The mortgage industry's transition to a new appraisal reporting framework continues to gain momentum as vendors prepare for a key deadline later this year.
First American announced that its ACI Sky Workbench platform has been verified by both Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to support the Uniform Appraisal Dataset (UAD) 3.6 specifications, which become mandatory for new appraisal reports submitted to the Uniform Collateral Data Portal (UCDP) beginning Nov. 2, 2026.
The verification places ACI Sky Workbench on Fannie Mae's Integrated Vendor List and Freddie Mac's Software Providers List, giving appraisers an approved option as they prepare for the transition.
Appraisal management companies and technology providers race to prepare for the implementation deadline. Velox Valuations announced nationwide readiness for UAD 3.6 assignments in May, while ServiceLink unveiled a partnership with GridBase to help lenders and appraisers navigate the new requirements earlier this year.
The UAD 3.6 update represents one of the most significant changes to residential appraisal reporting in years. The new standards are designed to create a more structured, data-driven appraisal process, changing how property information is collected, organized, and delivered to the government-sponsored enterprises.
For lenders, the transition is part of a broader effort by the GSEs to improve data consistency and usability throughout the mortgage process. Appraisers, meanwhile, must ensure their software platforms are capable of producing reports that meet the new requirements before the November deadline.
"UAD 3.6 changes how appraisal data is captured, structured, and delivered," said Todd McGowan, president of First American’s Lender Division.
McGowan said the company developed ACI Sky Workbench with input from appraisers and designed the platform to support the workflow from property inspection through report submission.
According to First American, the cloud-based platform combines inspection, data entry, and report completion functions within a single workflow and includes tools intended to support the full appraisal assignment lifecycle.
What It Means
The Nov. 2 deadline does not require LOs to change how they order appraisals, but it does increase the importance of working with appraisal management companies and appraisers that are prepared for UAD 3.6.
Any delays in appraiser adoption could create bottlenecks in appraisal turn times, particularly during periods of higher purchase activity. Lenders may also need to review their appraisal workflows, vendor relationships, and technology integrations to ensure reports can be delivered in the new format without disrupting loan production.
The transition is part of a broader industry push toward more standardized property data, which the GSEs believe will improve appraisal quality and consistency while creating opportunities for greater automation across the mortgage process.
While the deadline primarily affects appraisers and appraisal technology providers, lenders will also need to confirm that their appraisal partners and workflows are prepared to accommodate the new reporting format as UAD 3.6 becomes the industry standard later this year.
