions for completing Request for Approval under the “Generic Clearance for the Collection of Routine Customer Feedback”

TITLE OF INFORMATION COLLECTION: Provide the name of the collection that is the subject of the request. (e.g. Comment card for soliciting feedback on xxxx)

PURPOSE: Provide a brief description of the purpose of this collection and how it will be used. If this is part of a larger study or effort, please include this in your explanation.

DESCRIPTION OF RESPONDENTS: Provide a brief description of the targeted group or groups for this collection of information. These groups must have experience with the program.

TYPE OF COLLECTION: Check one box. If you are requesting approval of other instruments under the generic, you must complete a form for each instrument.

CERTIFICATION: Please read the certification carefully. If you incorrectly certify, the collection will be returned as improperly submitted or it will be disapproved.

Personally Identifiable Information: Provide answers to the questions. Note: Agencies should only collect PII to the extent necessary, and they should only retain PII for the period of time that is necessary to achieve a specific objective.

Gifts or Payments: If you answer yes to the question, please describe the incentive and provide a justification for the amount.

BURDEN HOURS:

Category of Respondents: Identify who you expect the respondents to be in terms of the following categories: (1) Individuals or Households;(2) Private Sector; (3) State, local, or tribal governments; or (4) Federal Government. Only one type of respondent can be selected per row.

No. of Respondents: Provide an estimate of the Number of respondents.

Participation Time: Provide an estimate of the amount of time required for a respondent to participate (e.g. fill out a survey or participate in a focus group)

Burden: Provide the Annual burden hours: Multiply the Number of responses and the participation time and divide by 60.

FEDERAL COST: Provide an estimate of the annual cost to the Federal government.

If you are conducting a focus group, survey, or plan to employ statistical methods, please provide answers to the following questions:

The selection of your targeted respondents. Please provide a description of how you plan to identify your potential group of respondents and how you will select them. If the answer is yes, to the first question, you may provide the sampling plan in an attachment.

Administration of the Instrument: Identify how the information will be collected. More than one box may be checked. Indicate whether there will be interviewers (e.g. for surveys) or facilitators (e.g., for focus groups) used.

Submit all instruments, instructions, and scripts are submitted with the request.

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