Appraisals

Say goodbye to Fannie Mae form 1004 and various addendum as lenders and appraisers have to get ready to work with the Uniform Residential Appraisal Report.

A headline-grabbing 2022 lawsuit alleging racial bias by home appraisers has been quietly dismissed for lack of evidence. At the same time, the Trump administration is rolling back many of the policy changes involving home appraisals that the Biden administration put in place.

President Trump and his administration have begun to scrap new mortgage lending guidelines that made it easier for home buyers and sellers to dispute property appraisals, finding that homes owned by racial minorities are routinely valued lower than comparable homes with white owners. But despite the promised regulatory relief, many mortgage lenders say the regulatory changes will not impact their lending practices.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development reiterated it has withdrawn a number of FHA mortgagee letters related to appraisals.

Positive feedback from participants in existing programs led to the decision to expand them in order to assist more lenders.

Melody Taylor, the executive director of the Property Appraisal and Valuation Equity task force, said the interagency group went above and beyond expectations. She also defended it against common attacks from working appraisers.

The interagency Property Appraisal and Valuation Equity initiative, which was tasked by the Biden administration with rooting out bias in home valuations, appears to have run its course. But experts say it could be years before the group's efforts bear fruit.

The final rule governing the use of automated valuation models for home assessments is substantially similar to the initial proposal made last June.

Despite pressure from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the embattled Appraisal Foundation tapped its longtime second-in-command to be its next president.

The head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau summarized his findings from a yearlong probe into the Appraisal Foundation. He says the "lawmaking body" is not accountable to the public or market forces.

A mixed-race couple claims a "whitewashed" valuation in 2023 returned a price 39% higher than the depository-approved result a year earlier.

A Connecticut-based couple sued the bank and Cavanaugh Appraisals, LLC for denying them a refinance in 2021 because of racial bias.

Under guidelines proposed this month, credit unions would see changes in the quality standards for computer-generated appraisal systems, along with when and how financial institutions and consumers can request reconsiderations of value.

Six regulatory agencies are seeking public comment on a proposed rule that would establish best practices for using automated valuation models to assess collateral.

The agency said it will include home valuation practices in its fair lending review. It's the latest effort by a Washington regulator to root out discriminatory practices in the profession.

During a hearing on racial bias in home valuation, the head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau questions the Appraisal Foundation's "weird" regulatory structure.

The actions involved are based on findings by an interagency task force first convened last year by Marcia Fudge, secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

After permitting remote appraisals on an interim basis during the pandemic, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will accept them outright starting in early 2022, the acting head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency said.

It's unlikely that lawmakers will pass new coronavirus-related legislation before Congress leaves for its October recess.