Knowledge Base

The Home Counselor Tool automatically populates in the Home Counseling Provider List in Encompass® based on the primary borrower’s current address. By eliminating manual searches and downloads, the tool saves time and reduces the likelihood of errors

Benefits

• No user action required – runs automatically in the background.
  
• Fast results – eligible providers populate shortly after the borrower’s address is entered.
  
• Reliable data – sources information directly from the same HUD API used by Encompass® and the CFPB.
  
• Intelligent search logic – automatically expands the search radius until at least 10 agencies are identified.
  

Activation

To turn this tool on:

1. Log in to Encompass® as a Super Admin.

2. Open LTK PowerTools™ from the Encompass® menu. Confirm the license includes the Expert, Optimized or Enterprise Tier.

3. Click Settings > PowerTools™ Expert tab.

4. Turn on the Home Counselor Plugin by clicking On.

Important: After activation of the Tool, be sure to wait for the prompt stating that the download is complete prior to continuing.

5. Ensure a license number populated and restart Encompass®.

How It Works

1. The user enters the borrower’s current address in the loan file.
   
• If the borrower has a foreign address (field FR0129 is checked), the subject property address is used instead.
  
2. The tool begins searching for eligible agencies within a 500‑mile radius
   
• If fewer than 10 agencies are found, the search expands in 50‑mile increments up to a maximum of 3,000 miles.
  
3. The provider list populates automatically shortly after the address is entered—no refreshing or manual actions are required.
   
4. Two custom fields are updated automatically:
   

·         CX.HC.IMPORT.STATUS – displays Pass or Fail


·         CX.HC.IMPORT.DATE – displays the date of the most recent run


These fields can be added to Pipeline Views, Reports, or Custom Forms for tracking purposes.


 

What Types of Agencies Are Included?

The tool searches for agencies offering the following services:

• PPC - Pre-purchase counseling
  
• PPW - Pre-purchase Homebuyer Education Workshops
  
• FHW - Fair Housing Pre-Purchase Education Workshops
  
• FBC - Financial Management/Budget Counseling
  
• FBW - Financial, Budgeting, and Credit Repair Workshops
  
• HIC - Home Improvement and Rehabilitation Counseling
  
• DFC - Mortgage Delinquency and Default Resolution Counseling
  
• NDW - Non-Delinquency Post Purchase Workshops
  
• DFW - Resolving/Preventing Mortgage Delinquency Workshops
  

Search results are limited to agencies offering services in English and Spanish.

Where the Data Comes From

The tool uses the data from the same source as Encompass® and ConsumerFinance.gov, which is directly from the HUD  API - https://data.hud.gov/housing_counseling.html.

It pulls data based on the borrower’s geocoordinates from these fields:

Installed Components

• Custom Form: None
  
• Codebase Assemblies: None
  
• Custom Data Objects: None
  
• Plugins: LTK-HousingCounselorPlugin.dll
  

Custom Fields Created: