The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development’s Office of Multifamily Housing has announced significant changes to how borrowers submit reserve request withdrawals, marking a major step toward modernizing government services.

What’s Changing

As part of ongoing efforts to streamline and modernize government operations, the Multifamily Housing Field Operations Division is transitioning to an automated, centralized process for reserve request withdrawals. This new system promises to deliver consistent and timely reviews while reducing administrative burdens and costs for both customers and taxpayers.

New Submission Requirements

Starting on the implementation dates below, all reserve requests must be submitted via email to: RD.MFH.Submissions@usda.gov

Email Format Requirements

Your email submission must follow this specific format or it will be returned without processing:

Subject Line Format:
Borrower ID (9-digit number) — Project Number (3-digit number) — Reserve Request — Property Name

Example:
123456789-123-ReserveRequest-ABC Manor

Required Attachments

1. Form RD 3560-12 (OMB No.: 0575-0189) - Must be submitted as a stand-alone attachment with "3560-12" in the filename.
2. Invoice(s) - All invoices that correspond to the reserve request must be included as separate attachments.

For detailed information on reserve requirements, please consult the HB-2-3560 MFH Asset Management Handbook, Chapter 4.

Implementation Timeline by Region

The new process will roll out in phases across four regions:

October 23, 2025

• Northeast Region: Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia, Vermont, West Virginia
• Midwest Region: Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Nebraska, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin

November 13, 2025

• West Region: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming
• South Region: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virgin Islands

Regional Contact Information

For questions about the new process, contact your regional Field Operations office:

• Northeast: MFHFODNortheast@usda.gov
• Midwest: MFHFODMidwest@usda.gov
• West: MFHFODWest@usda.gov
• South: MFHFODSouth@usda.gov

Learn More

USDA is hosting two stakeholder webinars to provide additional information about the new process:

• October 23, 2025, at 11:00 AM EDT 
• November 13, 2025, at 11:00 AM EST 

You may register for the webinars at the following: https://www.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_Af_aPdAkQrWEAtfl7wKPxQ#/registration

*This article is based on an official announcement from the USDA Rural Development Office of Multifamily Housing