[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 7, Volume 7]
[Revised as of January 1, 2002]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 7CFR761.7]

[Page 405]
 
                          TITLE 7--AGRICULTURE
 
                            CHAPTER VII--FARM
                SERVICE AGENCY, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
 
PART 761--GENERAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE--Table of Contents
 
Sec. 761.7  Appraisals.

    (a) General. This section describes requirements for:
    (1) Real estate and chattel appraisals made in connection with the 
making and servicing of direct Farm Loan Program and nonprogram loans; 
and,
    (2) Appraisal reviews conducted on appraisals made in connection 
with the making and servicing of direct and guaranteed Farm Loan Program 
and nonprogram loans.
    (b) Definitions.
    Administrative appraisal review means a review of an appraisal to 
determine if the appraisal:
    (1) Meets applicable Agency requirements; and
    (2) Is accurate outside the requirements of standard 3 of USPAP.
    Agency means the Farm Service Agency, including its employees and 
state and area committee members, and any successor agency.
    Farm Loan Programs (FLP) loans refers to Farm Ownership (FO), Soil 
and Water (SW), Recreation (RL), Economic Opportunity (EO), Operating 
(OL), Emergency (EM), Economic Emergency (EE), Softwood Timber (ST), and 
Rural Housing loans for farm service buildings (RHF).
    Technical appraisal review means a review of an appraisal to 
determine if such appraisal meets the requirements of USPAP pursuant to 
standard 3 of USPAP.
    USPAP (Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice) means 
standards governing the preparation, reporting, and reviewing of 
appraisals established by the Appraisal Foundation pursuant to the 
Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act of 1989.
    (c) Appraisal standards. (1) Real estate. Real estate appraisals, 
technical appraisal reviews of real estate appraisals, and their 
respective forms must comply with the standards contained in USPAP, as 
well as applicable Agency regulations and procedures for the specific 
Farm Loan Program activity involved. A current copy of USPAP along with 
other applicable appraisal procedures and regulations is available for 
review in each Agency State Office.
    (2) Chattel. An appraisal of chattel property may be completed on an 
applicable Agency form (available in each Agency State Office) or other 
format containing the same information.
    (d) Use of an existing real estate appraisal. The Agency may use an 
existing real estate appraisal to reach a loan making or servicing 
decision under either of the following conditions:
    (1) The appraisal was completed within the previous 12 months and 
the Agency determines that:
    (i) The appraisal meets the provisions of this section and the 
applicable Agency loan making or servicing requirements, and
    (ii) Current market values have remained stable since the appraisal 
was completed; or
    (2) The appraisal was not completed in the previous 12 months, but 
has been updated by the appraiser or appraisal firm that completed the 
appraisal, and both the update and original appraisal were completed in 
accordance with USPAP.
    (e) Appraisal reviews. (1) Real estate appraisals. With respect to a 
real estate appraisal, the Agency may conduct a technical appraisal 
review or an administrative appraisal review, or both.
    (2) Chattel appraisals. With respect to a chattel appraisal, the 
Agency may conduct an administrative appraisal review.

[64 FR 62567, Nov. 17, 1999; 64 FR 69322, Dec 10, 1999; 65 FR 14433, 
Mar. 17, 2000]