Arizona § 32-3674 - Appraiser independence; prohibitions

§ 32-3674. Appraiser independence; prohibitions

A. Any employee, director, officer or agent of an appraisal management company registered pursuant to this article shall not influence or attempt to influence the development, reporting or review of an appraisal through coercion, extortion, collusion, compensation, inducement, intimidation, bribery or any other manner, including:

1. Withholding or threatening to withhold timely payment for an appraisal.

2. Withholding or threatening to withhold future business for an independent appraiser or demoting or terminating, or threatening to demote or terminate, an independent appraiser.

3. Expressly or impliedly promising future business, promotions or increased compensation for an independent appraiser.

4. Conditioning the request for an appraisal service or the payment of an appraisal fee or salary or bonus on the opinion, conclusion or valuation to be reached or on a preliminary estimate or opinion requested from an independent appraiser.

5. Requesting that an independent appraiser provide an estimated, predetermined or desired valuation in an appraisal report or provide estimated values or comparable sales at any time before the independent appraiser's completion of an appraisal service.

6. Providing to an independent appraiser an anticipated, estimated, encouraged or desired value for a subject property or a proposed or target amount to be loaned to the borrower, except that a copy of the sales contract for purchase transactions may be provided.

7. Providing to an independent appraiser, or any entity or person related to the appraiser, stock or other financial or nonfinancial benefits.

8. Allowing the removal of an independent appraiser from an appraiser panel, without prior written notice to the appraiser.

9. Obtaining, using or paying for a second or subsequent appraisal or ordering an automated valuation model in connection with a mortgage financing transaction, unless there is a reasonable basis to believe that the initial appraisal was flawed or tainted and the basis is clearly and appropriately noted in the loan file or unless the appraisal or automated valuation model is done pursuant to a bona fide prefunding or postfunding appraisal review or quality control process.

10. Engaging in any other act or practice that impairs or attempts to impair an appraiser's independence, objectivity or impartiality.

B. An appraisal fee offered or paid may not be based on the predetermined value or range of value of the subject property or the amount of the transaction price.

C. Subsections A and B do not prohibit an appraisal management company from requesting that an independent appraiser either:

1. Provide additional information about the basis for a valuation.

2. Correct objective factual errors in an appraisal report.