If you have worked in the mortgage lending industry before, you know that manually entering borrower information from one system into another is a major pain point. For example, when a loan officer enters information into Pre-Approve Me, someone else must then manually type the same information into Encompass. Therefore, there is a great chance for mistakes, wasted time and delays with borrowers.
The good news is that Pre-Approve Me has created a direct connection to Encompass (ICE Mortgage Technology’s flagship LOS). So that once it is set up, loan application data will flow automatically between both systems.
This Pre-Approve me setup guide will show you how to complete the setup process, provide information on what each step does and answer common questions from loan officers and admins before getting started.
What is Pre-Approve Me?
Pre-Approve Me is an application that helps connect borrowers with mortgage professionals. With the ability to send out pre-approval letters, collect things needed from the borrower, and manage communication with clients, it provides everything needed to engage with borrowers all in one place.
Why Does Encompass Pre-Approve Me Integration Matters?
When these two systems can communicate with one another, this allows:
- The loan officer to initiate a conversation with a borrower on Pre-Approve Me
- Collects the data necessary to complete the 1003 application
- Push that application into a new loan file in Encompass without re-entering each field.
What You Need Before You Start?
Before you can begin Pre‑Approve Me Encompass setup, you need several things from both:
On the Pre‑Approve Me side:
- Active Pre-Approve Me account (Either Team or Enterprise plan) **Note:** The Pre-Approve Me Basic plan does not provide you with the ability to integrate an LOS.
- Administrator access to the Pre-Approve Me dashboard.
- Have your Encompass Instance URL, and API credentials handy.
On the Encompass side:
- The integration connects to the Encompass APIs and works independently of whether users access Encompass through SmartClient or Encompass Web.
- At minimum, have a user role that is authorized to create loans or modify existing loans.
You should have the following items:
- A sample borrower file to test after the setup is complete
- An Encompass sandbox (only if your company has one)
If you do not have API credentials yet, you need to contact ICE Mortgage Technology support or your internal Encompass administrator. This is the most common reason why a setup doesn’t work.
Step-by-Step: How to connect Pre-Approve Me to Encompass?
Step 1 — Log Into Pre‑Approve Me as an Admin
To do this you have to open Pre-Approve Me and sign in with your administrator account. If you only have a loan officer account, either have your company’s administrator log in to their account for you to do this, or ask your administrator for temporary administrator access.
Once you are in Pre-Approve Me, go to the left navigation menu and find “Settings” followed by “Integrations.”
Quick tip: If you do not see an Integrations tab on the menu bar, it may be because your account does not include the Integration feature. Contact Pre-Approve Me support for information on your account level.
Step 2 — Navigate to the Integrations Panel
Under ‘Settings,’ go to ‘Integrations,’ and you will find a list of external applications connected to your agency. There will be CRM tools, pricing engines, document generation tools, and LOS’.
Locate ‘Encompass’ on the list of integrations. It will have the ICE Mortgage Tech logo and a connection status, which indicate either ‘Connected’, ‘Not Connected’, or ‘Pending’.
Finally, click on ‘Configure’ or ‘Connect’.
Step 3 — Enter Your Encompass API Credentials
Input your Encompass API credentials here. You will see a form that requires input to successfully complete this integration.
| Fields | What To Enter? |
| Encompass Instance ID | Your unique instance ID (e.g., BEXXXXX) |
| Client ID | The API Client ID from ICE/Encompass admin panel |
| Client Secret | The API Client Secret (treat this like a password) |
| Encompass URL | Your instance URL (e.g., https://YourCompany.encompass.com) |
| Environment | Select Production or Sandbox |
Fill out these fields carefully. First and foremost, the Client Secret is important. After saving it in Encompass, it will only be displayed once. So copy it down somewhere safe before continuing with this application. Once all fields have been completed, click on the Test Connection button. Pre-Approve Me will click Encompass and return either a successful confirmation (green) or provide an error code if it was unable to connect.
Common errors at this stage:
- 401 – Unauthorized – Either the Client Id or Secret is not valid or the API user does not have the required permissions in Encompass.
- 404 – Not Found – The Instance Id or URL is not valid.
- Time out – If your Encompass system has been set up with IP Allowlisting, please contact your IT Department to allow access from Pre-Approve Me’s server IPS.
Step 4 — Map Your Fields
You will now identify which Pre-Approve Me data fields correspond to Encompass fields. Pre-Approve Me provides you with a field mapping interface (two-column table). The left column contains Pre-Approve Me data fields, and the right column contains Encompass field IDs. If your company has custom fields in Encompass, like realtor partner names, source codes, or custom categories, you’ll need to map these manually.
To create a custom mapping:
- Select “Add Custom Field”
- Type/paste the Encompass field ID (found in Encompass under Field IDs in Admin Tools)
- Select the occur Pre-Approve Me data from the drop-down list
- Click “Save Mapping”
“Our first-time field mapping took around 45 minutes, mainly due to the numerous custom Encompass fields we required. After that initial effort, we’ve never touched the mappings again.”
— Integration setup notes shared by a mortgage technology consultant on LinkedIn
Step 5 — Configure Loan Creation Rules
The final step in setting up your integration with Encompass is to determine when Pre-Approve Me will send data over to Encompass. To do this, you have three different types of triggers to choose from:
- Manual Push – Has the loan officer click on ‘Send to Encompass’ for each application they complete
- Auto Push Upon Completion – Automatically sends to Encompass when the borrower submits their completed application
- Auto Push Upon Pre-Approval – Sends to Encompass when the loan officer has issued a pre-approval letter.
Most teams begin their initial weeks using the Manual Push only, and then transition to Auto Push once they are comfortable with the mapping. Any time during your integration can be changed without having to recreate the entire integration process.
Additionally, you designate which folder within Encompass that each new loan will end up in so your processing team can quickly find these new loans when they are processing them.
Step 6 — Set User Permissions
Your group has several loan officers on Pre-Approved Me. You control their ability to push data into Encompass.
To manage this access, visit the Team Settings under the Integrations option. A list of your Pre-Approved Me users will display. Each user can have the Encompass integration turned on/off individually or use the Apply To All button to apply it to everyone in the group.
For junior loan officers or assistants without directLOS access, toggle the integration off. They can work in Pre-Approved Me but will not be able to push to Encompass directly.
Step 7 — Run a Test Push
Make sure to do a test of the entire process using a dummy borrower before going live. A test application in Pre-Approve Me will allow you to easily create an application using fake information. For example, make an application for “Test Borrower” at the address “123 Test Street.”
After you fill out the application completely, trigger a push (whether manual or automatic depending on how you set it up in Step 5) of the application to your Encompass account. Check to see the test loan recorded in Encompass within a few minutes depending on system configuration and processing time.
Locate the test loan in your target loan folder in Encompass and confirm the following:
- Borrower’s name transferred correctly.
- Loan Amount and property address are correct.
- All of your mapped custom fields contain the correct data.
- No fields listed as blank that should contain data.
If you believe that these fields should contain data and are still blank, go back to your Field Mapping section of Step 4 and reconfirm the Encompass Field IDs.
Step 8 — Cleanup Test Loan
After you have confirmed that your test of Encompass loan application integration is successful, remove the placeholder loan from Encompass (or create an area called “Test” if your company wants to maintain records) and inform your team that the integration has been turned-on.
A brief walkthrough internally (10 to 20 minutes via screen share) can give the loan officers an understanding of what occurs when they send a loan through and what they can expect in Encompass.
Looking for a seamless Pre-Approve Me integration? Our Encompass Integration Services ensure accurate data synchronization, improved efficiency, and a better borrower experience.
A Realistic Timeline to Expect
| Phase | Estimated Time |
| Gathering API credentials from ICE | 1–3 business days (depends on your IT/admin team) |
| Initial setup in Pre‑Approve Me | 20–30 minutes |
| Field mapping (standard fields only) | 15–20 minutes |
| Custom field mapping | 30–90 minutes depending on volume |
| Test run and validation | 15–30 minutes |
| Team training | 30–60 minutes |
Total realistic timeline of Encompass Pre‑Approve Me integration: 2–5 business days from decision to fully live integration, assuming API credentials come through quickly.
What Happens After a Successful Push?
Encompass automatically creates the following actions whenever Pre-Approve Me sends information to it:
- A new loan record is created in Encompass in the configured folder or pipeline stage.
- Pre-Approve Me will record the push in the app activity log at the time of the push.
- A status badge stating “Sent to LOS” may appear depending on configuration.
- If configured, Encompass Webhooks can send event notifications to subscribed systems when a loan is created or updated.
As a result, a complete audit trail of when data was transferred, who did so and if the transmission was successful will always be available.
Quick Troubleshooting Reference
| Problems | Most Likely Cause | Fix |
| Test Connection 401 Error | Invalid credentials used for Test Connection, including Client ID and or Secret. | Please regenerate your credentials through the Encompass Admin Tools |
| Fields Arriving Blank into Encompass | Incorrect field mapping is the likely cause of why you are not receiving any values into Encompass | Check field IDs in the Encompass Field IDs list |
| Push Successful, but Loans are not Visible | Possible reasons for this issue include selecting the wrong folder when pushing | Verify the folder destination selected in step 5 of the push process |
| Duplicate Loans Being Created | You have both auto-push and manual push triggers turned on | Using multiple triggers may result in duplicate loans unless deduplication rules are configured. |
| Pre-Approve Me Missing Integration Tab | Your Pre-Approve Me subscription plan doesn’t include any LOS integrations | Either upgrade your plan or contact support for additional assistance |
In Conclusion
To establish the Encompass loan application integration with Pre-Approve Me, keep in mind that it will take roughly 2 hours to complete but will save you notable amounts of time over the following months. Loan officers will eliminate the need for duplicate data entry; processors will receive cleaner loan files, and borrowers will benefit from an improved, expedited application process.
Before you start working on configuration, gather your Encompass API credentials, as they are the most critical pre-configuration resource. Beyond that, the rest of the process is straightforward.
If you have difficulty during the process, Pre-Approve Me support and ICE Mortgage Technology’s documentation are both numerous, practical, and supportive. Never hesitate to reference these. However, if you prefer a faster, professionally managed implementation, expert assistance can simplify the process even further.
Are You Searching for Expert Assistance with Your Integration?
Awesome Technology Inc. is here to help you expedite and simplify the process of implementing and customizing your Encompass Developer Connect Integration with Pre-Approve Me. Our Integration Experts will help you configure the API integration, automate workflows, and perform testing on a secure, reliable connection that fits your business’s Mortgage Operations. Contact us today!
Most Asked For Questions
1. Does this integration support co-borrowers?
Yes, Pre‑Approve Me Supports co-borrower fields depending on your Encompass loan template and field configuration. Please ensure that you are including the co-borrower’s first name, last name and any income data in your field mappings.
2. What if a borrower updates their application after the push?
If the push is unsuccessful due to system availability issues, you may receive an error or in-app notification depending on your configuration, and may need to retry manually.
3. Can multiple loan officers share one Encompass API credential?
Yes, you could technically allow multiple loan officers to use one set of Encompass API credentials. However, the recommendation by ICE is to use separate sets of API credentials for each integration for more robust audit control. Your Encompass Administrator may set up an API-style user that is the only user through which each Pre‑Approve Me push will run the integration.
4. What happens if Encompass is down during a push attempt?
If the push is unsuccessful, you will receive an in-app notification alerting you that you need to try manually for a successful push attempt.
