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House Passes ‘Concerning’ VA Appraisal Legislation

Originally published on September 21, 2022, by the Appraisal Institute.

The House on Sept. 14 passed HR 7735, the Improving Access to the VA Home Loan Benefit Act of 2022, legislation that proposes to overhaul the Department of Veterans Affairs appraisal requirements, including when an appraisal is necessary, how appraisals are conducted, and who is eligible to conduct an appraisal.  
 
The legislation also allows for desktop appraisals in some circumstances, but the VA has already made that policy change
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FHFA to Create Committee on Affordable, Equitable Housing

Originally published on August 23, 2022, by the Federal Housing Finance Agency.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) today announced its intent to establish a Federal Advisory Committee on Affordable, Equitable, and Sustainable Housing (Committee). 

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FHFA to Require GSE Servicers to Keep Fair Lending Data

Originally published on August 11, 2022, by Georgia Kromrei for HousingWire.com. 

In a move the Federal Housing Finance Agency said will bolster sustainability and equity, servicers for federally backed loans will obtain and maintain fair lending data.

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Federal Reserve Planning More Rate Increases to Curb Inflation

Originally published on July 27, 2022, by Craig Torres for Bloomberg.com.

Chair Jerome Powell said the Federal Reserve would press on with the steepest tightening of monetary policy in a generation to curb surging inflation while handing officials more flexibility on coming moves amid signs of a broadening economic slowdown. 

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Treasury Seeks to Increase Home Affordability, Decrease Long-term Housing Costs

Originally published on July 27, 2022, by the US Department of Treasury.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury announced new guidance today to increase the ability of state, local, and tribal governments to use American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds to boost the supply of affordable housing in their communities. This step follows a commitment in the Administration’s recently released Housing Supply Action Plan to leverage American Rescue Plan funds for investments in affordable housing as part of a broader strategy to increase the nation’s housing supply and ease housing costs over time.

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New Federal Disclosure Rule Hurting Condo Sales: Report

Originally published on July 19, 2022, by Jack Rogers for GlobeSt.com.

Resistance from condo boards to a new questionnaire that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are requiring condo sellers to fill out in the wake of the deadly collapse of a Florida high-rise tower last year is having a chilling effect on condo markets across the county, according to a report in the Washington Post.

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Appraiser Provisions Part of Legislation Approved by House

Originally published on July 20, 2022, by the Appraisal Institute.

The House of Representatives on July 14 passed the National Defense Authorization Act, which approved $840 billion in defense spending for 2023. The 329-101 vote came after hundreds of amendments were considered, including a couple that focused on valuation issues.  

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FHA Expands Appraisal Validity Period for Certain Mortgages

Originally published on July 12, 2022 by Chris Clow for the Reverse Mortgage Daily. 

The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) on Tuesday announced an increase in the appraisal validity period for all Single Family Title II forward and Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) transactions, increasing the period specifically for the HECM reverse mortgage program from 120 days to 180 days. This is according to the publication of Mortgagee Letter (ML) 2022-11.

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CFPB to Scrutinize QM Rule as Part of Larger Policy Review

Originally published on June 17, 2022, by Rohit Chopra for CFPB.

Markets work best when rules are simple, easy to understand, and easy to enforce. The CFPB is seeking to move away from highly complicated rules that have long been a staple of consumer financial regulation and towards simpler and clearer rules. In addition, the CFPB is dramatically increasing the amount of guidance it is providing to the marketplace, in accordance with the same principles.

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Supreme Court Rejects Floor Plan Case; Appraisers Vulnerable

Originally published on June 27, 2022 by the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court on June 27 rejected a case involving the use of floor plans in marketing materials. Multiple real estate firms petitioned the court to review the case, contending the Eighth Circuit incorrectly ruled that using floor plans in marketing materials constituted a copyright violation. In April, the Appraisal Institute joined an Amicus Brief filed with the Supreme Court over concerns that appraisers could be sued for making floor plans of a home. (see p. 9, COLUMBIA HOUSE item).

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45-Day Notice on Proposed Amendments to Bylaws and Regulation No. 9, Exposure Draft

The Appraisal Institute Board of Directors on June 20 sent to 45-Day Notice proposed amendments to Appraisal Institute Bylaws and Regulation No. 9, an exposure draft of the proposed regional election policy. (AI log-in required).

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NCAI Members in Washington, DC

The 2022 AI Leadership and Development Conference (LDAC) was held May 18-20 this year and NCAI had three that attended: Mike Elwell, Greyson Morgan, and Peter Hitchens. Greyson and Peter were first years and had the benefit of Mike Elwell who attended before the pandemic.

LDACstarted with a presentation from Melody Taylor regarding the recently published Property Appraisal and Valuation Equity Task Force (PAVE) Report. While AI suggests the data should be reviewed more, the overall report helps to educate stakeholders about the appraisal process.

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Proposed VA Bill to Allow Some Desktop Appraisals, Waivers

Originally published on May 23, 2022, by Maria Volkova for HousingWire.

A piece of legislation introduced in the Senate in mid-May could streamline the appraisal process for VA loans. The legislation would modernize the Department of Veteran Affairs‘ appraisal requirements by allowing desktop appraisals, and in some circumstances, waving appraisals altogether. Currently, all VA appraisals must be performed in-house.

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FHFA Releases Equitable Housing Finance Plans

Originally published on June 8, 2022, by the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA).

The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) today announced the release of Fannie Mae's and Freddie Mac's (the Enterprises) Equitable Housing Finance Plans for 2022-2024. These plans are designed to complement the initiatives outlined in FHFA's Strategic Plan: Fiscal Years 2022–2026 that promote the Enterprises' safety and soundness and foster housing finance markets that provide equitable access to affordable and sustainable housing.

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Proposed VA Bill to Allow Some Desktop Appraisals, Waivers

Originally published on May 23, 2022, by Maria Volkova for HousingWire.com.

A piece of legislation introduced in the Senate in mid-May could streamline the appraisal process for VA loans. The legislation would modernize the Department of Veteran Affairs‘ appraisal requirements by allowing desktop appraisals, and in some circumstances, waving appraisals altogether. Currently, all VA appraisals must be performed in-house.

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White House Addresses Rising Housing Costs, Supply Issues

Originally published by the White House on May 16, 2022.

As President Biden said last week, tackling inflation is his top economic priority. Today, President Biden is releasing a Housing Supply Action Plan to ease the burden of housing costs over time, by boosting the supply of quality housing in every community. His plan includes legislative and administrative actions that will help close America’s housing supply shortfall in 5 years, starting with creating and preserving hundreds of thousands of affordable housing units in the next three years. When aligned with other policies to reduce housing costs and ensure affordability, such as rental assistance and downpayment assistance, closing the gap will mean more affordable rents and more attainable homeownership for Americans in every community. This is the most comprehensive government effort to close the housing supply shortfall in history.

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Fed Raises Interest Rates; Balance Sheet Reductions Imminent

Originally published on May 4, 2022, by Howard Schneider and Ann Saphir for Reuters.

WASHINGTON, May 4 (Reuters) - The Federal Reserve on Wednesday raised its benchmark overnight interest rate by half a percentage point, the biggest jump in 22 years, and the U.S. central bank's chief made an appeal to Americans struggling with high inflation to be patient while officials take the hard measures to bring it under control.

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FHFA Duty to Serve Plans Focus on Affordable Housing

Originally published on April 27, 2022 by the Federal Housing Finance Agency.

Washington, D.C. – The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) today published the 2022-2024 Underserved Markets Plans for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (the Enterprises) under the Duty to Serve (DTS) Program.

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FHFA Issues Strategic Plan for Fiscal Years 2022-26

Originally published on April 14, 2022 by the Federal Housing Finance Agency,

Washington, D.C. – The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) today issued the FHFA Strategic Plan: Fiscal Years 2022-2026​ (Strategic Plan). The Strategic Plan provides a framework that outlines the Agency’s priorities for the coming years as a regulator of the Federal Home Loan Bank System and as regulator and conservator of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (the Enterprises).

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AI Asks Supreme Court to Review Ruling on Floor Plans

Originally published on April 7, 2022.

The Appraisal Institute on April 7 joined the National Association of Realtors and 17 other organizations in filing an Amicus Brief with the Supreme Court pertaining to a lower court ruling that would allow copyright infringement lawsuits to be filed against individuals, including appraisers, who make floor plans of a home.

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