Fannie Mae launched the Inquiry Response Tool (IRT) vendor portal in 2015. The IRT portal enhances
the way the Fannie Mae Expense Reimbursement team manages customer service inquiries related to
claims processing. This Inquiry Response Tool (IRT) Submitter User Manual has been created to assist in
the submission of questions related to expense reimbursement, such as claims in denied, curtailed, or
pending status.
Table of Contents
Inquiry Response Tool (IRT) Overview ..............................................................3
IRT Submitter .............................................................................................................. 3
Flow Chart and Timeline ......................................................................................4
IRT Key Terms ......................................................................................................5
Inquiry Type ................................................................................................................ 5
Vendor ID Numbers .................................................................................................... 5
Inquiry Category.......................................................................................................... 5
Inquiry Status .......................................................................................................6
Status .................................................................................................................................................. 6
Definition ............................................................................................................................................. 6
Log in Screen ........................................................................................................7
Reset My Password/Username................................................................................... 8
Password Reset .................................................................................................................................. 9
Request Username ............................................................................................................................. 9
Inquiry Tab ......................................................................................................... 10
View Repository ........................................................................................................ 10
Users Tab ................................................................................................................. 11
Active Users ...................................................................................................................................... 11
Search Inquires ......................................................................................................... 11
User Manual and Key Terms .................................................................................... 12
Search Filters ............................................................................................................ 12
Search Inquiries in your Queue................................................................................. 12
View Inquiries............................................................................................................ 12
Remaining Active Days ............................................................................................. 13
Submit an Inquiry .............................................................................................. 14
Single Inquiry Submission ......................................................................................... 14
Batch Inquiry Submission.......................................................................................... 15
Respond to an Inquiry ...................................................................................... 17
Additional Information is needed ............................................................................... 17
Analyst Response ..................................................................................................... 18
Inquiry Detail ............................................................................................................. 19
Add Users and Notifications ............................................................................ 20
Add New User ........................................................................................................... 20
Manage Notifications ................................................................................................ 22
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Inquiry Response Tool (IRT) Overview
The IRT portal improves our ability to respond and track inquiries related to Expense Reimbursement
Claims, including questions related to expenses denied, curtailed, or pending; unclear guidelines around
a claim submission; or a system issue. The intent of the portal is not to assist with the claim submission
procedures but to answer questions related to the decision or pending decision of a specific claim as
needed.
IRT Submitter
IRT is the single resource for performing the following tasks:

Submitting a claim reimbursement inquiry

Tracking the progress of an inquiry

Viewing the history of previous inquiries on a loan
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Flow Chart and Timeline
The IRT workflow will be managed on a 7 day timetable. The Submitter will have 7 days from the time it
populates into their queue to take action. If no action is taken after the 7th day, then the inquiry will move
to a Completed status.
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IRT Key Terms
The following key terms will be used in the system:
Inquiry Type
This Inquiry Type is based on your vendor/servicer profile.

Non-Servicer – These types of inquiries will primarily be for REO vendors.

Servicer – These types of inquiries will primarily be Servicer related.

Reverse – These inquires will be for Reverse Mortgage inquiries. They can be from either NonServicer or Servicer.
Vendor ID Numbers

SSID – Seller Servicer ID

Vendor ID – Vendor Number
Inquiry Category
The category is based on the type of inquiry being submitted.

Expense Curtailed – The claim was not paid in its entirety. Only part of the claim was paid.

Expense Denied – The entire claim was denied.

Expense Pending – The claim has been submitted, but not yet been paid, rejected/denied or
curtailed.

System Issue – The system used to submit claims is causing claims to be rejected/denied.

Unclear Guidelines – The current expense reimbursement submission guidelines or supporting job
aids are not clear on how to submit claims.
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Inquiry Status
Status
Definition
Draft
Submitter can save work in progress before they
submit the inquiry.
System assigned, but not yet reviewed.
Fannie Mae review started.
IRT submission returned to submitter for additional
information.
IRT submission returned to submitter, but
additional information was not received within 7
days.
Fannie Mae review completed and sent to
submitter for review.
The submitter Re-Opened the Completed inquiry.
Fannie Mae review of the Re-Opened inquiry is in
progress.
The inquiry was sent to the submitter, pending
additional information.
The submitter Re-Opened the Completed inquiry
for a second time. This will be the last opportunity
for a rebuttal.
Fannie Mae final review of the Re-Opened inquiry
is in progress.
The inquiry was sent to the submitter, pending
additional information. This will be in a Final
Review stage.
The inquiry was assigned to the Research Analyst,
not yet reviewed.
Research review started.
IRT submission returned to submitter by the
research team for additional information.
48 hour hold of the Completed inquiry expires or
Submitter accepts response from the Research
Analyst.
New
In Progress
Pending
Cancelled
Completed
Re-Opened
Re-Opened In Progress
Re-Opened Pending
Final Review
Final Review In Progress
Final Pending
Research New
Research In Progress
Research Pending
Closed
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Log in Screen
1. After receiving your user name and initial password via email, type this link
http://fanniemae.decisionreadysolutions.com to access the Inquiry Response Tool (IRT).
2. Type your User Name and Password and click submit.
Note: You may be asked to change your password after your initial log-in. Please follow the password
requirements below to setup your new password.
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Reset My Password/Username
This feature provides an automated link to request a password reset and/or to retrieve the username. The
link is located on the login screen.
1. Click on the Forgot My Password/Username to retrieve the data.
2. Select the option for the data that needs to be retrieved.
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Password Reset
Enter your username, email address, and click Submit to reset the password.
Note: The system will send an email to the email address on file with a new temporary password.
Request Username
Enter your email address on file and click Submit to request username.
Note: The system will send an email to the email address on file with a new temporary password.
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Inquiry Tab
The Dashboard screen is your home screen after you log-in. This screen allows submitters to view,
search, submit, and respond to inquiries.
Below are the actions that can be performed in this screen:
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.
G.
H.
I.
J.
Dashboard (Home Screen)
View Repository
Users Tab
Search Inquiries
User Manual and Key Terms
Logout
Search Filters
Search Inquiries in your queue
Remaining Active Days
View Inquiries
View Repository
The screen below will allow you to search the entire inquiry system history by selecting the criteria:






Received From and To Date
Closed From and To Date
Inquiry Type
Inquiry Category
Vendor Type
Status
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Users Tab
This tab will allow you to view Active and Disabled users, add New Users, edit User information, and
manage your notifications.
Note: Please go to the Add New User section at the back of this guide for instructions on how to add a
user.
Active Users
The Active Users screen allows the Vendor Primary user to view current active users. This screen will let
you view who is online and it will also let you take certain actions.
1. Reset – This icon will allow you to reset a user’s password.
2. Edit – This icon allows you to Edit User information, including manage notifications.
3. History – This icon will allow you to view a history of login attempts.
Search Inquires
This function allows you to search previous inquiries using the options below:



Inquiry ID
REO ID
Loan Number
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User Manual and Key Terms
This feature will allow the user to access the IRT User Manual and Key Terms.
1. Click on the
icon to access this information.
2. Click on the Resources tab and then on the IRT – User Manual link to open the manual.
3. Click on the Terms tab to view the Key Terms.
Search Filters
These filters will allow narrow your search of current or previous inquiries depending on the criteria
selected.
Search Inquiries in your Queue
The search function will return results from your queue that matches the selected criteria.
View Inquiries
Inquiries will display here based on the search criteria entered. These inquiries are items that are still
“active” and are pending further action.
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Remaining Active Days
This section shows how many days remain for the submitter to “Accept” or “Re-Open” the inquiry. Action
is required on behalf of the submitter. If no action is taken, then the inquiry will move to a closed or
cancelled status.
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Submit an Inquiry
The vendor inquiry workstation will provide the ability to submit a single or a batch set of inquiries.
Single Inquiry Submission
Hover over the Inquiry tab and select Create New Inquiry to submit an inquiry.
The submitter will be required to enter specific information with regards to the claim, denoted with an
asterisk (*).
Note: Reference the IRT Key Terms section for definitions on Inquiry Type and Inquiry Category.
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Batch Inquiry Submission
Inquiries uploaded in a batch will be treated and addressed as individual inquiries once uploaded in the
tool. Each batch may only contain one Inquiry Category per upload. Multiple batches may be necessary
if submitting inquires that require more than one Inquiry Category.
For example, if you have 100 inquiries and 50 of them are Expense Curtailed and 50 are Expense
Denied, then you will have to submit two batches; one for each category.
1. Hover over the Inquiry tab and select Create Inquiry Batch to submit a batch inquiry.
You will be taken to the Create Inquiry Batch screen.
2. Click on the Download Template link and either save or open the template file from the popup
window.
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The spreadsheet opens in Microsoft Excel.
3. Enter as much detail as possible, in addition to the required fields.
Note: The template upload must be in .CSV format.
4. Click on the Upload Batch File button, once the file has been attached.
A message will appear under the Upload Batch File button letting you know if the upload was
successful. The message will also include the Batch number associated with the upload. The inquiries will
appear on your Dashboard in the Inquiry tab.
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Respond to an Inquiry
The submitter will have a few options when the analyst responds to the inquiry, including: providing
additional information, accept the analyst response, re-open the inquiry, save, or cancel the inquiry
submission.
Additional Information is needed
If the analyst responded to the inquiry and is requesting additional information, then the inquiry will
appear on the submitter dashboard and it will be in one of the Pending status codes. The submitter will
have seven (7) days to respond to the inquiry.
There are also a few different actions that the submitter can take with regards to a Pending inquiry:
Save – This action will save the inquiry if no action will be taken at that time. The inquiry will remain on
your dashboard.
Submit – This action will send the inquiry back to the analyst.
Cancel – This action will cancel the inquiry and no action can be taken once this has been selected.
1. Click on the Inquiry ID to open an inquiry from the dashboard.
Once the inquiry is opened, the submitter will be able to add comments in the Vendor Comment section.
2. Type the additional information requested by the analyst if needed.
3. Click on the Save Comment. If the Save Comment button is not selected, then the comments will be
lost.
4. Decision the Pending inquiry with one of the three available options.
Note: The current character limit is set at 1000.
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Comments provided by the analyst will be listed under the External type in the Inquiry Comment
History section of the page.
Analyst Response
When the analyst provides a response to an inquiry, it will appear on the submitter dashboard in a
Completed status. The submitter will have seven (7) days to respond to the inquiry. Comments provided
by the analyst will be listed under the External type in the Inquiry Comment History section of the page.
There are also a few different actions that the submitter can take with regards to a Completed inquiry:
Accept – This action will close the case and no further action is needed.
Re-Open – This action will send the inquiry back to the analyst. If the submitter decides to Re-Open an
inquiry, then the comments will have to be entered and saved before selecting the Re-Open button.
Skipping the steps below will send the inquiry to the analyst with no comments.
1. Click on the Inquiry ID to open the inquiry from the Dashboard.
Once the inquiry is opened, the submitter will be able to add comments in the Vendor Comment section.
2. Type comments in response to the analyst response if needed
3. Click on the Save Comment. If the Save Comment button is not selected, then the comments will be
lost.
4. Decision the pending inquiry with one of the two available options.
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Inquiry Detail
This tab is located towards the top of the Inquiry Details screen. The Inquiry Activity provides an audit
trail in regards to inquiry case assignments and case status movement. It tracks the Username, Role,
Date and Time of change, and the description of change.
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Add Users and Notifications
Multiple Primary Users are available for vendors with multiple departments within the organization
submitting inquires, related to claims processing. The Primary User will create as many secondary users
beneath their profile as needed per vendor/department. The Primary User manages their user profiles
and controls who is submitting claim inquiries depending on staffing and resource level changes with their
organization.
Add New User
To add a user, move your mouse over the Users tab and select Add New User.
You will be taken to the Create New User screen. Before clicking the Create button, fill out the required
fields, which include the following:
Role – This will display available roles (Primary/Secondary).
Vendor – Vendor/Servicer name.
Select Inquiry Type – The available options will be based on the Vendor/Servicer profile
User Name – Currently, there are no specific User Name requirements.
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Manage Notifications
All vendors will start receiving email notifications from a DRS email address when inquiries submitted by
the user are updated in the application.
Note: All users will be opted-in to receive notifications.
The instructions below will help you manage the email notifications from the Vendor Primary role.
1. Click on Active Users in the Users tab.
2. Click on the Edit icon.
3. Click on the Manage Notification Preferences link to update your notification preferences.
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4. Click Submit to save the updates.
Users will receive notification emails similar to the one below.
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