MISMO Seeks Public Comment on ESG Reference Material

Source

MISMO

Contact

Brittney Prophete

(202) 557-2799

WASHINGTON, D.C. (September 5, 2023) — MISMO®, the real estate finance industry's standards organization, today announced that it is seeking public comment on the new Defining the E and S Reference Guide and the related Data Implementation Considerations Guide. The guides are designed to assist in identifying data elements that could be leveraged by lenders, investors, and trading partners to gather environmental, social and governance (ESG) information. The 60-day public comment period runs through November 5, 2023.

“ESG investing has gained popularity in recent years as a way for investors to align investment decisions with their goals and values,” said David Coleman, President of MISMO. “In the context of housing finance, ESG investing can be used to support the development and financing of housing that is sustainable, socially responsible or beneficial, and governed in a transparent and accountable manner.”

The Define the E and S Reference Guide, and corresponding Implementation Considerations Guide, were created through input from mortgage industry ESG thought leaders who collaborated to create the reference material. The idea, driven by participants’ desire to create and sell pools or securities that could be labeled as “ESG,” progressed into a discussion of which industry data could be used to discuss and define ESG investing.

The deliverable package includes:

Define the E and S Reference Guide – A list of terms, mapping to the MISMO ESG framework, and rationale for why included terms should be considered “S” or “E”.
Data Implementation Considerations Guide – Provides an overview of the process to create the Reference Guide and Use Cases for implementation

The public comment period allows those who participated in the proposal a 60 days’ notice prior to the final release to review and disclose any applicable Patent Rights (as defined by MISMO’s 2018 Intellectual Property Rights Policy).

MISMO requests that any organization that may have any patent or patent applications, or other intellectual property rights that might be infringed upon by an organization that uses or is compliant with these proposed MISMO products, to disclose them at this time in writing. All comments and disclosures are due by November 5, 2023, and should be directed to [email protected].

MISMO’s work to solve key business challenges is made possible due to lender support of the MISMO Innovation Investment Fee. For information on MISMO and how to join visit MISMO.org.