Short answer: within three business days after a lender, mortgage broker or dealer receives your mortgage application, the lender must give you a written list of homeownership counseling organizations that serve your area. The list must come from the CFPB’s lender website or from data the CFPB or HUD makes available, pulled no more than 30 days before you get it. Using a counselor is your choice, except before a high-cost mortgage, where counseling is required. This page covers federal law only; other rules may apply where you live. It is general information, not legal or financial advice.
The rules for the list
| Rule | What it says | Section |
|---|---|---|
| Deadline | No later than three business days after a lender, mortgage broker or dealer receives an application, or information sufficient to complete one | 1024.20(a)(1) |
| What it lists | Homeownership counseling organizations that provide relevant counseling services in your location, in a clear and conspicuous written list | 1024.20(a)(1) |
| Where it comes from | The CFPB website for lenders, or data the CFPB or HUD makes available, obtained no earlier than 30 days before you get the list | 1024.20(a)(1)(i)-(ii) |
| How it is sent | In person, by mail or by other delivery; electronically only under the E-Sign Act consent rules; it may be combined with other mortgage disclosures | 1024.20(a)(2), (a)(4) |
| Who sends it | A mortgage broker or dealer may provide it, but the lender is responsible for making sure you get it; with more than one lender, you get one list | 1024.20(a)(3), (a)(6) |
| Co-applicants | The list may go to any applicant with primary liability on the loan | 1024.20(a)(6) |
| Home equity lines of credit | The lender may follow either this timing or the timing for home equity plan disclosures | 1024.20(b) |
Source: 12 CFR 1024.20, eCFR, text up to date as of October 28, 2026, read October 30, 2026. We found no official comments on this section in Supplement I to Regulation X.
When no list is required
- The lender denies the application, or you withdraw it, before the three business days end (1024.20(a)(5)).
- The loan is a reverse mortgage covered by 12 CFR 1026.33(a) (1024.20(c)(1)).
- The loan is secured by a timeshare (1024.20(c)(2)).
Example: counting the three business days
This example is only for the math, with example dates. A business day here is a day the lender’s offices are open to the public for substantially all of its business (12 CFR 1024.2(b), eCFR); in this example, the offices are open Monday to Friday and there is no holiday.
| Item | Example date |
|---|---|
| Lender receives the application | Thursday, December 3, 2026 |
| Business day 1 | Friday, December 4, 2026 |
| Business day 2 | Monday, December 7, 2026 |
| Business day 3: last day for the list | Tuesday, December 8, 2026 |
| If the list is given on Tuesday, December 8, 2026, earliest date it may have been pulled (30 days before) | Sunday, November 8, 2026 |
For what counts as an application, see when a mortgage application starts. A prequalification or preapproval request may or may not be an application; see mortgage preapproval vs prequalification.
Who the counselors are
Federal law directs HUD to certify housing counseling organizations and counselors, and a certified counselor must pass a written examination showing competence in financial management, property maintenance, the responsibilities of homeownership and tenancy, fair housing laws, housing affordability, and avoiding and responding to rental and mortgage delinquency, eviction and default (12 U.S.C. 1701x(e)(1)-(2), LII, read October 30, 2026). The CFPB says housing counselors can advise on buying a home, renting, defaults, forbearances, foreclosures and credit issues, that the agencies in its search are ones HUD has vetted and may offer independent advice at little or no cost, and that not every counselor offers every service, so check each agency’s list of services (CFPB: find a housing counselor, read October 30, 2026).
When counseling is required: high-cost mortgages
For a high-cost mortgage, the list is not enough. A creditor may not make the loan unless it receives written certification that you got counseling on whether the mortgage is advisable for you, from a counselor HUD has authorized for that counseling or, where HUD permits, one authorized by a public housing finance agency (12 CFR 1026.34(a)(5)(i), eCFR). Other rules for that counseling:
- It must happen after you receive the required disclosures for the loan (1026.34(a)(5)(ii)).
- The counselor may not be employed by or affiliated with the creditor (1026.34(a)(5)(iii)).
- The certification names you, the dates, the counselor, and says that the counselor verified you received the disclosures (1026.34(a)(5)(iv)).
- The creditor may pay the counselor’s fee, but may not make that payment depend on the loan closing (1026.34(a)(5)(v)).
- The creditor may not steer you to a particular counselor or counseling organization (1026.34(a)(5)(vi)).
See high-cost home loan protections for when a loan is high-cost.
Questions to ask a counselor
- Does your agency offer counseling for the type of loan I am applying for?
- Is there a fee, and who pays it?
- Can you review my Loan Estimate with me?
- Do you meet in person, by phone or online?
- Are you affiliated with any lender I am considering?
Checklist
- Note the date the lender received your application.
- Look for the counseling list within three business days.
- Check that the agencies on it serve your area.
- If the loan is high-cost, get counseling after you receive the disclosures and before closing.
- Keep the list with your other loan papers.
You can submit a complaint at consumerfinance.gov/complaint.
Start your loan request How our service works
Sources
- eCFR: 12 CFR 1024.20, List of homeownership counseling organizations (Regulation X), current text up to date as of October 28, 2026
- eCFR: 12 CFR 1024.2, Definitions (Regulation X), current text up to date as of October 28, 2026
- Cornell LII: 12 U.S. Code 1701x, Assistance with respect to housing for low- and moderate-income families
- CFPB: Find a housing counselor
- eCFR: 12 CFR 1026.34, Prohibited acts or practices in connection with high-cost mortgages (Regulation Z), current text up to date as of October 28, 2026
- CFPB: Submit a complaint
Disclosure: Modern Lending Solutions is not a lender, loan broker or agent for any lender or loan broker, and does not make credit decisions. Any compensation we receive is paid by participating lenders, only for advertising services. This guide is general information, not financial or legal advice.