Valuation Errors Identified from State Appraisal Boards Enforcement of USPAP

This research studies how uniformly appraisers have been regulated in different states of America from a sample of over 500 appraisal disciplinary cases filed between 2005 and 2007. Errors that have led to regulatory discipline are identified and classified. During the 1980ís U.S. thrift industry was deregulated; this coincided with over $75 billion in losses due to failed loans and fiscal mismanagement. Congress pointed to moral hazards associated with a largely unregulated appraisal profession that may have contributed to a massive failure of mortgage loan underwriting process. Congress passed the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act (FIRREA) of 1989 to mandate state licensing and certification for appraisers associated with federally related transactions. To implement this law a federally authorized entity, The Appraisal Foundationës Appraisal Subcommittee (ASC) has promulgated the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP). State enforcement of USPAP has been every uneven. Based on data from the GAO Appraisers Database Summary Statistics 10/31/02 disciplinary actions range from New Yorkís 0.08% of its appraisers to Oklahomaís 50.84% of its appraisers. This means that an appraiser in Oklahoma was 635 times as likely to face regulatory sanctions as one in New York. In this study errors are classified and analyzed. The findings of this research include errors at are considered serious in some jurisdiction but de minimus in others. Suggestions are provided on how the profession can reduce unnecessary errors in meeting the requirements of USPAP.