Fact-finding is one of America's oldest activities. In a country of 118 million housing units and 275 million people, providing  timely, relevant, and  quality national data is often a monumental task. At the U.S. Census Bureau, we conduct the Residential Finance Survey (RFS) th e year after  each decennial census. You may have already participated in this survey at one time or another, considering that we've been doi ng it since 1950.  The reason we conduct the RFS is to collect and produce data about the acquisition and financing of non-farm, privately-owned r esidential  properties. Our survey data are used by several sources. For instance, researchers and policymakers use the data to design poli cies that ensure a  sound residential finance and delivery system. Real estate and mortgage finance businesses use the data to gauge and improve th eir  competitiveness. According to Peter Fronczek, Chief of the Financial and Market Characteristics Branch, "Many large banks used  the 1991 RFS  data to determine the degree of their future involvement with home equity loans."