R162-2e-306. Offering an Appraisal Assignment and Communicating With Two or More Appraisers About a Potential Assignment

  (1) If an AMC simultaneously contacts two or more independent contractor appraisers to offer an assignment of a one to four-unit residential mortgage appraisal or to gauge interest in such an assignment, the AMC shall include in the communication the information required in R162-2e-304(1)(c). To provide adequate time for a contract appraiser to determine the appraiser's competency and to communicate interest in the assignment to the AMC, the AMC may not award the assignment to a contract appraiser until the earlier of:

  (a) 120 minutes following the offering of an assignment; or

  (b) each contract appraiser has affirmatively responded to the offering.

  (2)(a) If a one to four-unit residential mortgage appraisal assignment is simultaneously offered to two or more independent contractor appraisers on a business day, the AMC shall allow the appraisers a minimum of 120 minutes to respond to accept the assignment before offering the assignment to other appraisers.

  (b) If a one to four-unit residential mortgage appraisal assignment is simultaneously offered to two or more independent contractor appraisers on a day other than a business day, the AMC shall allow the appraisers until 9:00 A.M. Mountain Time on the next business day to accept the assignment before offering the assignment to other appraisers.

  (3) If an independent contractor appraiser declines to accept an assignment or does not respond by the specified deadline, the AMC may offer the assignment to other appraisers.

  (4) Nothing in this Section prohibits an AMC from communicating or attempting to communicate, directly or in real time with an independent contractor appraiser, without offering an assignment, in order to determine the appraiser's availability, willingness, competency, fee requirements, and turn time for a potential assignment. In such circumstances, the AMC is not required to wait any length of time before contacting other candidates who appear to the AMC to qualify for the potential assignment.