Press Releases – ACI – The Appraiser's Choice

ACI Trains 10,000 Appraisers on UAD

Kayla Production — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 15:28:00 GMT

Training series provides appraisal professionals insight into the regulations

Palm Coast, Fla. — January 10, 2012 — ACI, a leading innovator in valuation technology for the mortgage industry, has educated more than 10,000 appraisers on the fundamentals of the Uniform Appraisal Dataset (UAD) and Uniform Collateral Data Portal® (UCDP®). Participants in the webinars were given the tools necessary to acquire working knowledge of the UAD. This effort is the latest example of the company’s commitment to keep appraisers current on industry changes that affect their business.

"We’ve trained thousands of appraisal professionals during the UAD rollout to ensure they are prepared to understand the UAD and apply that knowledge when writing appraisal reports," said George Opelka, senior vice president for ACI. "Our curriculum extended beyond the technology and also provided insight into the new requirements and what they mean to appraisers. This training initiative delivered on both of those objectives."

The training series provided appraisers with a primer to UAD and addressed several questions including, What is MISMO-XML?, What is UAD?, and Why are Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac instituting these new programs?

The webinars were designed to be brief but filled with information to help appraisers perform their jobs more efficiently. The goal of the classes was to provide an understanding of the key challenges that appraisers face when preparing and delivering appraisal reports in a compliant manner.

"It’s always a pleasure to work with an industry leader like ACI. Our webinar participants learned how to adjust to the new UAD reporting requirements from a practitioner’s perspective," said Rich Heyn, SRA, who, with Dawn Molitor-Gennrich, SRA, developed and presented ACI’s "What Is UAD?" webinars. Dawn Molitor-Gennrich and Rich Heyn are co-owners of Heyn, Molitor-Gennrich, LLC, a company that specializes in developing and delivering property-related education.

In addition, the "How to Comply with UAD Using ACI Software" session covered tips and techniques to help create a UAD-compliant appraisal report and demonstrated the UAD compliance dialogue windows, picklists, field-level validations (to help ensure that reports remain compliant), and optional guidance from GSE UAD Appendix D.

About ACI
ACI, a pioneer in crafting technology solutions for the mortgage valuation community, has gained industrywide recognition and support from leaders in the field. ACI’s highly scalable appraisal solutions are tailored to the needs of the organizations ACI serves. The ACI client base features many of North America’s premier lenders, national appraisal companies, and real estate brokerage firms. From connecting appraisers nationwide to streamlining quality control, ACI enables organizations to process appraisals and manage exceptions in a consistent and efficient manner. Headquartered in Palm Coast, Florida, ACI (www.aciweb.com) is a division of Verisk Analytics (Nasdaq:VRSK).

ACI Announces StreetLinks eService Integration

Kayla Production — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 15:52:00 GMT

Platform helps ensure accuracy, timeliness, and compliance with  the Uniform Collateral Data Portal (UCDP)

Palm Coast, Fla. — December 20, 2011 — ACI, a leading innovator in valuation technology for the mortgage industry, announced today that StreetLinks Lender Solutions has integrated with ACI’s eServices, an appraisal delivery service to help ensure compliance with client/lender and investor requirements. eServices combines appraisal compliance and quality rules with electronic delivery as a standard feature accessible from the appraiser’s ACI desktop software. ACI’s approach helps ensure that appraisal data complies with both the Uniform Appraisal Dataset (UAD) and MISMO XML requirements before the appraiser completes the appraisal report.

"ACI uses integration services from its appraisal software to create customized delivery solutions. The new StreetLinks eService provides a connection for us to seamlessly receive native XML directly from appraisers’ computers with the assurance of our quality and compliance standards," said Tony Ebeyer, chief strategy officer for StreetLinks. "The ACI system is intuitive and allows for additional flexibility in processing and managing appraisal reports. That’s why thousands of StreetLinks appraisers will rely on it every month."

Prior to delivering the appraisal report to StreetLinks, the new eService performs an in-depth quality control review using ACI’s PAR^®Logic review rules. The comprehensive library of both industry best practices and job-specific business rules checks the appraisal report for compliance with StreetLinks’ policies. Once the appraiser has satisfied the requirements, the file is delivered to StreetLinks for further processing and eventually delivered to either Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac.

"As a result of this technology collaboration with StreetLinks, we have developed a comprehensive pre-delivery UAD audit and XML delivery service that makes the process for the appraiser simple and efficient," said George Opelka, senior vice president for ACI. "The upgrade provides greater accuracy, which benefits all parties — appraisers, management companies, the GSEs, and borrowers."

About ACI
ACI, a pioneer in crafting technology solutions for the mortgage valuation community, has gained industrywide recognition and support from leaders in the field. ACI’s highly scalable appraisal solutions are tailored to the needs of the organizations ACI serves. The ACI client base features many of North America’s premier lenders, national appraisal companies, and real estate brokerage firms. From connecting appraisers nationwide to streamlining quality control, ACI enables organizations to process appraisals and manage exceptions in a consistent and efficient manner. Headquartered in Palm Coast, Florida, ACI (www.aciweb.com) is a division of Verisk Analytics (Nasdaq:VRSK).

Appraisal.com Powers New Appraisal Reader

Kayla Production — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 20:10:00 GMT

Innovation enables lenders to validate UAD compliance before UCDP delivery

Palm Coast, Fla. — Dec. 1, 2011 — ACI, a leading innovator in valuation technology for the mortgage industry, announced at the Valuation Expo 2011 the release of a new Appraisal Reader powered by Appraisal.com. The new technology helps lenders and reviewers view and validate appraisal reports prepared by any appraisal software vendor that supports the new MISMO XML format.

Appraisal.com is an ACI brand that serves the appraiser and lender communities. The Appraisal Reader is compact and provides mortgage professionals with a critical tool to conduct a review while keeping all the components of the appraisal report intact. The review is performed using ACI’s PAR^®Logic rules, a comprehensive library that checks the appraisal report for compliance. Custom client-specific rules can also be applied on demand using PAR Logic to highlight errors and omissions.

The Uniform Appraisal Dataset (UAD) information embedded in the PDF appraisal report is also available in a concise, organized manner using the QuickView™ Summary Report within the Appraisal Reader. The QuickView Summary Report presents the UAD information in a form and helps streamline the review and validation process prior to submission to the Uniform Collateral Data Portal^® (UCDP^®).

"With the advent of the UCDP, ensuring regulatory compliance before submitting appraisal reports to the portal is increasingly important for lenders and appraisers," said Dave Roberts, president of ACI. "We’ve developed a sophisticated, yet free, solution that enables lenders, credit unions, and community banks to easily view and validate MISMO XML appraisal reports using Appraisal.com technology."

About ACI

ACI, a pioneer in crafting technology solutions for the mortgage valuation community, has gained industrywide recognition and support from leaders in the field. ACI’s highly scalable appraisal solutions are tailored to the needs of the organizations ACI serves. The ACI client base features many of North America’s premier lenders, national appraisal companies, and real estate brokerage firms. From connecting appraisers nationwide to streamlining quality control, ACI enables organizations to process appraisals and manage exceptions in a consistent and efficient manner. Headquartered in Palm Coast, Florida, ACI (www.aciweb.com) is a division of Verisk Analytics (Nasdaq:VRSK).

About Verisk Analytics

Verisk Analytics (Nasdaq:VRSK) is a leading provider of information about risk to professionals in insurance, healthcare, mortgage, government, and risk management. Using advanced technologies to collect and analyze billions of records, Verisk Analytics draws on vast industry expertise and unique proprietary data sets to provide predictive analytics and decision-support solutions in fraud prevention, actuarial science, insurance coverages, fire protection, catastrophe and weather risk, data management, and many other fields. In the United States and around the world, Verisk Analytics helps customers protect people, property, and financial assets. For more information, visit www.verisk.com.

ACI’s Liz Green to Speak as Visionaries Panelist at Valuation Expo 2011

Kayla Production — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 16:23:00 GMT

Industry veteran to discuss trends, regulations, and the future of appraisal technology

Palm Coast, Fla. — Nov. 3, 2011 — ACI is pleased to announce that Elizabeth "Liz" Green, director of valuation technologies for the company, will discuss key trends facing the appraisal industry as a participant on the Valuation Visionaries panel at Valuation Expo 2011 in Las Vegas on November 8. ACI is a leading innovator in valuation technology for the mortgage industry.

Green plans to highlight key hurdles the industry will face as well as the strategies and cutting-edge technology that will ensure that appraisers and appraisal management companies (AMCs) have the infrastructure they require to perform well.

Other topics Green will discuss during the discussion include:

the key business challenges and opportunities facing appraisers in the coming years
the reasons technology will be important to ensure the longevity and success of the appraisal profession and independence in the years ahead
the importance of open data standards to the mortgage industry

"Appraisers are at a crossroads where technology and methodology are fusing in dramatic ways," said Green. "I look forward to weighing in on the challenges, opportunities, and solutions for appraising both today and in the future. ACI’s long-standing service to the profession allows us to reflect on the progress of technology while assisting appraisers toward the future with both innovation and compassion."

Also speaking on the panel are Andrew Bough, head of credit at ING Direct USA; Rick Langdon, national appraisal field operation manager for Wachovia Mortgage/Legacy World Savings; and Alan Hummel, senior vice president and chief appraiser for Forsythe Appraisals LLC. The moderator for the panel is Jordan Petkovski, vice president of appraisal operations at TSI Appraisal Services, a subsidiary of Title Source^®.

About ACI

ACI, a pioneer in crafting technology solutions for the mortgage valuation community, has gained industry wide recognition and support from leaders in the field. ACI’s highly scalable appraisal solutions are tailored to the needs of the organizations ACI serves. The ACI client base features many of North America’s premier lenders, national appraisal companies, and real estate brokerage firms. From connecting appraisers nationwide to streamlining quality control, ACI enables organizations to process appraisals and manage exceptions in a consistent and efficient manner. Headquartered in Palm Coast, Florida, ACI (www.aciweb.com) is a division of Verisk Analytics (Nasdaq:VRSK).

About Verisk Analytics

NREIS Selects ACI's Appraisal.com Portal

Rosanna Bracciale — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 14:16:00 GMT

Agreement Ensures that NREIS will satisfy the GSE (government-sponsored enterprise) requirements for appraisal documents and delivery

PALM COAST, Fla., Oct. 17, 2011 - ACI, a leading innovator in technology to the mortgage valuation industry, announced that National Real Estate Information Services (NREIS) is in production with Appraisal.com, an appraiser-facing portal that scrutinizes appraisal reports for completeness, correctness, consistency, and compliance.

"We were impressed with the capabilities of Appraisal.com which include seamless integration with our existing vendor website, ensuring an automated process and providing compliance with the MISMO XML and Uniform Appraisal Dataset (UAD) protocol that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac created," said Chris Behning, CIO of NREIS. "We also wanted to ensure that it's reliable and flawless in its execution. Given our history in working with ACI, we were very confident in their ability to deliver."

"NREIS recognized that Appraisal.com could satisfy the delivery requirements of the investors, speed the process, and trim costs," said George Opelka, senior vice president for sales and marketing at ACI. "ACI offers enterprise-level solutions that allow clients to receive and review appraisal reports, comply with regulations, and deliver appraisals directly to the Uniform Collateral Data Portal^SM (UCDP^SM)."

About ACI
ACI, a pioneer in crafting technology solutions for the mortgage valuation community, has gained industrywide recognition and support from leaders in the field. ACI's highly scalable appraisal solutions are tailored to the needs of the organizations ACI serves. The ACI client base features many of North America's premier lenders, national appraisal companies, and real estate brokerage firms. From connecting appraisers nationwide to streamlining quality control, ACI enables organizations to process appraisals and manage exceptions in a consistent and efficient manner. Headquartered in Palm Coast, Florida, ACI (http://www.aciweb.com/) is a division of Verisk Analytics.

About Verisk Analytics
Verisk Analytics (Nasdaq:VRSK) is a leading provider of information about risk to professionals in insurance, healthcare, mortgage, government, and risk management. Using advanced technologies to collect and analyze billions of records, Verisk Analytics draws on vast industry expertise and unique proprietary data sets to provide predictive analytics and decision-support solutions in fraud prevention, actuarial science, insurance coverages, fire protection, catastrophe and weather risk, data management, and many other fields. In the United States and around the world, Verisk Analytics helps customers protect people, property, and financial assets. For more information, visit www.verisk.com.

ACI’s Appraisal.com to Integrate to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s UCDP Appraisal Delivery Platform

pvandegraaf — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 14:38:00 GMT

Largest Appraisal Companies in North America to Use Appraisal.com Technology for UAD XML Appraisal Delivery

August 2, 2011 — Palm Coast, Fla. — ACI, a leading innovator in technology for the mortgage valuation industry, announced today that Appraisal.com is integrating as an appraisal delivery platform to the Uniform Collateral Data Portal^SM (UCDP^SM). The UCDP is a single portal for the electronic submission of appraisal data files for loans sold to either Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, the GSEs, (Government-Sponsored Enterprises) and facilitates the electronic collection of appraisal report data.

The following conventional appraisal report types are required to be submitted to the UCDP:

Uniform Residential Appraisal Report*
Exterior-Only Inspection Residential Appraisal Report*
Individual Condominium Unit Appraisal Report *
Exterior-Only Inspection Individual Condominium Unit Appraisal Report*
Manufactured Home Appraisal Report
Individual Cooperative Interest Report
Exterior-Only Individual Cooperative Interest Report
Small Residential Income Property Appraisal Report

*Indicates UAD standardization applies

Lenders and their designated agents may access the UCDP through vendor-provided solutions like Appraisal.com that provide an integrated system interface to the UCDP, allowing lenders to browse and upload XML or first-generation portable document format (PDF) files to the portal.

“The ability to provide our customers with Uniform Appraisal Dataset (UAD)-compliant appraisal reports and XML delivery to the UCDP using Appraisal.com is a natural extension for the services that we currently provide to the appraisal industry,” said Dave Roberts, president of ACI. “For more than 20 years, ACI has worked in conjunction with the industry’s largest appraisal companies to streamline the appraisal quality-control process and facilitate the delivery of data to their lender clients.”

Appraisal report forms for all conventional mortgages delivered to the GSEs on or after March 19, 2012, must be submitted to the UCDP if:

the loan application is dated on or after December 1, 2011, and
an appraisal report is required.

The appraisal report must be submitted to the UCDP and must include all exhibits, addenda, and photographs. Either an XML data stream (output from appraisal forms software) with an embedded first-generation PDF file or first-generation PDF file without the corresponding XML data must be submitted to the UCDP. The UCDP supports the following XML formats for appraisal deliveries, and all are available in both the ACI and Lighthouse™ software:

MISMO 2.6 Errata 1 GSE Extended format (preferred format)
ACI format
AI Ready format

“ACI has been a leader in the development of the MISMO [Mortgage Industry Standards Maintenance Organization] standard within the property and valuation services work group,” said George Opelka, senior vice president of ACI. “This experience, coupled with the ACI format being named one of the accepted delivery standards to the UCDP, provides our clients with flexible and proven options for GSE compliance.”

To facilitate the adoption of the new Uniform Appraisal Dataset, ACI is offering clients access to both a technical-focused and a practitioner’s seminar. The training will be provided at no charge to ACI customers who have a current Premier Service subscription. For more information, contact ACI Sales at 1-800-234-8727.

About ACI
ACI, a pioneer in crafting technology solutions for the mortgage valuation community, has gained industrywide recognition and support from leaders in the field. ACI’s highly scalable appraisal solutions are tailored to the needs of the organizations ACI serves. The ACI client base features many of North America’s premier lenders, national appraisal companies, and real estate brokerage firms. From connecting appraisers nationwide to streamlining quality control, the flexibility ACI provides organizations the means for processing appraisals and managing exceptions in a consistent and efficient manner.

Headquartered in Palm Coast, Florida, ACI's management and development team garners the type of experience coveted by decision makers responsible for bringing synergy to their daily workflows and processes. ACI (http://www.aciweb.com/) is a division of Verisk Analytics.

About Verisk Analytics
Verisk Analytics is a leading provider of information about risk to professionals in insurance, healthcare, mortgage, government, and risk management. Using advanced technologies to collect and analyze billions of records, Verisk Analytics draws on vast industry expertise and unique proprietary data sets to provide predictive analytics and decision-support solutions in fraud prevention, actuarial science, insurance coverages, fire protection, catastrophe and weather risk, data management, and many other fields. In the United States and around the world, Verisk Analytics helps customers protect people, property, and financial assets. For more information, visit www.verisk.com.

ACI Releases UAD Software to Appraisal Industry

Rosanna Bracciale — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 17:08:00 GMT

ACI Publishes UAD Compliance Software and UAD Webinar Series

July 12, 2011 — Palm Coast, Fla. — ACI, a leading innovator in technology for the mortgage valuation industry, announced today an upgrade to the ACI2010™ software that includes enhancements for the Uniform Appraisal Dataset (UAD). The upgrade is available for appraisers to download immediately. The update equips ACI users with functionality that promotes compliance with the UAD, a required library of standardized responses and elements to be used in appraisal reports delivered to government-sponsored enterprises (GSE).

ACI2010 UAD includes several innovative features that promote compliance with the new GSE requirements. Appraisers that leverage the intuitive efficiencies of ACI2010 into their workflow are able to produce UAD-compliant reports with minimal effort.

Built-in Guidance is provided using compliance dialogs and alerts designed to assist appraisers in meeting UAD requirements. These features are configurable and available at the field level.
UAD Report Paks for URAR form 1004/70, URAR Exterior-Only form 2055, Individual Unit Condominium form 1073/465, and Exterior-Only Individual Condominium form 1075/466 are prebuilt to include the standard addendums that make adoption simple and fast. Each UAD Pak also includes a UAD definitions page that contains details of code definitions, abbreviations, and UAD-specific handling.
Field-Level Data Validation provides validation business rules to ensure that appraisers type data in accordance with specific field formats.
Address Validation is built in to ensure that all addresses conform to USPS address standards for street number, street name, city, state, and ZIP code.
Automated Tools for lot size assist in automatically converting square feet to acres or acres to square feet based on entry.
Change Form Type to easily switch form templates for orders originally requested on a non-UAD form, or vice versa.
Interactive Features for complex entries — that require the use of the UAD as well as comments — are supported with intuitive, interactive dialogs and feature alerts.
UAD Compliance Rules ensure appraisal reports meet UAD compliance prior to appraisal delivery.

"The transition to UAD will be a smooth process for ACI2010 users because we’ve ensured compliance while leveraging templates, picklists, and rules — all existing functions that ACI appraisers have already mastered," said Elizabeth Green, ACI director of valuation technologies. "ACI appraisers can learn about the ‘what’ and ‘how’ of UAD through ACI’s UAD training sessions. Both classes are free to all ACI clients who have an active premier service agreement."

The UAD update for ACI2010 is available at no cost to ACI clients with an active premier service agreement. Clients interested in additional online training may visit www.AppraisersChoice.com/training to view available sessions on ACI products.

About ACI
ACI, a pioneer in crafting technology solutions for the mortgage valuation community, has gained industrywide recognition and support from leaders in the field. ACI’s highly scalable appraisal solutions are tailored to the needs of the organizations ACI serves. The ACI client base features many of North America’s premier lenders, national appraisal companies, and real estate brokerage firms. From connecting appraisers nationwide to streamlining quality control, ACI provides organizations the means for processing appraisals and managing exceptions in a consistent and efficient manner. Headquartered in Palm Coast, Florida, ACI (www.aciweb.com) is a division of Verisk Analytics.

ACI and LSI Division of LPS Align to Provide Statistical Market Analysis Technology for Appraisers

Rosanna Bracciale — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 17:46:00 GMT

January 20, 2011, Palm Coast, FL—ACI, a leading innovator in technology for the valuation industry, announced today its integration with S.M.A.R.T.™ (Statistical Market Analysis in Real Time). The cutting-edge tool provided by the LSI Division of Lender Processing Services, Inc. (LPS) enables ACI appraisers to interact with local multiple listing service (MLS) data in a unique graphical environment that empowers real estate appraisers to better use their analytical skills to identify and report on activity in the local market. In addition to auto-populating the 1004 Market Conditions Addendum, the integration provides the appraiser with the ability to import several charts and graphs to further support the final reconciliation.

S.M.A.R.T. is available for download to existing ACI appraisers with an active premier service agreement. Through a special arrangement with LSI, ACI appraisers can now access S.M.A.R.T. on a pay-as-you-go basis using ChoiceCredits™. Highlights of the new product integration include:

Easily Import MLS Data to the 1004 Market Conditions Addendum — S.M.A.R.T. will import active, expired, pending, withdrawn, and sold listings directly from MLS systems using neighborhood boundaries defined by the user. Where data is available, the system auto-populates the 1004 Market Conditions Addendum, allowing for additional efficiency for appraisers.
Visually Enhance Charts and Graphs — S.M.A.R.T. allows users to interact with powerful color charts and create custom reports. These visual references bring advancements in MLS data import and manipulation that are available only in the S.M.A.R.T. interface.

“The integration between ACI and S.M.A.R.T. facilitates the adoption of market analysis tools at the right point within the process — in the hands of the appraiser. S.M.A.R.T. enables ACI appraisers to interact with market data in an exciting and eye-opening manner,” said George Opelka, senior vice president, ACI.

Currently, S.M.A.R.T. has direct links to major MLS systems across the country, including Rapatonni, FlexMLS, MLXchange, Tempo, RExplorer, Navica, and Paragon. Additional MLS providers can typically be added quickly upon request.

“We are excited that ACI has incorporated S.M.A.R.T. into its lineup of advanced tools for appraisers. The product provides a new level of expertise for appraisers to assess the market and will afford efficiency and the ability to drill down to levels not previously available with other data import and analytical services,” said John Holbrook, vice president of the LSI Division of LPS.

ACI is offering introductory savings on S.M.A.R.T. Interested parties can contact ACI Sales at 1-800-234-8727 or visit www.AppraisersChoice.com for more information.

About Lender Processing Services

Lender Processing Services, Inc. (LPS) is a leading provider of integrated technology and services to the mortgage and real estate industries. LPS offers solutions that span the mortgage continuum, including lead generation, origination, workflow automation (desktop), servicing, portfolio retention, and default, augmented by the company’s award-winning customer support and professional services. Approximately 50 percent of all U.S. mortgages by dollar volume are serviced using LPS’s Mortgage Servicing Package (MSP). LPS also offers proprietary mortgage and real estate data and analytics for the mortgage and capital markets industries. For more information about LPS, visit www.lpsvcs.com.

About ACI

ACI, a pioneer in crafting technology solutions for the mortgage valuation community, has gained industrywide recognition and support from leaders in the field. ACI’s highly scalable appraisal solutions are tailored to the needs of the organizations ACI serves. The ACI client base features many of North America’s premier lenders, national appraisal companies, and real estate brokerage firms. From connecting appraisers nationwide to streamlining quality control, the flexibility ACI provides organizations the means for processing appraisals and managing exceptions in a consistent and efficient manner.

Headquartered in Palm Coast, Florida, ACI’s management and development team garners the type of experience coveted by decision makers responsible for bringing synergy to their daily workflows and processes. ACI is a division of Verisk Analytics.

About Verisk Analytics

Verisk Analytics is a leading provider of information about risk to professionals in insurance, healthcare, mortgage, government, and risk management. Using advanced technologies to collect and analyze billions of records, Verisk Analytics draws on vast industry expertise and unique proprietary data sets to provide predictive analytics and decision-support solutions in fraud prevention, actuarial science, insurance coverages, fire protection, catastrophe and weather risk, data management, and many other fields. In the United States and around the world, Verisk Analytics helps customers protect people, property, and financial assets. For more information, visit www.verisk.com.

ACI2010™ Prepares ACI Appraisers for the Future

Bea Acs — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 15:00:00 GMT

New release Imports MLS Data to the 1004MC, Introduces ACI365™ Webforms

March 29, 2010, Palm Coast, FL. ACI, a leading innovator in technology for the valuation industry, announced today the release of ACI2010™. This latest release provides ACI appraisers with new features, time-saving statistical tools, and online forms designed to increase efficiency and enhance workflow.

ACI2010™ is available for download at no additional charge to existing ACI appraisers with an active service agreement. Highlights of the new release include:

Market Conditions Addendum eService*—Import MLS data into an ACI Analytics™ plug-in for the 1004MC Addendum. After the MLS data has been downloaded, the appraiser can arrange and import the results directly into the 1004MC Addendum.
File Sync*—Post appraisal reports from a local computer to an ACI365™ account and edit appraisal reports online from home, on the road, or in the field using ACI’s Webforms.
JUMP Navigation Feature—Using the JUMP feature, quickly navigate from page to page with a thumbnail preview.
Paste Images to Addendum—Cut and paste images directly into the addendum for increased visual impact in appraisal reports.

In addition to these ACI2010™ highlights, the latest release includes an enhanced spell check tool, additional comps for the Vacant Land and GPAR Recertification of Value forms, and several updates to ACI’s eServices, which provides a connection to the industry’s largest national appraisal companies.

“ACI2010™ marks the beginning of a promising year of enhancements for ACI appraisers,” said George Opelka, senior vice president, ACI. “We’re on a very aggressive path to keep ACI appraisers at the forefront of the industry. ACI appraisers can expect to see many new features, and as always, additional product choices during the next 12 months.”

ACI is offering introductory savings on ACI2010™. Interested parties can contact ACI Sales at 1-800-234-8727 or visit www.AppraisersChoice.com for more information.

* ChoiceCredits™ apply

About ACI

ACI, a pioneer in crafting technology solutions for the valuation community has gained industrywide recognition and support from leaders in the field. ACI’s highly scalable appraisal solutions are tailored to the needs of the organizations it services. The ACI client base features many of North America's premier lenders, national appraisal companies, and real estate brokerage firms. From connecting appraisers nationwide to streamlining quality control, the flexibility provided gives organizations the means for processing appraisals and managing exceptions in a consistent and efficient manner.

Headquartered in Palm Coast, Florida, ACI’s management and development team garner the type of experience coveted by decision makers responsible for bringing synergy to their daily workflows and processes. ACI is a division of Verisk Analytics.

About Verisk Analytics

Verisk Analytics is a leading provider of risk assessment solutions to professionals in insurance, healthcare, mortgage lending, government, risk management, and human resources. Using advanced technologies to collect and analyze billions of records, Verisk Analytics draws on vast industry expertise and unique proprietary data sets to provide predictive analytics and decision-support solutions in fraud prevention, actuarial science, insurance coverages, fire protection, catastrophe and weather risk, data management, and many other fields. In the United States and around the world, Verisk Analytics helps customers protect people, property, and financial assets.

ACI Offers New ChoiceCredits™ Program to Help Appraisers Control Costs

Bea Acs — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 09:00:00 GMT

ACI ChoiceCredits™ program offers increased opportunity for appraisers to save while trying new products

March 17, 2010, Palm Coast, FL—ACI announced today the release of its new ChoiceCredits™ program. ChoiceCredits is designed to help appraisers try new products without the need to purchase a new license for each individual product.

ChoiceCredits is a flexible, pay-per-use service that provides access to Microsoft Bing™ Location Maps, FloodInsights Floodmaps, Pictometry^® Aerial Imaging, ACI’s PDF Import Service, and Bluebook AppraiserBASE™. Each of the services has an associated cost per click that ranges from one to ten credits, depending on the product or service.

ACI clients are able to purchase ChoiceCredits in lots ranging from 500 to 5000, with attractive price breaks as volume increases. Clients can use ChoiceCredits for any of the services within the price model and can mix-and-match services as they see fit.

“We designed ChoiceCredits in keeping with our Appraiser’s Choice theme,” said Dave Roberts, president, ACI. “Appraisers often would like to explore new services but are hesitant to take on the expense of another annual license fee. ChoiceCredits removes the need for individual licensing of consumable products, like mapping and imaging services, and allows the freedom of exploring new products that can be shared across an entire office.”

Additionally, ACI ChoiceCredits work with ACI365’s new long-term storage feature that allows an appraiser to save work files on ACI365’s servers. And, ChoiceCredits never expire, so clients can buy in large volume and keep credits in an ACI account for use when they are needed.

ACI is offering introductory savings on ChoiceCredits. Interested parties can contact ACI Sales at 1-800-234-8727 or visit www.AppraisersChoice.com for more information.

About ACI

ACI, a pioneer in crafting technology solutions for the valuation community, has gained industry wide recognition and support from leaders in the field. ACI’s highly scalable appraisal solutions ensure a partnership tailored to the needs of the organizations the company services. The ACI client base features many of North America’s premier lenders, national appraisal companies, and real estate brokerage firms. From connecting appraisers nationwide to streamlining quality control, the flexibility provided gives organizations the means for processing appraisals and managing exceptions in a consistent and efficient manner.

ACI is a division of ISO, a leading source of information about risk. Since 1971, ISO has been a leading source of information about property/casualty insurance risk. For a broad spectrum of commercial and personal lines of insurance, the company provides statistical, actuarial, underwriting, and claims information; policy language; information about specific locations; fraud-identification tools; and technical services. ISO serves insurers, reinsurers, agents and brokers, insurance regulators, risk managers, and other participants in the property/casualty insurance marketplace. ISO is a subsidiary of Verisk Analytics. For more information, visit www.iso.com and www.verisk.com.

ACI 1004MC Webinar Reaches Five Thousand Appraisal Companies

Bea Acs — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 10:00:00 GMT

Thousands of valuation professionals benefit from Online Sessions hosted by
ACI Compliance Director Rich Heyn, SRA

July 30, 2009, Palm Coast, FL. ACI Compliance Director Rich Heyn, SRA, has trained a milestone 5,000 appraisal firms on how to use the new Fannie Mae 1004 Market Conditions Addendum. Based on tremendous interest from the appraisal community, ACI, a leading innovator in technology for the valuation industry, will continue to offer the 1004MC webinar throughout the summer.

The ACI webinar runs 60 to 90 minutes long and provides practical end-user information from an appraiser’s perspective on the new 1004MC form. The interactive format provides a productive environment for the course material, including:

the rationale behind the new form
the circumstances under which the form is required
the common myths and misunderstandings associated with the form
what to do if the amount of data is insufficient for meaningful market analysis
how to efficiently complete the form in a manner that is meaningful to the client

Heyn, who has educated thousands of appraisers classroom style throughout the United States as an Appraisal Institute instructor, said, “I was very pleased with the effectiveness of the interactive, web-delivered format as an educational device. The ‘live’ format allows me to personalize the presentation and fine-tune the material ‘on the fly,’ and the attendees can submit pertinent observations and questions via live chat. The webinar was well received by our clients, and I’m presently working on the next topic. The webinars on industry-specific topics complement our applications-based classes such as Report Essentials, Learning ACI Sketch™, Track Essentials, and Research Essentials, which our training group offers weekly, free-of-charge.”

To further serve the ACI, Day One, and United Systems client base, ACI recently launched an interactive, online calendar to host its training. Clients can view available classes, register, and choose from a variety of features, including text and e-mail reminders, the ability to automatically add ACI training events to a personal calendar using the iCal feature, and sign up for alerts on upcoming classes.

“We received extremely positive feedback from clients who enjoy the virtual classroom setting. This value-added service allows clients to learn from subject-matter experts at their convenience without the expense of travel. The industry expertise available at ACI is unique, and we are pleased to be able to share this knowledge with our client base,” said Dave Roberts, President, ACI.

Clients interested in ACI’s online education program can visit www.AppraisersChoice.com/training to view and register for available sessions.

About ACI

ACI, a pioneer in crafting technology solutions for the valuation community, has gained industry-wide recognition and support from leaders in the field. ACI’s highly scalable appraisal solutions ensure a partnership tailored to the needs of the organizations the company services. The ACI client base features many of North America’s premier lenders, national appraisal companies, and real estate brokerage firms. From connecting appraisers nationwide to streamlining quality control, the flexibility provided gives organizations the means for processing appraisals and managing exceptions in a consistent and efficient manner.

ACI is a division of ISO, a leading source of information about risk. ISO provides data, analytics, and decision-support services to professionals in many fields, including insurance, finance, real estate, health services, government, human resources, and risk management. The company draws on vast expertise in actuarial science, insurance coverage, fire protection, fraud prevention, catastrophe and weather risk, predictive modeling, data management, economic forecasting, social and technological trends, and many other fields. To meet the needs of diverse clients, ISO employs an experienced staff of business and technical specialists, analysts, and certified professionals. In the United States and around the world, ISO helps customers protect people, property, and financial assets.

ACI Supports Fannie Mae’s Appraisal Delivery Initiative

Bea Acs — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 12:30:00 GMT

ACI format identified as an accepted appraisal delivery format

July 14, 2009, Palm Coast, FL. ACI, a leading technology innovator for the valuation industry, has announced its support of Fannie Mae’s Announcement 09-14. The announcement requires lenders to submit appraisal reports electronically for all loans sold to Fannie Mae beginning March 1, 2010. The appraisal delivery initiative benefits consumers and the industry by mitigating the effects of poor appraisal quality and appraisal fraud.

Based on Fannie Mae’s Announcement 09-14, the ACI format has been identified as one of the accepted standards. Compliant with the new Fannie Mae requirement are ACI2009™ (ACI’s flagship appraisal software), and Lighthouse™ (ACI’s universal appraisal delivery program that enables appraisers to open, review, and deliver appraisals created by many of the industry's appraisal software programs).

ACI’s appraisal format has been adapted and recognized as a delivery standard by many of the nation’s largest appraisal firms and vendor management companies. The ACI format provides security and the ability to quickly and efficiently perform appraisal reviews using ACI’s PAR Logic® rules engine — one of the industry’s most widely used underwriting and fraud mitigation platforms.

“ACI’s technology is continually designed with a forward-thinking methodology, allowing our clients to easily comply with the industry as changes occur. In this case, our clients will not have to purchase any new technology or worry that their reports are not compliant when the new requirement goes into effect,” said
ACI President Dave Roberts.

About ACI

ACI Offers Free Online Training to Thousands of Appraisers on the New 1004MC Addendum for ACI, NOVA, and Appraisal Studio

Bea Acs — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 14:08:00 GMT

ACI, NOVA, and Appraisal Studio Appraisers Attend Online Sessions Hosted by Rich Heyn, SRA, ACI’s Director of Compliance

April 2, 2009, Palm Coast, FL. ACI, a leading innovator in technology for the valuation industry, announced today that its complimentary online training session, “Learn to Use the New 1004 Market Conditions Addendum,” has been attended by thousands of clients over the past month.

In March 2009, shortly after acquiring the assets of Appraisal.com, Day One® Software, and United Systems® Software, ACI began offering the 1004 Market Conditions Addendum for its ACI, NOVA™, and Appraisal Studio™ products.

The 1004MC form is available for download in ACI2006™, ACI2009™, ACI Appraisal Studio™, and ACI NOVA™. Clients who do not yet have the form installed may perform a web update or call ACI Sales at 1-800-234-8727 to obtain the form.

The complimentary 1004MC training session, presented by ACI Director of Compliance Rich Heyn, SRA, provides practical end-user information from an appraiser’s perspective on the new 1004MC form, which is required for use by all appraisers beginning April 1, 2009.

Heyn, who has educated thousands of appraisers throughout the United States as an Appraisal Institute instructor, said, “Appraisers are so busy keeping up with new regulations and industry changes these days, we wanted to be certain to offer this presentation in the most convenient venue possible. The interactive format that is facilitated by ACI’s virtual classroom has proven a complete success.”

A long-time ACI client who completed the session stated: “Your 1004MC session was first-class. The material was very well presented, and Rich Heyn is a terrific instructor. Most of all, your company truly shines as a leader in providing top-notch tools and service to our industry.”

“ACI continues to offer client benefits not typically available through any other software provider in the industry,” said ACI President Dave Roberts. “Our primary goal in offering the online 1004MC session was to leverage technology and share knowledge from an on-staff appraisal expert. Offering education opportunities at no cost is just another way to show clients our appreciation and assist them in times of transition.”

Clients interested in additional online training may visit www.AppraisersChoice.com to view available sessions on ACI products.

About ACI

ACI, a pioneer in crafting technology solutions for the valuation community, has gained industrywide recognition and support from leaders in the field. ACI’s highly scalable appraisal solutions ensure a partnership tailored to the needs of the organizations the company services. The ACI client base features many of North America’s premier lenders, national appraisal companies, and real estate brokerage firms. From connecting appraisers nationwide to streamlining quality control, the flexibility provided gives organizations the means for processing appraisals and managing exceptions in a consistent and efficient manner.

ACI is a division of ISO, a leading source of information about risk, providing data, analytics, and decision-support services to professionals in many fields, including insurance, finance, real estate, health services, government, human resources, and risk management. The company draws on vast expertise in actuarial science, insurance coverage, fire protection, fraud prevention, catastrophe and weather risk, predictive modeling, data management, economic forecasting, social and technological trends, and many other fields. To meet the needs of diverse clients, ISO employs an experienced staff of business and technical specialists, analysts, and certified professionals. In the United States and around the world, ISO helps customers protect people, property, and financial assets.

ACI2009™ Debuts at Valuation Expo

Bea Acs — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 22:00:00 GMT

Appraisal professionals preview the latest ACI innovation featuring aerial imagery, new GPAR™ forms, ACI Sketch™, and side-by-side comps view

November 24, 2008, Palm Coast, FL. ACI, a leading innovator in technology for the valuation industry, showcased its latest release, ACI2009™, to appraisal professionals at the Valuation Expo held in Las Vegas. ACI was a gold sponsor for the ninth consecutive year and the only appraisal forms vendor to sponsor the event.

ACI2009™ debuts more than 100 new features, forms, and functions that offer appraisers advanced report writing capabilities and technology previously unavailable in the industry. Highlights include:

ACI Sketch™—ACI’s newest product features enhanced editing tools and the ability to create a sketch quickly and easily, with minimal time and a short learning curve.
Pictometry®—3D-like aerial imaging that imports directly into the appraisal to provide visual enhancement.
GPAR™ Restricted Use Forms—Non-lending assignment forms designed by ACI’s in-house resident appraisal expert and Compliance Director, Richard Heyn, SRA. New restricted use forms bring the total GPAR series to eleven forms.
Full Addendum Editing—An enhanced editing feature that allows appraisers to modify content and text formatting within the actual addendum page.
Side-by-Side Comps View—A new feature that provides the ability to see all comparables on the same screen. Appraisers save time by making adjustments to comparables across the board.
Vertical and Horizontal Split Screen View—An enhancement that allows appraisers to place any form next to any other form in a new window.
eServices Connections for Delivery—ACI’s proprietary connections to lenders, national appraisal companies, and real estate information providers. New connections to SFS, WFG, and Valocity add to the growing list of connections currently available.
eServices for Rules Compliance—New compliance rule sets in ACI2009™ that help appraisers save time and reduce errors by connecting with numerous clients and data sources. Includes new PARLogic® and GPAR rules sets for WFG, Finiti, and Valocity.

The system architecture in ACI2009™ takes advantage of emerging technologies to connect appraisers and their clients to the latest tools and services in the market, allowing them to pass along value-added benefits to their clients, as well as enhance efficiency of their offices.

“We were thrilled to unveil ACI2009™ at the Valuation Expo because it allowed ACI representatives to interact and share the excitement with hundreds of appraisal professionals,” said George Opelka, senior vice president, ACI. “The new GPAR forms driven by ACI’s Compliance Director, Rich Heyn, SRA, were of particular interest to appraisers as they find more opportunities to market their business and incorporate non-lending assignments into their portfolios.”

ACI2009™ is available for download to existing ACI appraisers who have an active ACI Premier Service Agreement. Appraisers new to ACI can enjoy introductory pricing and test-drive the ACI product suite through a fully functioning demo by calling ACI Sales at 800-234-8727 or going to www.aciweb.com.

About ACI

ACI, a pioneer in crafting technology solutions for the valuation community has gained industry-wide recognition and support from leaders in the field. ACI’s highly scalable appraisal solutions ensure a partnership tailored to the needs of the organizations it services. The ACI client base features many of North America's premier lenders, national appraisal companies, and real estate brokerage firms. From connecting appraisers nationwide to streamlining quality control, the flexibility provided gives organizations the means for processing appraisals and managing exceptions in a consistent and efficient manner.

ACI Acquires Day One®, United Systems®, and Appraisal.com Assets

Bea Acs — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 21:30:00 GMT

Investment solidifies ACI’s industry leadership position; provides new business opportunities for appraisers

November 19, 2008, Palm Coast, FL. ACI, a leading innovator in technology for the valuation industry, today announced the acquisition of assets of the Day One^®, United Systems^®, and Appraisal.com companies. Day One and United are long-standing software brands in the appraisal industry and used by thousands of appraisers. The completion of this acquisition solidifies ACI’s position as a leader in the industry and provides new business opportunities for appraisers.

ACI, the most financially secure appraisal software company in the industry, now includes the following brands: ACI, Lighthouse™, CRAL, Day One, and United Systems. ACI’s acquisitions, combined with the recent release of ACI2009™, demonstrate ACI’s continued investment in the appraisal industry.

“The purchase of the Day One and United brands, along with the other assets of Appraisal.com, furthers our plan of building the corporation through organic growth as well as strategic acquisitions,” said Dave Roberts, president, ACI. “Over the past dozen years, we have acquired seven different software companies and technology platforms, allowing us to expand our presence in the U.S. and Canada, gain operational economies of scale, and provide an enhanced product suite to our clients.”

“We are pleased to complete the sale of the Day One, United, and Appraisal.com assets to ACI,” said Doug Vincent, former CEO of Zaio Corp. “ACI represents the highest degree of business professionalism and the greatest opportunity for Day One and United appraisers to transition their software to a venue where they can expect premium support. The ACI product line is among the strongest in the industry and affords appraisers unrivaled stability—something coveted in today’s environment. With these acquisitions now concluded, Zaio is better positioned to continue to shift focus towards meeting obligations to its Zaio owners, partners, and affiliates regarding its core initiatives and deliverables.”

About ACI