Solidifi has completed certification to integrate with the Federal Housing Administration’s Electronic Appraisal Delivery platform under the modernized Uniform Appraisal Dataset (UAD) 3.6 standard, the appraisal management company announced Wednesday.
The company said it is the first provider to complete the certification process, clearing the way for Solidifi to support lender implementation once FHA begins accepting UAD 3.6 appraisal submissions.
The milestone signals that the vendor infrastructure supporting FHA lending is beginning to catch up with the industry’s appraisal modernization effort. FHA is currently beta testing its updated systems but has not announced firm dates for either optional or mandatory adoption.
“The transition to UAD 3.6 represents a major advancement for the mortgage industry, and our clients expect us to be ready well before implementation deadlines arrive,” said Loren Cooke, president and chief operating officer of Solidifi.
“Being the first to complete certification for FHA’s EAD integration demonstrates our commitment to helping lenders navigate this transition with confidence,” Cooke continued. “We have worked closely with our technology partners and the industry throughout the development process, so our clients are well prepared for FHA’s transition to UAD 3.6.”
FHA Has Not Yet Set Its Mandatory Adoption Date
FHA’s EAD portal is the system through which FHA-approved mortgagees and their designated service providers submit appraisal reports before loan endorsement. Although the existing portal supports the legacy UAD 2.6 format, FHA has said a new integration is required to deliver UAD 3.6 appraisals
FHA announced last month that development of its supporting technology systems was nearing completion and beta testing was underway with a limited number of mortgagees.
The optional period will begin before the government-sponsored enterprises’ Nov. 2 mandate, according to FHA. However, FHA has not said when it will require all appraisal submissions to use the new standard.
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac entered broad production for UAD 3.6 in January, allowing lenders to submit either UAD 2.6 or UAD 3.6 appraisal reports. Beginning Nov. 2, all new appraisals submitted through the Uniform Collateral Data Portal must use UAD 3.6. Revisions to previously submitted UAD 2.6 appraisals will be accepted until May 3, 2027.
UAD 3.6 replaces numerous property-specific appraisal forms with a single, dynamic Uniform Residential Appraisal Report that adapts to the property and assignment. Structured data fields are intended to improve appraisal consistency, make property risks easier to identify and reduce the information currently placed in free-form addenda.
FHA’s adoption will preserve that common reporting structure for government and conventional lending, while adding the data and validation requirements specific to FHA programs.
The transition also changes more than the appraisal report itself. Under FHA’s modernized delivery process, the legacy XML appraisal file will be replaced by a ZIP-based package using MISMO 3.6 standards. FHA is replacing its Submission Summary Report with new EAD Submission Results that separate system, UAD and FHA-specific findings.
Manual hard-stop overrides will no longer be supported under the UAD 3.6 process. FHA has said the modernization does not change its appraisal policies or property-acceptability requirements, but lenders will need updated systems and processes to satisfy the new delivery and validation structure.
Why The Transition Matters
For lenders, Solidifi’s certification removes one potential integration obstacle but does not make the entire operation UAD 3.6-ready. Implementation will require coordination among AMCs, appraisers, appraisal software providers, loan origination systems and internal collateral-review teams.
That coordination may be largely invisible to originators when it works. When it does not, LOs could encounter appraisal corrections, rejected submissions and closing delays — particularly if one provider in the lender’s delivery chain is not prepared for the new format.
Lenders will also need to prepare employees to order appraisals without relying on legacy form numbers, interpret the redesigned report and resolve the more structured findings returned through EAD.
The redesigned URAR should give originators and underwriting teams clearer property information. The immediate competitive advantage, however, may belong to lenders that can make the transition without allowing a back-office technology change to disrupt borrower communication or purchase closings.
Other valuation providers are preparing different portions of the UAD 3.6 workflow. ServiceLink, for example, announced a partnership with Grid-ML earlier this year to give appraisers searchable guidance within the redesigned report. Solidifi’s certification addresses another critical link: transmitting the completed appraisal through FHA’s modernized delivery platform.
Solidifi said it will provide lender clients with implementation guidance, educational resources and support during the transition.
The larger test for lenders will be whether every provider in their appraisal delivery chain is ready at the same time. Solidifi’s certification gives its clients an early answer on the AMC connection, but FHA’s pending adoption schedule leaves little reason for the rest of the industry to delay testing.
