Letter to Congresswoman Waters and Senator Brown

Peter Fontana and Jonathan Miller sent a letter to Congresswoman Maxine Waters and Senator Sherrod Brown on Tuesday, March 24, 2020 urging appraisers and their work to be classified as an essential business. 

You can read the full letter here. 

Frequently Asked Questions for Financial Institutions affected by the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (Referred to as COVID-19)

From The Appraisal Foundation: FDIC has compiled a list of FAQs, which answers questions about inspections (Answer # 12) and Appraisals (Answer # 13).
You can access the FAQs here. 

Selling Guidance Related to COVID-19 Bulletin 2020-5

Freddie Mac issued selling guidance related to COVID-19 on March 23, 2020. The bulltein, found here, covers: 

• Temporary guidance related to our credit underwriting requirements
• Temporary guidance related to our property valuation requirements
• Expansion of our automated collateral evaluation eligibility
• An extension to the deadline for certain annual reporting requirements

• Use of Electronic Records and Signatures
• Title insurance
• Seller/Servicer business continuity plan requirements and information about Freddie Mac's business continuity plan

Fannie Mae Lender Letter LL-2020-04

Fannie Mae issued a lender letter (LL-2020-04) to all Fannie Mae single-family sellers regarding the impact of COVID-19 on appraisals under the guidance of the FHFA. Read the full letter here. 

FHFA Directs Enterprises to Grant Flexibilities for Appraisal and Employment Verifications

Today, to facilitate liquidity in the mortgage market during the coronavirus national emergency, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) directed Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (the Enterprises) to provide alternative flexibilities to satisfy appraisal requirements and employment verification requirements through May 17, 2020.​ 

The full article can be found here. 

PSI Letter RE: COVID-19

PSI has cloased its closed its owned and operated test centers. During this time, candidates can reschedule their exams with no penalty or documentation required. Click here to read the full letter. 

TAF-AARO-ASC Guidance

A joint message between TAF, AARO, and the ASC regarding COVID-19.

USPAP Q&A

On March 17, 2020, The Appraisal Foundation issued a Q&A regarding interior inspections and compliance with USPAP. The Q&A can be found here.  

FFIEC Adopts Grant Handbook

The Regulatory Bulletin's Vol. 30, Issue 3 released on March 15, 2020, included an article on the ASC's adoption of the Grants Handbook. 

Appraisal Foundation Offers Coronavirus (COVID-19) Information for Appraisers

The Appraisal Foundation has created a dedicated Coronavirus page, so commonly asked questions and concerns can be addressed.   The page can be found here.