FHA launches optional transition period to UAD 3.6  

The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) has opened an optional broad production period for lenders to begin submitting appraisals in the new Uniform Appraisal Dataset (UAD) 3.6 format through its Electronic Appraisal Delivery (EAD) portal, the agency announced on Thursday. The move comes as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac roll out a separate time-limited waiver that allows some sellers to keep using the legacy UAD 2.6 format into mid‑2027. Effective immediately, all FHA-approved lenders participating in Title II forward mortgage and Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) programs may begin submitting appraisals using UAD 3.6, according to the announcement. This follows completion of beta testing for the new format in the EAD portal. During this optional phase, lenders may continue to deliver some or all appraisals in the legacy UAD 2.6 format. For each FHA case number, however, the format used for the initial appraisal submission must be used for all subsequent appraisal submissions on that case. Mixing multiple UAD formats in the same case is not permitted. FHA’s transition window is intended to align with the broader industry shift to UAD 3.6. The government-sponsored enterprises’ (G...