Appraisal FirewallX offers an extensive array of automation when it comes to managing and tracking your appraisal orders. Sending messages to the appraiser, receiving status updates, sending the appraisal report to the borrower can all be done within Appraisal FirewallX via the Encompass integration. The following sections explain how to perform various actions without leaving Encompass. 

Sending a Message/Receiving Status Updates

When your appraiser sends you a message or a status update during the processing of your order, you will receive an automatic email notification from Appraisal FirewallX. The email will be sent to the email address you use to login to Appraisal FirewallX.

  • If an appraiser sends you a status update, you can anonymously review the information (if you log in as a supervisor/originator) and know the order’s status
     
  • If an appraiser sends you a message that requires your response, you can communicate with your appraiser anonymously through the Appraisal FirewallX features that are available to you in Encompass.

Follow these instructions to send a message or reply to a message from your appraiser.


1. Open the loan file that contains the appraisal you need to send or reply to a message on.


2. Select Services and then All Services. Expand Appraisal. Locate the Appraisal FirewallX product. Use the pop-out icon. 

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3. This will launch the user directly into the Appraisal Firewall order. Select Send Message. Graphical user interface, text Description automatically generated

4. From the New Message screen, choose your recipient, enter your message, and include any attachments (if necessary). When ready, click the Send Message button. Your message will be logged for compliance purposes in the Communications Log.


5. It is important to remember that, when using the Messaging feature, any statements of value or other statements that can be interpreted as 'appraiser influence' may cause the order to be canceled by your organization. Use caution when messaging your appraisers, and never include your name in a message.

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Manually Submit to UCDP/EAD 

You can use Appraisal FirewallX to submit completed appraisal reports to either the UCDP or EAD portal. Depending on your account setup, you can choose to submit reports automatically, or launch Appraisal FirewallX within your Encompass loan file, submitting reports to the respective portal on a case-by-case basis. Whether you are setup for automatic or manual submission, SSR results can be routed to your customized document folders in Encompass.
 

Once your account is enabled for UCDP/EAD submission, follow these instructions to manually submit a report to UCDP/EAD.


1. Select Services and then All Services. Expand Appraisal. Locate the Appraisal FirewallX product. Use the pop-out icon. A picture containing text, line, font, number Description automatically generated


2. This will launch the user directly into the Appraisal Firewall order. Along the right-hand side are series of buttons that allow you to work within the order. Depending on the report you are submitting (Conventional/FHA) you can either select the Send to UCDP or Send to FHA EAD buttons. After clicking either button, confirm that you want the report submitted to the portal. Only orders that are complete can be submitted to a portal. 


Please note: Once a report is submitted to either UCDP or the EAD portal, the order will switch to a reviewing status and SSR results may take several minutes to return.


The SSR outputs for UCDP and EAD will be automatically returned to Encompass as they become available. Depending on your Document Mapping customization, these outputs can be directed to the specified document folder. 


Forward the Appraisal Report to the Borrower

You can use Appraisal FirewallX to forward a copy of the completed appraisal to the borrower or whatever third party you choose. Anytime an appraisal is forwarded to the borrower, the Communications Log within Appraisal FirewallX will track the action and will even display when the borrower viewed it. Users can perform this action by launching the appraisal order through Encompass. Follow these instructions to manually send the appraisal report to the borrower. 

1. Select Services and then All Services. Expand Appraisal. Locate the Appraisal FirewallX product. Use the pop-out icon. This will launch the user directly into the Appraisal FirewallX order.A picture containing text, line, font, number Description automatically generated

2. Select the Documents tab (paperclip icon). Choose the documents you want to send to the borrower. This will enable the Delivery Options button. 

3. The Borrower Copy setting will automatically be enabled with the borrower’s email address entered in the Borrower’s and/or CoBorrower’s Email field (if the borrower’s and/or coborrower’s email addresses were entered on the order details). Select Send at the bottom of the screen to trigger the delivery to the borrowers. This action will be tracked in the Communications Log of the order. When the borrower views the report, that action will also be tracked.

Additional Notes:

  • You can use the borrower/coborrower forwarding feature to deliver other files to your client at any time during the order process.
  • You can set up your account to automatically forward a copy of the report to the borrower/coborrower as soon as it is available.
  • The Appraisal FirewallX system tracks whenever a borrower/coborrower successfully views the report. The system also monitors if the borrower/coborrower has not viewed the report within 48-hours of the delivery and can notify you that it has not been viewed.


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