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Spotlight PEPPOL BIS Billing 3.0 The EU e-invoicing mandate is here — France Sept 2026, Belgium Jan 2026, Germany 2025.

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Foundations

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Standards

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Flagship messages

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Tools

X12 261 — Real Estate Information Request

The 261 transmits a request for property information — title search, appraisal, inspection — from a lender or title company to an information provider.

Purpose

The 261 documents the real estate inquiry in a mortgage origination cycle: property identification (parcel, address), information type requested (title, lien, appraisal, inspection), urgency, financing purpose.

It triggers a 262 (Real Estate Information Report) response. Acknowledged by 997. The pivot between the lender system (LOS) and title companies / appraisal management companies.

Envelope structure

The 261 travels within the three X12 envelope levels (ISA/IEA, GS/GE with functional group RZ, and ST/SE). Didactic example in release 004010:

x12 example-261.x12 
ISA*00*          *00*          *ZZ*MORTGAGELENDER*ZZ*TITLECOMPANY  *260515*1500*U*00401*000000261*0*P*>~
GS*RZ*MORTGAGELENDER*TITLECOMPANY*20260515*1500*1*X*004010~
ST*261*0001~
BGN*00*REQ-RE-2026-0099*20260515~
N1*LE*ACME MORTGAGE LENDER*24*EIN-LENDER~
N1*PR*XYZ TITLE COMPANY*24*EIN-TITLE~
REF*ZZ*PROPERTY-1234-ELM-ST~
N3*1234 ELM STREET~
N4*AUSTIN*TX*78701~
REF*ZZ*REQUEST-TYPE-TITLE-AND-LIEN~
DTM*002*20260601~
SE*9*0001~
GE*1*1~
IEA*1*000000261~

Common segments

  • Header — ST, BGN.
  • Lender / Provider — N1*LE (Lender), N1*PR (Provider).
  • Property — REF*ZZ (parcel ID), N3/N4 (address).
  • Request — REF*ZZ (type: TITLE, LIEN, APPRAISAL, INSPECTION), DTM*002 (expected date).
  • Summary — SE.

Common pitfalls

  • Address vs parcel ID: two properties can share an approximate address — always carry the official parcel ID (county assessor) in addition to the address.
  • Purchase vs refinance: the financing purpose changes title search requirements; failing to specify yields an incomplete report.
  • TILA / RESPA timing: since the TRID rule, timing between 261 and 262 must respect RESPA disclosure windows — a too-short delay breaks compliance.

Documentation

The code 261 and the name Real Estate Information Request are public and listed on x12.org/products/transaction-sets. The complete structure of loops, qualifiers and code lists is distributed by DISA via the proprietary Implementation Guides (TR3). ediverse.io covers only public concepts, the envelope and didactic examples.