Investment Mortgage Guy

Starting May 1st, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will be implementing a new Home Value Code of Conduct (HVCC) policy on all appraisals. Back on March 3rd, 2008 Fannie Mae announced that it had entered into an agreement with the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight (OFHEO) and the New York Attorney General adopting the HVCC. The HVCC was adopted to help reinforce the independence of the appraisal process as well as to enhance the overall integrity and confidence in the national housing finance system. All mortgage lenders thoughout the United States will be required to abide by this new policy. Federally chartered banks already implemented this policy in 2008.

Basically this new policy means that loan orginators like myself will no longer be allowed to choose which appraiser we will use to complete an appraisal and the appraiser will no longer be given a “target value” that needs to be hit.  This could mean that a borrower may have to spend up to $650 (for a duplex appraisal) only to find out that the value is too low for him to refinance.  In the past, “comp checks” were used by loan officers to help a borrower get a fairly accurate idea of the value of their property before spending any money on a refinance. This new law will prohibit the abilty to do comp checks.

To view a full copy of this policy click below:

NEW HVCC CODE

The mortgage industry continues to tighten guidelines in order to give investors (on Wall Street) more confidence in the quaility of the loans being written. Have they gone too far this time or do you feel this is a good integrity check for appraised values?

Rob Bonahoom

Mortgage Coach