A History of Innovation

Built alongside the work since 2002

Technology that moves client service and the industry forward.

For more than two decades, CMA has grown alongside counseling organizations. The work starts with listening to the people closest to a problem, understanding what gets in their way, and finding a practical solution. Sometimes that means improving a process. Sometimes it means finding a way to remove the problem altogether.

  • Built and improved since 2002
  • Shaped by real agency work
  • Ready for new standards and partners
How CMA has grownSelect a chapter

Bring partners closer to the workReferrals and system connections reduce repeated entry and help clients reach the right team sooner.

24years in the field
6ways the platform helps
27major milestones
1goal: better service

Built to keep changing

A mature platform built for rapid progress.

CMA’s growth compounds. Each new workflow, standard, partner, or tool can extend the value of what came before. The curve reflects that expanding network of connected capabilities.

2.3×connected capability index since 2021
1.3×index growth in 2026 through July compared with 2025

Compounding platform growth, 2002 to 2026

Connected capability index. Every year is shown; 2026 is indexed to 100.

2026 is year to date
2026Through July 11

MISMO HCDS, the Public API, NFCC intake, modernization, security, and testing extended the connected platform together.

100capability index

The connected capability index uses the cumulative number of documented major platform capabilities and reflects the potential for each new capability to work with what came before. The relationship is squared to represent compounding connectivity and normalized to 2026 = 100. It is a directional indicator, not a measure of customer value or code volume. Years without a featured milestone remain in the curve because the platform continued to be maintained and extended. 2026 covers work through July 11.

How CMA grew

Each chapter starts with a real need.

We chose these moments because they changed how agencies or clients could get the work done. Hover, focus, or tap an entry to read the story behind it.

2025 to today

Open CMA to more partners

Recent work helps CMA coordinate more complex processes and connect safely with the other systems agencies rely on.

2021 to 2024

Make every interaction more useful

CMA added text conversations, direct HUD reporting, current debt data, call transcription, and stronger ways to sign in.

2019 to 2020

Take the work beyond the office

Digital signatures, access designed for mobile devices, portable records, and early support for an emerging industry protocol helped agencies keep moving forward.

2013 to 2018

Broaden who the platform can serve

CMA grew into new service areas and helped agencies keep operating when important industry infrastructure changed.

2010 to 2012

Let agencies shape the process

Online service no longer had to follow one fixed sequence. Agencies could set up the steps around their own programs and requirements.

2002 to 2009

Connect the work

The first years focused on one practical goal: keep client records, payments, calls, and accountability in the same place.

We reviewed available product development records and operational history from 2002 through July 2026 and chose the changes that mattered most to agencies, partners, and clients.

What the work adds up to

The point is not more features. It is better service.

Across the years, the pattern is consistent: reach clients, keep teams on track, try new programs, connect useful technology, and give people better information.

01

Meet clients where they are

Online enrollment, the client portal, texting, and connected referrals give people more ways to begin and continue the work.

02

Turn practice into repeatable process

Good service should not depend on someone remembering every next step. Tasks, documents, and clear records help teams stay consistent.

03

Put new technology into the work

PBX systems, Peregrin, the DMCC Payment Processing Application, Spinwheel, credit bureaus, and messaging providers were added when they solved a real operating problem.

04

Make room for pilot programs

Settings for each agency, configurable steps, and modular products let organizations start small, learn from a defined group, and expand without rebuilding the core system.

05

Connect an industry, not just an office

Payments, credit data, ARMv6 reporting, MISMO HCDS, NFCC referrals, and phone calls work better when agencies do not have to manage each one in a separate silo.

06

Use new tools without losing judgment

Transcription, Natural Language SQL Reports, Smart Documents, Smart Notes, and AI assistance for authoring can save time and surface useful details. Agencies choose where to use them, and people still make the decisions.

The next milestone

The history is still being written.

Bring us the constraint your organization has learned to live with. It may be the beginning of what the industry does next.