A number of appraisal organizations, including the Appraisal Institute, the American Society of Appraisers, the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers, and the National Association of Independent Fee Appraisers, released a memo to the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) regarding the Home Valuation Code of Conduct (HVCC) and FHA’s possible adoption of elements of the HVCC.
The letter calls the FHA to enhance appraiser independence and to more closely monitor mortgage brokers and appraisal management companies. Below are the specific, overarching recommendations made in the letter:
Recommendation 1: Establish the conditions for mortgage broker participation in the FHA appraisal ordering process.
Recommendation 2: Supplement state and federal appraiser independence requirements with more robust appraiser independence requirements specific to FHA.
Recommendation 3: Rescind Mortgagee Letter 97-46.
Recommendation 4: Develop rules and expectations relating to appraisal management companies.
To view the full letter to the FHA, visit the Appraisal Institute website, here.
To view Present Value’s previous blog posts on HVCC changes and industry reactions, click here, here, and here.
