B. Location by Zip Code

Section 1024.20(a)(1) requires lenders to provide a written list of homeownership counseling organizations in the loan applicant's location. As the Bureau discussed in the RESPA Homeownership Counseling Amendments, lenders comply with § 1024.20(a)(1), when they use theborrower's five-digit zip code to generate a list of the ten closest HUD-approved housing counseling agencies to the centroid of the zip code of the borrower's current address, in descending order of proximity to the centroid. The borrower's current zip code satisfies the requirement that the homeownership counseling organizations be in the loan applicant's location. The zip code of the borrower's current address is the default to be entered for list generation. Lenders, should they choose, may offer borrowers the option of generating the list from a zip code different than their home address, or from a more precise geographic marker such as a street address, but lenders are not required to offer such an option. The Bureau's tool will permit generating the list of HUD-approved housing counseling agencies through entry of zip code. A list generated by the lender pursuant to § 1024.20(a)(1)(ii) complies with § 1024.20(a)(1) when the lender generates the list through entry of zip code or from a more precise geographic marker such as a street address. Lenders generating a list pursuant to § 1024.20(a)(1)(ii) through zip code or from a more precise geographic marker such as a street address, will ensure that lists generated under this provision are obtained through similar means as those generated through the Bureau's tool, thus ensuring consistency.
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C. Homeownership Counselor Contact Information

Section 1024.20(a)(1) requires lenders to provide a written list of homeownership counseling organizations that provide relevant services in the loan applicant's location.