The FFIEC Census Data Lookup Tool enables users to quickly retrieve comprehensive census tract data for a loan's subject property. It geocodes the property address using the U.S. Census Bureau's geocoding service and the Encompass® API, populating over 30 regulatory compliance data points directly on the loan file.

This tool supports both manual searches and automated workflows, helping organizations maintain accurate HMDA, CRA, and fair lending compliance data.

 

Key Benefits 

  • Fast, reliable census data retrieval
  • Automation and efficiency gains
  • Comprehensive regulatory compliance data (30+ fields)
  • Strong audit controls with PDF report generation
  • Admin-friendly configuration

 

Prerequisites

Please note that before these tools can be activated, clients must be able to access the Toolshed Portal and have obtained API credentials.

Toolshed Portal

If the primary Encompass® Administrator does not have access to the Toolshed Portal, please email support@lendertoolkit.com with the administrator's name, email address, phone number and the Encompass® Client ID.  Our support team will be happy to assist with setting up access.

API User and Persona

Please note that the API versions of our PowerTools™ and automations require an API user to be created in each instance where the PowerTools™ are installed. Lender Toolkit can submit a request to ICE to generate the Client ID and secret key pair.

If credentials have not yet been obtained, use the link below to request credentials.

Request API Credentials for PowerTools and Automations

 

Activation

FFIEC Lookup - API is activated through the Toolshed Portal.

  1. Sign in to Toolshed Portal with an administrator account. Select the correct Encompass® instance.
  2. Open Settings > Enabled Products.
  3. Locate FFIEC Lookup - API. Move the switch to On.Image Placeholder
  4. Download and save the FEMA Disaster Search - API Installation Package
  5. Open Input Form Builder › Manage Customizations › Import Package Wizard.
  6. Browse to the downloaded package and click Import.

Important: The API and SDK versions of the PowerTool® cannot be active at the same time. Companies currently using the SDK (desktop) version must turn off and uninstall it before activating the API version.

 

How to Use the Tool

Important Note:

Regardless of whether the FFIEC Lookup – API is run manually or automatically, the loan must be saved and exited for the search to begin. This is due to the current version of the Encompass® API, which can only update data fields while the loan is closed. There may be a short delay (up to 2 minutes) after closing the loan while the API gains exclusive access and completes the update.

This requirement is expected to be removed in a future update.

Automated Search

Admins can automate searches using a custom trigger field rule. By default, the custom field to trigger the automation is [CX.FFIEC.TRIGGER.API]. When the field is set to “X”, the tool automatically runs the search for census data. Super Admins can change this to a different custom field if desired.

Manual Search

Open the LTK – FFIEC Lookup – API input form.

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  1. Click "Submit". This will request or update census data for the subject property.
  2. After submitting, exit the loan and wait 1-2 minutes to allow the API to update the loan file.

 

Census Data Written into the Loan

To view the data returned from FFIEC, go to the LTK – FFIEC Lookup – API input form. The data is organized into four (4) sections.  Each field is mapped to a standard or custom Encompass® field, which can be used in reports, pipeline views, or business rules.

Census Data
Income Data
Population Data
Housing Data

 

Installed Components

  • Custom Form: LTK – FFIEC – API
  • Codebase Assemblies: None
  • Custom Data Objects: None
  • Plugins: None

 

Custom Fields Created

The link below contains a list of custom fields that are used in the FFIEC Tool.

FFIEC Field Definitions.xlsx