FAQS


Your Virtual Appraisal Department™

Got a question? We’re here to answer! If you don’t see your question here, please call or drop us a line on our Contact Page.

Yes. Our forms have been reviewed by bank examiners from the OCC, Federal Reserve, and FDIC as part of their examinations and met their approval. Samples provided upon request.

Yes. We have numerous clients who only need us to perform reviews.

Our clients use Portfolio Evaluations for acquisition due diligence for bank purchases, portfolio monitoring, and calculating Allowance for Loan and Lease Loss reserves (ALLL).

CES has an environmental professional with 18 years of experience who has performed Phase I, II, and III Environmental Site Assessments associated with the firm who completes an internal review of CES sourced as Client provided Phase I and II Environmental Site Assessments.

Our Portfolio Evaluations are prepared by our staff of highly educated, well-trained Evaluators, with close guidance and participation from our Chief Appraisers every step along the way. Our seasoned Chief Appraisers have 20 to 30 years of experience performing individual and portfolio level evaluations on all property types for lending institutions to ensure your Portfolio Evaluations are done to the highest standards.

Our Evaluations are prepared by our staff of highly educated, well-trained Evaluators who are experienced in performing evaluations on all property types.  Each report is analyzed by one of our Review Appraisers with 20-30 years experience before being submitted to your bank.

Per FIRREA, Evaluations may be used in lieu of an appraisal:

  • for loan transactions of $500,000 or less,
  • for subsequent transactions wherein no new money is being advanced,
  • for annual monitoring of OREO properties, and
  • for loan monitoring purposes.

CES uses the most recognized system by appraisers in the industry, RIMS by ExactBid.  If you already use RIMS internally, CES can easily use it to provide services in most circumstances.

We are licensed in most states and we can get licensed in any state we are not currently working within a week or so.
Our reviews encompass not only checking for adherence to ASTM standards, but also an analysis of the conclusions and recommendations presented in the assessment, a thorough review of all materials, findings, and exhibits provided in the report, a review of the environmental consultant’s qualifications (if Client ordered), and an analysis of the governmental record research to determine that the right conclusions have been made.
Yes. We will collect all necessary data from your appraisers, maintain, update and store the information for easy access for you and your regulators.
We simply create a RIMS portal for you to upload the report securely with your review request.
Yes. We will also recommend appraisers to add to or remove to enhance your existing list. CES has its own national list of approved appraisers that can be used as a resource when needed.
Yes. At CES, we have written appraisal policy for some of the largest lending institutions in the country, as well as for small community banks. We are happy to provide this service, if needed.

CES will provide you a list of issues with the appraisal. This information is provided to the appraiser for consideration.  If the appraiser revises the report and CES agrees with the changes, then the review is completed. If CES still cannot approve the appraisal, CES will advise you of the rejection and offer you the choice of ordering a new appraisal or having CES modify the value.

Yes, CES now offers our clients Commercial Real Estate Appraisal Services in limited cases. By choosing an Appraisal Service from CES, you can be assured that you are getting an appraisal from a highly qualified Certified General Appraiser or MAI Appraiser, with over 10 years of field experience. Please inquire about our Real Estate Appraisal Services here (link to a page to order service).
Yes. Our Portfolio Evaluator™ product provides updated values for individual loans within loan portfolios. This study can be prepared either remotely or onsite at your location. The study includes a review of the loan and appraisal files, the most current rent rolls and financials, as well as comparable rentals and sales from the market. We can also provide stress testing of each loan upon request.
Yes. We recommend this option for appraisals below $500,000.
Yes. Our clients use us to provide them with an end-to-end solution from selection and vetting of environmental professionals to assignment engagement to final review and submission of the report.
Yes. This is allowed under Standard 3 of USPAP.  All of our reviewers are Certified General Appraisers. This option is faster and cheaper than ordering a new appraisal.

No. Our Evaluations conform to FIRREA and Interagency Guidelines, but do not conform to USPAP and are not performed by licensed appraisers. We only apply market accepted methodologies providing accurate and credible Market Value conclusions.

Ready to Talk?

LET US BE YOUR VIRTUAL APPRAISAL DEPARTMENT™