Confirmation and Documentation of the Current Owner

Confirmation that the property seller in a purchase money transaction (or the borrower in a home equity transaction) is the owner of the subject property based on publicly available information helps to identify property flipping schemes, which typically involve various combinations of transactions and result in a sale of a recently acquired property for significant profit based on a misleading or fraudulent appraisal with an inflated property value.

The Underwriter must confirm and document in the mortgage file that the property seller in a purchase money transaction or the borrower in a home equity transaction is the owner of the subject property when an appraisal is completed. Examples of acceptable documentation include, but are not limited to:

• a copy of a recorded deed, mortgage, or deed of trust,

• a recent property tax bill or tax assessment notice,

• a title report,

• a title commitment or binder, or

• a property sale history report.

This documentation is especially important for transactions involving an assignment (or sale) of a contract for sale and back-to-back, simultaneous, double transaction closings, or double escrows to support the property acquisition, financing, and closing.

When the transaction is part of an employee relocation, the relocation company may be the assignee of the seller, which should be indicated on the sales contract. Additionally, the appraiser must comment on this condition in the appraisal report.