Section 1710.500 - Initial contact(a) Loan applicants that do not have outstanding loans from RUS should contact the Rural Utilities Service via Email at RUSElectric@usda.gov, call RUS at (202) 720-9545 or write to the Rural Utilities Service Administrator, United States Department of Agriculture, 1400 Independence Ave. SW, STOP 1560, Room 4121, Washington, DC 20250-1560. Loan Applicants may also visit RUS' website to locate a local General Field Representative at https://www.rd.usda.gov/contact-us/electric-gfr. A field or headquarters staff representative may be assigned by RUS to visit the applicant and discuss its financial needs and eligibility. Borrowers that have outstanding loans should contact their assigned RUS general field representative (GFR) or, in the case of a power supply borrower, Deputy Assistant Administrator, Office of Loan Origination and Approval. Borrowers may consult with RUS field representatives and headquarters staff, as necessary.(b) Before submitting an application for an insured loan the borrower shall ascertain from RUS the amount of supplemental financing required, as set forth in § 1710.110 . If the borrower is applying for either a municipal rate loan subject to the interest rate cap or a hardship rate loan, the application must provide a preliminary breakdown of residential consumers either by county, Tribal land or by census tract. Final data must be included with the application. See§ 1710.501(a)(7) .60 FR 3731, Jan. 19, 1995. Redesignated at 78 FR 73366 , Dec. 5, 2013, as amended at 84 FR 32613 , July 9, 2019; 87 FR 73438 , Nov. 30, 2022 87 FR 73438 , 2/28/2023; 89 FR 17274 , 6/10/2024