Client User Guide
Using the StreetLinks Website 1.1 Placing an Order Log in to www.streetlinks.com using your StreetLinks issued username and password, specific to your lender. Please be sure to use Internet Explorer, as other browsers are currently not compatible with our website. Please check that your compatibility view is ON. If it is off, you may not be able to see all available functions of the website. Step 1 Enter your file number, property address, and basic loan information. In order to ensure accuracy, after typing the property Zip Code, press the [TAB] key for a city, state and county suggestion. If the zip code is used for more than one city, you will then need to select the appropriate zip code in the dropdown. Under Upload Files, you may select any relevant documentation to upload with the appraisal order, such as the purchase agreement, title work, or a previous appraisal. 2
Step 2 Verify that the loan officer and processor are displayed correctly. Provide the property access contact information such as the listing agent, or, if this is a refinance and the borrower is the contact, click check if same as borrower information. The Mortgage Information and the Lender Information should always match. If you find yourself entering a different lender other than the one listed under Mortgage Information, please contact StreetLinks immediately for assistance, as your login is lender specific. This order may have to be cancelled. Call 866-794-6371, select option 1 and then option 3 for our Client Services team. 3
Step 3 Select the Loan Type from the drop down menu, Conventional, FHA, or USDA. The corresponding product selection page will appear. Step 4 Verify and/or edit all order information provided. Select a payment option (the appraisal product fee will autopopulate). If it is incorrect for some reason, please contact us at 866-794-6371 for a resolution. Please refer to Page 3 of the Department Contact List for the correct department. Provide any pertinent order information or directive in the Order Notes section. Click Place Order to complete the order process. 4
Step 5 Orders are not assigned to an appraiser until the appraisal payment has been secured by StreetLinks Lender Solutions. StreetLinks offers four online payment options all major credit cards, debit cards with a Visa or MasterCard logo, echeck, and invoicing. In some instances, we can collect the funds directly from borrower. Credit Card Orders: This screenshot shows the credit card data entry screen. 5
Select Credit Card as the payment option. Enter the name of the account holder as it appears on their card. Enter the account number for the credit card (no dashes). Enter the billing address and phone number associated with the credit card (no dashes). Enter the expiration date of the credit card. Enter the CVV2 Number, which is the 3-digit security number on the back of the card (4-digit for American Express). Note: The card transaction is run by StreetLinks immediately upon receiving the order. Upon receiving payment approval, the order assignment process will begin immediately. echeck Orders: This screenshot shows the echeck data entry screen. Select Checking/Savings Account payment option. Enter the name of the account holder as it appears on their bank account. Enter the address and phone number associated with the account (no dashes). Enter the bank account number (no dashes). Enter the bank routing number. Note: The account transaction is run by StreetLinks immediately upon receiving the order. The order assignment process will begin immediately. 6
Invoiced Orders: This screenshot shows the Invoice data entry screen. Please see your lender account executive for invoicing options. Collect From Borrower: This screenshot shows the checkbox (on the top line) to mark to request that StreetLinks collect from the borrower. After marking the checkbox on the top line, the following screens will appear. Enter the Card Holder Name, Card Holder Email Address, and anyone who needs to be copied on the email sent to the borrower for payment. Provide any specific information needed to process the file in the Order Notes section. Click the Place Order button: Once you have received confirmation that the order has been placed, the borrower will be sent the following email and link. The borrower will be instructed to select the link in the email to provide payment information. 7
The link will take the borrower to a site where the borrower will fill in the payment information and then click Submit Payment. Once payment has been received, the appraisal assignment process will begin. Step 6 Once you have placed the appraisal order, the following screen will appear as confirmation that your order has been received. 8
1.2 Tracking Your Orders/Pipeline Orders placed with StreetLinks can be accessed on our website utilizing the Search for box or by selecting the Tracking function. You may enter the borrower s name or property address when searching for an individual order. To view order details, select the View Order button. The following screen will appear. When the Tracking function (red box) is selected, the user is able to view the entire pipeline of orders relative to their individual user role. The list of orders can be rearranged by selected any one of the three filters Status/Office/Contact. To view order details, select the View Order button. To find an order placed over 90 days ago, go to View: Using the drop down, change 30 days to Custom. Enter a date range that includes the date you placed the order. Click outside the date box. Click go. This will display all orders in that date range. 9
1.3 How to Cancel an Order or Place an Order on Hold Cancelling an order or placing an order on hold is as simple as entering an order comment with the desired directive. To place a comment, simply locate the desired order and click the View Order button for that order. The following screen will appear. In the Communication Log section of the View Order screen, type the desired directive in the New Comment box. Click Add Comment. 1.4 How to Download Your Appraisal Report/Order Documents Upon completion, StreetLinks delivers the certified appraisal report with the Non-Influence Certificate, appraisal invoice, appraiser s license, appraiser s E&O insurance policy, and SSR report(s) (when applicable) via direct email to the individual emails listed on the order and to any lender report delivery email. In addition, all order documents are archived and available for download. To download order documents, simply locate the desired order and click the View Order button for that order. The following screen will appear. 10
In the Document Center, click on the desired document appearing in RED. Note: The documents are displayed oldest to newest. 1.5 How to Upload Order Documents It is often necessary to upload documents to an order, such as purchase agreements and prior appraisal reports. To upload a file to an order, locate the desired order and click the View Order button for that order. The following screen will appear. In the Document Center section of the screen, click Add Document, and the Description field will drop down, as shown here. Click the Choose File button to select the file from your computer that is to be added to the order. Type the desired file name into the Description field. Click Open. This document will be attached to the order and the file name will display in the Document Center. 11
1.6 Post Completion Services In the event of required post completion underwriting stipulations for a given appraisal report, StreetLinks will use our industry expertise to properly request and follow up with the most applicable report enhancements. The StreetLinks team of associates understands that an expedient response to underwriting stipulations is essential to the overall client experience. Posting your needed revisions in the communication log via the website is the most efficient and easiest way to convey these to us. 2.1 StreetLinks Appeals Policy All appraisal reports are reviewed for compliance with the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP), Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac guidelines, the real estate settlement and procedures act (RESPA), the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act (FIRREA), FHA, and finally, any specific underwriting guidelines of the Lender/Client. Reviews are focused on FNMA appraisal report forms revised March 2005. The completed and approved appraisal should lead the reader of the report to the same conclusions, regarding the estimated value and property condition, as those derived by the original appraiser. Please refer to your lender s appeal policy to determine the method by which an appeal should be filed. 2.2 Transferring an Appraisal Once an appraisal report is completed, you may need to transfer this report to another lender. A release of an appraisal report does not require any involvement by the appraiser. StreetLinks can assist you in this transfer of appraisal ownership on any appraisal ordered through StreetLinks. To start the process, you must obtain a release letter from the original lender, releasing the rights to the appraisal. StreetLinks cannot do this for you. This letter must be on their letterhead, dated, and signed by their corporate office. The release letter does not have to state the new lender s name, but if the new lender is named, it must be the lender who is to receive a copy of the released appraisal. For example, if ABC National Bank is stated on the release letter, and for whatever reason, you decide to go with XYZ Savings Bank, you will need to obtain a new release letter that shows XYZ Savings Bank s name. To avoid this situation, it would be best to request that the new lender s name not be referenced on the release letter. Once you have the release letter, send it to StreetLinks along with the email address of the new lender. Once StreetLinks receives the release letter and the email address, we will send a copy of the appraisal report to that email address. Be advised, this is an as-is only transfer. Changes cannot be made to this report, not even to the Lender/Client and the intended users identified in the report. If the new lender insists that their name be noted in the report as the Lender/Client or that other changes be made, you will need to place an order for a Retrospective Appraisal Transfer (see Section 1.10). 12
2.3 Retrospective Appraisal Transfer A Retrospective Appraisal Transfer, or RAT, is a specialized product that can be ordered only in a unique circumstance. This product is a retrospective appraisal that is to be conducted on a property that was the subject of a recent appraisal report but for a different Lender/Client. The RAT is assigned only to the appraiser who completed the previous appraisal on this property. The order provides the appraiser with the effective date for the new appraisal, which is the same effective date of the previous appraisal. The RAT fulfills the same need as did the no longer acceptable Lender Name Change request but in a USPAP compliant assignment. There are specific conditions that must be met before an RAT can be ordered. These are as follows: A release letter from the original lender must be provided on their letterhead, signed by their corporate office, releasing the rights of the appraisal to the new lender. The effective date of the new appraisal is to be the same as it is in the previous appraisal. The previous appraisal must have originated from a StreetLinks order. The intended use of the new appraisal must be the same as for the previous appraisal. The intended user(s) of the new appraisal must be of the same type as for the previous appraisal. The type of loan for the new appraisal must be of the same type of loan as for the previous appraisal, or, for a loan type for which the appraiser s minimum scope of work is less than what it was for the previous appraisal. For example, the new appraisal is for a conventional loan and the previous appraisal is for an FHA backed loan. The minimum scope of work required for a conventional loan is less than what is required for an FHA backed loan. To increase the scope of work for the new appraisal would defeat the purpose of the RAT. The assignment details for the new appraisal must be the same as in the previous appraisal. For example, the address cannot have changed, the borrower cannot have changed, the owner of record cannot have changed, and the details of the purchase agreement cannot have changed. Any change in the assignment details can change the scope of work. The subject property details for the new appraisal must be the same as in the previous appraisal. For example, the zoning, condition, GLA, room count, and other amenities of the subject property must not have changed since the previous appraisal. Any change in the details of the subject property would change the scope of work and defeat the purpose of the RAT. When the above conditions are met, the scope of work for the new appraisal is essentially identical to that of the previous appraisal. The actual work required of the appraiser to develop and report the new appraisal has already been completed by the appraiser in the execution of the previous appraisal assignment. Since the effective date does not change, the appraiser does not have to conduct a new inspection of the subject property, either. Since the appraiser considered the previous appraisal to be credible, the new appraisal should be credible, as well. The minimum fee to The client for this new order is $150. The time and effort on the part of StreetLinks is the same as it would be for any new order that you may give to us. This fee is also based on the idea that the time invested by the appraiser will be limited to office work. Depending on the amount of office work required, the appraiser s fee request may affect the fee to The client. While the RAT is USPAP compliant, it is up to the appraiser s discretion as to whether or not they accept the assignment. Some appraisers believe this to be a gray area and are not totally comfortable with accepting such an assignment. This might be due to the appraiser s concern with violating the Confidentiality clause of the Ethics Rule of USPAP. Unless The client for the previous assignment specifically requested that absolutely no part of the appraisal results and report be disclosed, it is our interpretation of USPAP that an RAT is compliant on this point. Still, StreetLinks cannot compel an appraiser to accept this or any assignment, and, an RAT cannot be assigned to another appraiser. If the original appraiser declines the assignment, the alternatives left for The client are to either order a new appraisal with a current effective date or to cancel the request altogether. 13
3.1 Frequently Asked Questions Will the loan officers be able to talk to the appraiser directly? No. All necessary communication for the appraiser is required to be submitted to StreetLinks via the communication log of the specific order. StreetLinks will forward the message to the appraiser, when appropriate. What is StreetLinks turn time? StreetLinks currently maintains a 5.5 day average turn time from order entry to order delivery, which includes a Quality Control review. This turn time can vary by region of the country. How are lender name changes handled? Please refer to Section 1.10 - Retrospective Appraisal Transfer. When is the appraiser paid? Payment is delivered to the appraiser on or before 30 days from report delivery. What if my underwriter has questions or concerns regarding the appraisal report? Please refer to Section 1.7 Post Completion Services. 14