Ethics Rule - Appraisers Blogs https://appraisersblogs.com/tag/ethics-rule/ Appraisal News and Tips for Real Estate Appraisers Mon, 02 Nov 2026 05:56:57 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.1.4 https://i0.wp.com/appraisersblogs.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/ABfavicon.png?fit=32%2C32&ssl=1 Ethics Rule - Appraisers Blogs https://appraisersblogs.com/tag/ethics-rule/ 32 32 52046035 UAD 3.6 and the Danger of Corporate Pragmatism https://appraisersblogs.com/uad-3-6-and-the-danger-of-corporate-pragmatism/ https://appraisersblogs.com/uad-3-6-and-the-danger-of-corporate-pragmatism/#comments Wed, 14 Oct 2026 12:30:30 +0000 https://appraisersblogs.com/?p=35186 The rollout of the new UAD 3.6 framework has triggered a major wave of compliance literature, and a perfect example is a recent article by Woody Fincham at Valuation Nation, titled “Certification 25: What’s the Real Risk to the Appraiser?”. In his piece, Woody sets aside the rhetoric and lists my AppraisersBlogs article regarding our legal defenses under this dataset as a citation reference at the end of his post. While he acknowledges the existence of this perspective, his broader argument claims that the legal risks of signing Certification 25 are low, the threat of regulatory discipline is minimal, and...

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]]> https://appraisersblogs.com/uad-3-6-and-the-danger-of-corporate-pragmatism/feed/ 61 35186 Our Metrics, Their Millions: Exposing the Backdoor Data Rush https://appraisersblogs.com/our-metrics-their-millions-exposing-the-backdoor-data-rush/ https://appraisersblogs.com/our-metrics-their-millions-exposing-the-backdoor-data-rush/#comments Tue, 13 Oct 2026 12:30:21 +0000 https://appraisersblogs.com/?p=35192 If you still think the corporate panic over structural data is just a theoretical debate about software licensing, a tech startup named Arloh just blew the entire script wide open. They have been running public marketing campaigns targeting small title, escrow, and appraisal firms with a staggering proposition: “Your old records could be worth millions.” One of their primary advertisements explicitly brags that a tiny 37-person title and escrow shop just received a ~$967,000 estimate simply for licensing their historical data archive for artificial intelligence training models. Let that dollar figure sink in for a second. Nearly one million dollars...

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]]> https://appraisersblogs.com/our-metrics-their-millions-exposing-the-backdoor-data-rush/feed/ 15 35192 Inspectors Blocked the Door, Appraisers Handed Over the Keys https://appraisersblogs.com/inspectors-blocked-the-door-appraisers-handed-over-the-keys/ https://appraisersblogs.com/inspectors-blocked-the-door-appraisers-handed-over-the-keys/#comments Mon, 12 Oct 2026 12:30:11 +0000 https://appraisersblogs.com/?p=35156 A fellow appraiser dropped a direct message in my inbox with a link to home inspector Preston Kincaid’s Facebook video, and watching him warn the public sent a chill through me because his words mirrored the exact warnings I have been shouting about our own appraisal profession. To understand the shock, you first need to know what Spectora is and how home inspectors work. Spectora is the dominant cloud software platform used by roughly 7,000 independent home inspectors across the country to draft, format, and deliver digital property inspection reports. By law and standard contract, home inspectors operate under strict...

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]]> https://appraisersblogs.com/inspectors-blocked-the-door-appraisers-handed-over-the-keys/feed/ 39 35156 UAD 3.6 Erases My Legal Defenses: Insurance Industry Agrees https://appraisersblogs.com/uad-3-6-erases-my-legal-defenses-insurance-industry-agrees/ https://appraisersblogs.com/uad-3-6-erases-my-legal-defenses-insurance-industry-agrees/#comments Thu, 08 Oct 2026 12:30:15 +0000 https://appraisersblogs.com/?p=35134 The insurance industry just verified the erasure of my legal defenses under UAD 3.6. The corporate apologists and tech insiders have spent weeks trying to downplay the Certification 25 confidentiality crisis. They’ve lined up to tell independent appraisers that the new language is just a passive weather report, a routine disclosure, or an innocent acknowledgement of a reality that has existed for many years. But the ultimate reality check just arrived from the very people who calculate risk for a living, and it completely blows the corporate defense strategy out of the water. Isaac Peck, Publisher of Working RE Magazine...

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]]> https://appraisersblogs.com/uad-3-6-erases-my-legal-defenses-insurance-industry-agrees/feed/ 38 35134 Cert 25 Dilemma: TAF Abdicates Its Role as Ethics Arbiter https://appraisersblogs.com/cert-25-dilemma-taf-abdicates-its-role-as-ethics-arbiter/ https://appraisersblogs.com/cert-25-dilemma-taf-abdicates-its-role-as-ethics-arbiter/#comments Fri, 02 Oct 2026 12:30:47 +0000 https://appraisersblogs.com/?p=35120 We finally have a direct written response from The Appraisal Foundation regarding the Cert 25 confidentiality crisis and it is a masterclass in bureaucratic buck passing. A peer recently contacted TAF to ask how appraisers can remain compliant with the USPAP Ethics Rule while signing a form that opens the floodgates for data distribution. TAF basically hid under their desks. They claimed they cannot give legal advice and told us that questions about Cert 25 are best suited for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac since they built the form. Then they dropped this standard canned line to try and brush...

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]]> https://appraisersblogs.com/cert-25-dilemma-taf-abdicates-its-role-as-ethics-arbiter/feed/ 84 35120 Certification 25 and the Quiet Breach of Appraiser Confidentiality https://appraisersblogs.com/certification-25-and-the-quiet-breach-of-appraiser-confidentiality/ https://appraisersblogs.com/certification-25-and-the-quiet-breach-of-appraiser-confidentiality/#comments Tue, 29 Sep 2026 12:30:38 +0000 https://appraisersblogs.com/?p=35060 Certification 25 made me realize that my refusal to participate in UAD 3.6 was justified long before I even knew what was buried in its certifications. A peer sent me Phil Crawford’s new podcast episode this morning, and I opened it without thinking much of it because I had assumed his retirement from the show meant he was done weighing in on industry developments. I have been following the news and the chatter around 3.6, but I haven’t been preparing for it. I have not taken any UAD 3.6 classes, have not attended any seminars, have not tested the form,...

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]]> https://appraisersblogs.com/certification-25-and-the-quiet-breach-of-appraiser-confidentiality/feed/ 67 35060 When ‘Protected’ Becomes Pressure: You Have Until July 27 to Object https://appraisersblogs.com/when-protected-becomes-pressure-object-by-july-27/ https://appraisersblogs.com/when-protected-becomes-pressure-object-by-july-27/#comments Sat, 25 Jul 2026 12:30:25 +0000 https://appraisersblogs.com/?p=33551 The new fair‑housing course weaponizes protected characteristics to pressure appraisers into outcome‑driven valuation, directly contradicting USPAP’s prohibition on advocacy. The Fair Housing Course Is Training You to Break USPAP. You Have Until July 27 to Say So. The Appraiser Qualifications Board’s Second Exposure Draft keeps a required course that pressures new appraisers to advocate an outcome based on protected characteristics. That is not fair housing. It is not lawful. And you can still stop it — but the comment window closes July 27. Let me say it plainly. We are being pushed — through licensing law and federal fair-housing regulation...

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]]> https://appraisersblogs.com/when-protected-becomes-pressure-object-by-july-27/feed/ 7 33551 USPAP’s Typical Buyer Standard in the Fair Housing Era https://appraisersblogs.com/uspap-typical-buyer-standard-in-the-fair-housing-era/ https://appraisersblogs.com/uspap-typical-buyer-standard-in-the-fair-housing-era/#comments Fri, 29 May 2026 12:30:07 +0000 https://appraisersblogs.com/?p=33420 The Irreconcilable Conflict Between USPAP’s Typical Buyer Standard and the Current Fair Housing Compliance Regime. Retain this document as a reference should you face a complaint grounded in disparate impact theory alone. The three-safeguard framework from Inclusive Communities provides a robust defense for any appraiser whose methodology is USPAP-compliant, well-documented, and market-supported. Introduction I want to state plainly what the appraisal profession has been tiptoeing around since roughly 2019: an appraiser cannot simultaneously comply with: 1-  USPAP’s requirement to identify and analyze the most probable (typical) buyer of a property via market data AND… 2- comply with the current iteration...

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]]> https://appraisersblogs.com/uspap-typical-buyer-standard-in-the-fair-housing-era/feed/ 33 33420 ChatGPT Appraisal Error Sparks Ethics Debate https://appraisersblogs.com/chatgpt-appraisal-error-sparks-ethics-debate/ https://appraisersblogs.com/chatgpt-appraisal-error-sparks-ethics-debate/#comments Mon, 01 Apr 2024 12:30:33 +0000 https://appraisersblogs.com/?p=30621 A recent post by an appraiser trainee on an online forum described a troubling situation involving the use of ChatGPT to generate content for an appraisal report. The trainee admitted to using ChatGPT to write a market summary section without properly reviewing it first. This resulted in factual inaccuracies making it into the final report delivered to the client. Upon discovering this, the client, a local bank, threatened to file a complaint against the trainee. The trainee is now considering falsely claiming to have personally written the problematic section in an attempt to avoid consequences. “Hey everyone, I recently used...

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]]> https://appraisersblogs.com/chatgpt-appraisal-error-sparks-ethics-debate/feed/ 40 30621 The New & Improved Fannie Mae “FRAUDULATOR 2.0” https://appraisersblogs.com/the-new-improved-fannie-mae-fraudulator-2-is-an-outright-fraud https://appraisersblogs.com/the-new-improved-fannie-mae-fraudulator-2-is-an-outright-fraud#comments Mon, 15 May 2023 12:30:53 +0000 https://appraisersblogs.com/?p=29449 Originally known as Fannie Mae’s Collateral Underwriter (CU), and subsequently Collateral Underwriter 2.0 (CU-2)i this always dubious product of Fannie Mae is increasingly being referred to by some, if not many American Appraisers as The Fraudulator / Underwriter 2.0 (FU-2). To be clear it is not limited to the Collateral Underwriter (CU & CU-2) software. The new Fraudulator (FU-2) combines the CU products with their numerous improper uses. The end result of which includes OUTRIGHT FRAUD being perpetrated against banks via the repurchase letters Fannie Mae now issues on a quota based system rather than because of legitimate appraisal defects....

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]]> https://appraisersblogs.com/the-new-improved-fannie-mae-fraudulator-2-is-an-outright-fraud/feed/ 42 29449 Confusing Language for USPAP Ethics Rule Addition https://appraisersblogs.com/confusing-language-4-uspap-ethics-rule-addition https://appraisersblogs.com/confusing-language-4-uspap-ethics-rule-addition#comments Fri, 17 Feb 2023 13:30:52 +0000 https://appraisersblogs.com/?p=28719 A proposed update of professional guidelines for property appraisals contains confusing language about what constitutes discrimination, and would even suggest appraisers could engage in “ethical” discrimination.  Folks, the following article is in the ABA Banking Journal e-newsletter, posted on Wednesday, February 15, 2023. I’m really glad this has been released. Hopefully the Appraisal Standards Board will closely examine the concerns of the regulators. I read the USPAP 4th Exposure Draft. It contains so much new Ethics Rule “legaleze” language about conduct that it is, and can be, overwhelmingly confusing to a majority of appraisers. It’s written by lawyers in such...

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]]> https://appraisersblogs.com/confusing-language-4-uspap-ethics-rule-addition/feed/ 31 28719 Appraiser Countersuing Black Homeowners for Defamation https://appraisersblogs.com/appraiser-countersuing-black-homeowners-4-defamation https://appraisersblogs.com/appraiser-countersuing-black-homeowners-4-defamation#comments Mon, 30 Jan 2023 13:30:23 +0000 https://appraisersblogs.com/?p=28363 The Maryland appraiser has filed a countersuit against the homeowners, claiming defamation.  Appraisers, there have been several lawsuits filed against appraisers by borrowers who “don’t like your value, so I’m accusing you of discrimination” over the last year or so. These lawsuits all have the same theme, and it’s entirely possible that these actions are being coordinated by a consortium of ‘organizers’ and law firms. The plaintiff representing firm for the Baltimore suit is the same law firm The Appraisal Foundation hired to write new USPAP language for the Ethics Rule, which potentially will be approved in just a few...

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]]> https://appraisersblogs.com/appraiser-countersuing-black-homeowners-4-defamation/feed/ 165 28363 USPAP Third Exposure Draft https://appraisersblogs.com/uspap-third-exposure-draft-n-proposed-addition-of-a-nondiscrimination-section https://appraisersblogs.com/uspap-third-exposure-draft-n-proposed-addition-of-a-nondiscrimination-section#comments Thu, 04 Aug 2022 12:30:49 +0000 https://appraisersblogs.com/?p=27505 …the Ethics Rule has been expanded with a new highly detailed Nondiscrimination section, which also affects the Competency Rule. Folks, the Appraisal Foundation’s Appraisal Standards Board released the THIRD Exposure Draft to USPAP on July 26, 2022. To be honest, I didn’t know there have been two previous Exposure Drafts. I would encourage you to download and print this Draft here. The PDF is also embedded below. It’s only 11 pages total. The key difference in this Draft is that the Ethics Rule has been expanded with a new highly detailed Nondiscrimination section, which also affects the Competency Rule. You...

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]]> https://appraisersblogs.com/uspap-third-exposure-draft-n-proposed-addition-of-a-nondiscrimination-section/feed/ 13 27505 The Other Side, Racism in Appraisals https://appraisersblogs.com/the-other-side-racism-in-appraisals https://appraisersblogs.com/the-other-side-racism-in-appraisals#comments Tue, 15 Jun 2021 12:30:51 +0000 https://appraisersblogs.com/?p=25394 …the other side of things, the appraiser profession side since no other news media and organizations are willing to do so… Note: The following blog article is not to defend anyone or to place blame. It is simply a blog looking at this issue from the other side of things, the side that hasn’t been discussed in the media. A couple weeks ago, I was privileged to speak on The National Real Estate Post about appraisal issues. One of the issues we discussed briefly was the ever-growing number of articles being written about allegations of racial discrimination in the appraisal...

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]]> https://appraisersblogs.com/the-other-side-racism-in-appraisals/feed/ 26 25394 Appraisal Racism… Fact or Fiction? https://appraisersblogs.com/appraisal-racism-fact-or-fiction-n-where-is-the-actual-evidence https://appraisersblogs.com/appraisal-racism-fact-or-fiction-n-where-is-the-actual-evidence#comments Mon, 23 Nov 2020 13:30:19 +0000 https://appraisersblogs.com/?p=24654 Not one single point provides any evidence to the appraiser engaging in a racist act… No appraisal reports or actual evidence of racism has been produced by the accuser… Not one single case has been presented to the appraisal state boards… The real estate community is aware of the recent onslaught of articles going around accusing real estate appraisers of racism and appraising homes for less than what the actual homeowner thinks the home is worth. It started with Abena Horton in Jacksonville, FL Additional accusations were made in Chicago, Denver, and Newark, NJ. Each article written accuses the appraiser...

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]]> https://appraisersblogs.com/appraisal-racism-fact-or-fiction-n-where-is-the-actual-evidence/feed/ 10 24654 Are Reports Intellectual Property? https://appraisersblogs.com/appraisal-report-considered-intellectual-property https://appraisersblogs.com/appraisal-report-considered-intellectual-property#comments Fri, 18 Oct 2019 12:30:01 +0000 https://appraisersblogs.com/?p=22965 Recently one of my Mastermind students asked about Intellectual Property. He told me that he’d had an associate leave his firm to go solo. Later, he was reading one of his former-associate’s reports and found the now-independent associate’s reports looked a lot like his in format, and even language. My student asked me if this was wrong. Well, I’m not a lawyer, but there are some sound issues to consider here. If you write something, if you are its author, it is your intellectual property. You can either trademark it (like a logo), or copyright it (like a novel). We...

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]]> https://appraisersblogs.com/appraisal-report-considered-intellectual-property/feed/ 8 22965 Hybrids vs USPAP Scope of Work Rule https://appraisersblogs.com/bifurcated-appraisal-vs-uspap-scope-of-work-rule-sow https://appraisersblogs.com/bifurcated-appraisal-vs-uspap-scope-of-work-rule-sow#comments Mon, 05 Aug 2019 12:30:13 +0000 https://appraisersblogs.com/?p=22485 Supporters of the bifurcated appraisal can claim scope of work till they are blue in the face… Appraisal Buzz published an article written by Joshua Walit on July 31, 2019 titled Nothing New Under the Sun: The Varied Face of Appraisal. The article brings up some good points, however; it does not take into account the reality of the market and the control of the lenders and appraisal management companies in the process. The mere fact that the appraiser does not have control over the person completing the inspection and in most cases, no way to even know who is providing the...

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]]> https://appraisersblogs.com/bifurcated-appraisal-vs-uspap-scope-of-work-rule-sow/feed/ 50 22485 Is Race Baked into Big Data? https://appraisersblogs.com/race-baked-into-unregulated-big-data https://appraisersblogs.com/race-baked-into-unregulated-big-data#comments Mon, 01 Jul 2019 12:30:11 +0000 https://appraisersblogs.com/?p=22268 Chicago appraiser and friend (even though she calls me “fancy pants”) writes a stellar explanation of what an appraiser actual does – and what one of the panel experts got completely wrong because he didn’t understand our role in the mortgage process: Greetings Congresswoman Waters, Chairman Clay, Ranking Member Duffy, Ranking Member Gooden, and the Members of the Housing Subcommittee: My name is Maureen Sweeney, and I am a real estate appraiser. I grew up in a real estate family and lived through the savings and loan crisis of the 1980’s, which had a profound impact on my life. I...

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  • You Sign It, You Buy It Maureen Sweeney, my friend and appraiser colleague from Chicago (who knew where the name “Chicago” originated from that I learned…
  • Appraisers Don't Use Race Appraisers don’t use race... Race is NEVER considered during a valuation Last week in a congressional hearing on the future…
  • Racial Bias: Redlining in the Modern Era ...are they behind this modern day redlining?... The broad definition of an algorithm according to Merriam Webster’s Dictionary is “a…

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]]> https://appraisersblogs.com/race-baked-into-unregulated-big-data/feed/ 18 22268 Appraisal Independence https://appraisersblogs.com/score-card-turn-times-undue-pressure-n-appraisal-independence https://appraisersblogs.com/score-card-turn-times-undue-pressure-n-appraisal-independence#comments Wed, 15 May 2019 12:30:16 +0000 https://appraisersblogs.com/?p=21921 Most appraisers could care less about an amc score card… Professionals don’t treat other professionals like they are in grade school… What exactly is appraisal independence? Dodd Frank requires appraisal independence and associates it with pressure against the value of the property. But what about other areas of the appraisal process in which appraisers receive pressure? Let’s take turn times for example. Normal turn times in a steady market average 5-7 business days in most markets. Market activity, location, complexity, etc. will require longer turn times. First let’s define a business day. This is Monday through Friday and excludes Federal...

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]]> https://appraisersblogs.com/score-card-turn-times-undue-pressure-n-appraisal-independence/feed/ 16 21921 Mueller REO Hybrid Appraisal Report https://appraisersblogs.com/mueller-REO-hybrid-appraisal-report-vs-USPAP https://appraisersblogs.com/mueller-REO-hybrid-appraisal-report-vs-USPAP#comments Tue, 26 Mar 2019 12:30:58 +0000 https://appraisersblogs.com/?p=21229 Another Mueller Report has surfaced. The report is a Mueller REO Hybrid Appraisal Report and it was given to an appraiser as a sample. This one raises more questions than the last one! The photos from the property inspection do not tell the appraiser one thing. The photos are dark and the repairs the inspector states are needed, simply are not seen in the photos. It begs the question, does the appraiser have adequate information to complete a credible appraisal? Now take a look at the Mueller REO Hybrid Appraisal report. Pull up the report and follow along. Some things have...

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]]> https://appraisersblogs.com/mueller-REO-hybrid-appraisal-report-vs-USPAP/feed/ 36 21229