Continuing Education Course Descriptions
These courses are designed to help counselors maintain their national certifications and to update and enhance their knowledge in key practice areas. Courses are listed based on relevance to certification and appear on the site as they are available.
NREI 113 Reverse Mortgages
Even those counselors who do not provide reverse mortgage counseling should have an encyclopedic understanding of reverse mortgages and how they work. This course provides the fundamental elements of reverse mortgages, the benefits, considerations, and consequences, and alternatives to reverse mortgages. Instruction will also include reverse mortgage as a delinquency prevention tool. This course counts for 4 hours of continuing education.
NREI 114 Reverse Mortgage and Statutory Default
This course provides advanced calculations, a detailed review of the underlying instruments, and a discussion of statutory default, the heirs, estate, and other matters at the point of death, or removal from the premises. This course counts for 4 hours of continuing education.
NREI 112 Advanced FHA Loss Mitigation Rules, Tools, and Calculations
Because HUD requires that Housing Counselors be knowledgeable of and explain HUD’s FHA products and tools to consumers, NREI is offering this course to review, in detail, FHA’s loss mitigation rules and how to use the tools to calculate and determine eligibility and suitability of the tools. This course is designed for both pre purchase and foreclosure intervention counselors as understanding the opportunities and limitations of the tools can inform home buying loan selection, as well as arming the practitioner with essential skills in determining eligibility and suitability of the loss mitigation tools available to the consumer, when faced with delinquency. This course counts for 4 hours of continuing education.
NREI 115 HUD Housing Counseling Practice Requirements inside and outside of the HUD Handbook
This course provides a review of HUD’s housing counseling practice requirements, as well as other constructive requirements not outlined in the HUD Handbook, for which practitioners are subject to and should be aware of. This course counts for 4 hours of continuing education.
NREI 116 Equity Considerations Before and After Foreclosure
This course will discuss the role of equity before and after foreclosure and the role that courts of equity can play. This course counts for 4 hours of continuing education.
NREI 125 MERS Case Reversals and What that Means
A review of what has worked (and not) in foreclosure defense litigation and a discussion of the MERS reversals. This course counts for 4 hours of continuing education. This course counts for 4 hours of continuing education.
NREI 117 Civil Rights, Fair Housing, and Fair Lending
One of HUD’s priorities, housing counseling practitioners are required to understand prohibitions against discrimination and to affirmatively further Fair Housing. Counseling Agencies have certain required duties to demonstrate compliance. This 2-day course provides a history and overview of the various laws designed to protect civil rights, eliminate discrimination, and provide to equal access to housing and mortgage lending. Participants will be guided through the development of a case of alleged discrimination as a part of this course. Discussion of HUD’s requirements for practitioners and agencies will also be presented. This course counts for 14 hours of continuing education.
NREI 118 Privacy and Confidentiality and HPPA
This two-day course will provide training for staff of Housing Counseling Agencies that is designed to inform participants of the requirements regarding practices to protect the privacy and confidentiality of consumers and the way in which consumer information, communication, files and records; individually or in aggregate; must be maintained in accordance with the HUD Handbook 7610.1. The course will also cover provisions under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA Privacy Act); which sets national standards for the security of electronic protected health information. Participants will also be guided in the application of federal requirements for access to information about clients relating to government entities, funders, and other third parties. This interactive course will allow participants to engage in the role play in a mock case from inception through court proceedings. This course counts for 14 hours of continuing education.
NREI 119 Americans with Disabilities Act
This course is designed to provide housing counseling practitioners with a working knowledge of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA); its history; protections; and implications; with respect to employment, public accommodations, telecommunications, and equal access. Practitioners will also learn what the ADA considers prohibited acts and discriminatory practices based on disability, under the Act. This course counts for 4 hours of continuing education. This course counts for 4 hours of continuing education.
NREI 122 Protecting Your Reputation in Pre Purchase Counseling
Learn how to cross your t’s, dot your i’s, and document your true opinion of client readiness in the delivery of pre purchase counseling. Data collected on delinquent borrowers who have been “counseled” can hurt your agency and affect future funding if you don’t prepare properly and accurately reflect your provision of advice. This course is a must for those practicing pre purchase counseling. Participants will be guided through the pre purchase process from inception through reporting. This course counts for 7 hours of continuing education.
NREI 123 Housing Affordability
Refresher course for practicing housing counselors in their knowledge and skills in assisting consumers to understand their readiness to rent or purchase a home, and the costs associated with their choice. Instruction will be provided on assessing homeownership and rental affordability options, income and debt calculation, types of mortgages and debt and credit history review. This course counts for 4 hours of continuing education.
NREI 124 Financial Management
Refresher course for practicing housing counselors to reintroduce practitioners to standard practices and procedures in the provision of financial management education and counseling to consumers. The course will focus on budget development, the importance of savings and reserves, and credit and credit usage. This course counts for 4 hours of continuing education.
NREI 125 MERS Case Reversals and What that Means
A review of what has worked (and not) in foreclosure defense litigation and a discussion of the MERS reversals. This course counts for 4 hours of continuing education. This course counts for 4 hours of continuing education.
NREI 207 Mastering the Elements of FHA Loan Products and their Underlying Instruments
Because HUD requires that Housing Counselors be knowledgeable of and explain HUD’s FHA insured loan products to consumers, NREI is offering this course to review, in detail, the products, underwriting criteria, and the underlying documents. This course is designed for both pre purchase and foreclosure intervention counselors as understanding the underwriting criteria is essential to front end approval, while opportunities and limitations of the various notes will inform the loss mitigation process on the back end. This course counts for 7 hours of continuing education.
NREI 307 Tenants’ Rights, Responsibilities, Protections, and Consequences of Delinquency
This course is designed refresh the level of knowledge of practicing housing counselors who advise consumers about tenancy matters. The focus will be on the on the legal and financial aspects of leasing real estate and the standard elements of discussion that a counselor should review with a consumer relating to their obligations in renting a home. This course counts for 4 hours of continuing education.
NREI 308 Comparative Analysis of Renting vs Homeownership
This course is designed for practicing housing counselors who want to refresh their knowledge and skills in assisting consumers to understand their readiness to rent or purchase a home, and the costs associated with their choice. Instruction will be provided on assessing homeownership and rental affordability options through a comparative analysis, income and debt calculation, types of mortgages and debt and credit history review. This course counts for 4 hours of continuing education.