Now Accepting eNotes from Members

For members interested in learning more about pledging eNotes to the Bank, our educational and informational resources include videos, guides, links to service providers, and a handy checklist.

The evolution of eNotes, or Electronic Promissory Notes, has rapidly accelerated in our increasingly digitized economy, and we are now ready to accept eNotes for 1-4 family mortgage loans and closed-end second mortgages as pledged collateral.

Key advantages of eNotes over wet-signed paper notes are convenience for consumers, lower costs for lenders, quicker transfers of ownership, and more efficient management of the collateral you pledge to the Bank. Implementation of eNotes offers:

  • An easier document signing process, resulting in faster funding
  • Closing location flexibility
  • Paper reduction
  • Fewer signing errors
  • Savings on shipping costs and storage fees
  • Improved audit capabilities
  • Elimination of lost notes

We recognize that across our diverse membership, the current state of eNote readiness vary greatly. On this page, you’ll find educational and operational resources to help you understand how eNotes work and what you may need to do now to prepare your institution to pledge eNotes to the Bank or, once you are ready, how to begin pledging eNotes.
 

eNotes Basics

An eNote is a promissory note created, signed, and stored electronically according to the standards for “transferrable records” under the Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act (ESIGN) and Uniform Electronic Transactions Act (UETA), collectively known as the eSignature Laws. To be considered a transferrable record, an eNote must follow certain guidelines, as detailed in the informational materials linked below. Note that there are very important distinctions between an eNote and an Electronic Note, and, as well, between an actual eNote and an eSignature.
 

Learn More Resources

Get to know what an eNote is — a promissory note executed and signed electronically and stored in an eVault, and what it is not—a scanned image of a wet-ink signature, is one example. For an essential overview of eNote features and benefits and the laws that govern them, watch our What is an eNote? video:


 

The next step is to understand what’s involved in delivering your eNotes to the Bank. Watch our Getting Ready to Deliver eNotes video to learn about eClosing, eRegisty, and eVault.


 

  1. Ready for a deeper dive into FHLBank San Francisco’s specific operational requirements and guidelines for pledging eNotes as collateral? Review our eNotes Collateral Acceptance Requirements and Guidelines.
  2. Ready to take the next step? To streamline your preparations and execution tasks, use our eNotes Readiness Checklist.
  3. We also recommend that you visit the webpage at MERS® Registry that is dedicated to how members of an FHLBank can become a MERS® eRegistry member.

Questions? The Bank’s Collateral Asset Management team are our eNote subject matter experts, ready to help members understand and explore the opportunities of pledging eNotes to the Bank.

Reach out to your Relationship Manager or Collateral Asset Manager (CAM) today to get started!