PROCESSOR SOFTWARE USER’S GUIDE
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Table of Contents
ACCOUNT PROFILE TAB
SEARCH HUD TAB
Valid search criteria:
Search Results
Editing a Record
Printing Records
Print Preview Screen
MY UPDATED RECORDS TAB
ARCHIVED RECORDS TAB
HUD
DATA TIPS
CONTACT US
ACCOUNT PROFILE TAB
This is where you will want to start. Click on Account Profile and update
your personal information that you want to show up on all your letters and forms
that you’ll be mailing. Make sure you have a phone number where you can be
easily reached, and ideally an email address also. You can change your Company
data at any time.
You can set your default processing fee here as well. Unless you change
it, it defaults to .25, which is 25% of the borrowers
refund. If you’d like to change the default processing fee, enter the number as
a decimal, i.e. .15 (for 15%)
You can also change your password at anytime from the Account Profile
page.
Be sure to click UPDATE when you’ve changed your information.
SEARCH HUD TAB
This is the starting point for using the Processor Software. From this
search screen, you can locate a segment of data you want to work with.
You’ll want to choose a search strategy that can give you a workable chunk
of data to work with. You might want to choose by
zipcode or state. Or perhaps a combination of zipcode with refunds greater than
a certain number (like $800).
Tip: While searching for only the highest
refunds may seem like a great idea, you won’t be the only one thinking that.
Consider starting with nearby zipcodes. Your local phonebooks may help you
locate these people. Very often, people move nearby.
Valid search criteria:
Finding a specific record:
Case number: enter the 10 digit case number, including the dash, i.e.
569-054639
First name: enter a name
Last name: enter a name
Finding a range of records:
Date Mortgage Paid: you can enter a time span, or a precise date. Be sure
to enter your dates using the following format: MM/DD/YYYY
Refund Amount: enter the dollar amount without dollar sign, i.e. 400.00
Finding records by location:
City: type in a city
State: type in the 2 letter state abbreviation
Zip: type in the 5 digit zipcode
Once you enter your search criteria, hit the SEARCH button and wait. If
there are a lot of records to be found, the search can sometimes take 30 seconds
or so (depending on your internet connection).
Your results will display below the search screen. You may have to scroll
down to see it.
Search Results
The results of your search will be displayed on the bottom half of the screen. At the top of the
list, it will tell you how many records are displayed out of how many records
that match the search criteria. “1 to 25 of 48” means there are 48 total records
that match the search criteria, and you are able to view records 1 through 25 on
the current screen.
By selecting the very top check box, you can select all records that are
visible on the page (25 max). By selecting the top check box again, you can
deselect all the records. Or you can select multiple records by clicking on the
check box that is at the beginning of
each record.
Editing a Record
If you have researched a particular Borrower and have an updated address
you would like to use, you will need to edit the HUD record. By clicking on the
pencil icon next to the record you are interested in, you will be able to add
update information to the record, as well as keep notes on the borrower.
When you edit a record, only YOU will have access to that updated
information. You can always find your updated borrower information by clicking
on the My Updated Records tab at the top of the screen.
Printing Records
From the Search results screen, you can print any number of forms. Simply
check the checkbox next to the record(s) you wish to print, then scroll to the bottom of the screen and choose the letter or form you wish to print in the drop-down menu at the bottom of the page.
Tip: It is most efficient to only print the intro letters or letter to
current resident directly from the HUD data screen. You’ll want to print the
other forms from your Updated Records once you locate the borrower.
Once you select the form or letter you wish to send, click on the PRINT
button.
Print Preview Screen
Once you click on the PRINT button, whether from the HUD search results or
the Updated Records, you will see a preview screen. This is a good place to
verify that all the data looks correct. However, do not worry about final
formatting from here. The final formatting is done in the next step.
If you are satisfied with what you see, you can either print directly from
the preview by clicking on the printer icon at the top right-hand bar above the
preview, or you can export the letters as PDF files (Adobe Portable Document
Format).
NOTE: if you use the printer icon to print, you may
get a pop-up window letting you know you need to load an ActiveX component to
allow the printing to work properly. Make sure you load the ActiveX.
To print to a PDF file, in the “Select a Format” drop-down menu at the top
of the screen, select “Acrobat (pdf) File” and click on the EXPORT button. A
pop-up box will ask you whether you want to open or save the file. Either one
will work. If you click on Open, it will allow you to view your letters right
away. If you click on Save, it will save the letters to your hard drive.
Tip: Saving PDF files to your hard drive gives
you an electronic record of who you’ve mailed to.
MY UPDATED RECORDS TAB
When you click on the My Updated Records tab, you will see all the records
that have updated information that you have added. From the list screen, you can
print forms and letters, or you can click on the pencil to edit the borrower information further.
When you click on the pencil icon, you can view one record at a time. Here
you can input updated information that you gather on the borrower. You can also keep track of the date
you located the borrower, the date
they become a confirmed client, and the date the case is closed.
You can also add a customized processing fee for each borrower. Be sure to
input that processing rate as a decimal: .20 (for 20%)
You can also input notes to keep track of where you are with the borrower and what work remains.
Be sure to click on UPDATE whenever you make a change.
ARCHIVED RECORDS TAB
When the HUD database is updated, borrowers that have been successfully refunded are removed from the
HUD database. If records are removed that you have updated information for,
these records will be moved to the Archived Record tab. When you successfully
process a refund, that borrower will be automatically moved to the Archived
Record tab when the HUD database is next updated and HUD no longer owes that
borrower money. In this way, you can tell if a borrower you have been working with has been successfully
refunded or not.
Likewise, if you have been
working on locating a borrower, and now notice that the
borrower is in the Archived Records tab, you will know that
their refund has been processed.
HUD DATA TIPS:
HUD makes available updated data monthly. This data is updated to include
the newest people HUD has been unable to locate. HUD has 2 years to try to
locate the borrowers, after which
time they must make the information available under the Freedom of Information
Act. This means that the Mortgagor Address, which is the last known address of
the borrower, is often not where the borrower lives anymore. Your primary task is to locate these people. Locating them is the bulk of the work.
Each borrower is assigned a 10-digit case number. If a husband and wife
own the house together, they are each listed separately with the SAME case
number. You will likely want to try to contact them jointly (in which case the
refund amount will be the two individual’s refunds added together) as you will
need BOTH signatures to get the refund processed.
CONTACT US
If you have questions or problems using the software, please contact us
using the following submission form.