A new update will be ready for you this afternoon.  To download this new update, plus any prior updates you may have missed, just click Help (with TOTAL open), and then click "Check for Updates".

In this release, we concentrated on four major areas:

1.  New UAD guidelines that go into effect on January 2nd
The GSEs' UAD changes are specific to the Design/Style and Garage/Carport fields.  Simply put, both of these fields now have specific UAD guidelines and abbreviations from the GSEs.  To learn more:

• Click here to watch the quick two-minute video showing what's new.
• Click here for our blog post outlining the changes and detailed abbreviations.
• Click here for the top questions and answers.
• Click here to read Fannie Mae's guidance.

Remember, according to Fannie Mae, this new format is preferred, but not required.  If you don't deliver your report in this new format it won't be declined by the UCDP.  However, TOTAL makes it easy to conform to the new instructional guidelines. 

2.  New USPAP guidelines that go into effect on January 1st
The new 2014 USPAP guidelines reduce the number of reporting options from three to two.  The Appraisal Report replaces the previous Self-Contained and Summary reports while the Restricted Appraisal Report replaces the previous Restricted Use Appraisal Report.  Click here to read our blog post for more details and how TOTAL and WinTOTAL address these.

3.  New UCDP hard stops that go into effect January 26th
On January 26th, “Phase II” hard stops will go into effect for four additional fields (Phase I was implemented in June 2013).  TOTAL will now flag these fields with a red stop icon instead of just a warning flag.  This way you'll be prepared long before this change goes into effect.  Click here to see which fields and learn more.

4.  More flexible TOTAL for Mobile syncing options
This update also improves TOTAL for Mobile syncing, adding the ability to upload and download your reports from both the Appraisal Desktop and main toolbar and tools menu within a report.

As always, thanks again for giving us your thoughts via the Feedback feature inside TOTAL.  Several of these changes came directly from your feedback.  We read them every day and we can track them much better than standard e-mails.  Please keep them coming and we'll keep making TOTAL better. 

That's all for now, but expect another update very soon.

The TOTAL Product Team
www.alamode.com/TOTAL

P.S.  In case you missed our previous update messages, click here for the release note archive.

TOTAL – December 26, 2013 Update

General

• The GSEs have updated the UAD Technical Specifications, particularly Appendices A, B, D, and E to include standardized responses for two fields, Garage/Carport and Design/Style.  The updated data standards will be instructional and will not cause warning or fatal edits to fire in the UCDP. These updates to UAD will be effective on January 2, 2014.
  
  
• Modifying a contact in a field set to be “Same as” another contact field will remove the link between the two fields in order to prevent unintentional changes to data in other fields (such as Owner/Borrower).
  
  
• Entering “.99 ac” or less into the Area field in the Site section will no longer add a non-UAD-compliant comma to the converted square footage.

New and updated forms for USPAP 2014

• USPAP Identification [USPAP 2014][Legal]
• USPAP Identification [USPAP 2014 & Exposure Time][Legal]
• USPAP Identification [USPAP 2014][Letter]
• USPAP Identification [USPAP 2014 & Exposure Time][Letter]
• USPAP Identification [Review][USPAP 2014][Legal]
• USPAP Identification [Review][USPAP 2014 & Exposure Time][Legal]
• USPAP Identification [Review][USPAP 2014][Letter]
• USPAP Identification [Review][USPAP 2014 & Exposure Time][Letter]
• GP Residential [Signature][Legal]
• GP Residential [No Signature][Legal]
• GP Residential [Signature][Letter]
• GP Residential [No Signature][Letter]
• GP Consumer [Signature][Letter]
• GP Consumer [No Signature][Letter]
• GP Consumer Short Form [Signature][Letter]
• GP Consumer Short Form [No Signature][Letter]
• GP Condo [Signature][Legal]
• GP Condo [No Signature][Legal]
• GP Condo [Signature][Letter]
• GP Condo [No Signature][Letter]
• GP 2-4 Unit [Signature][Legal]
• GP 2-4 Unit [No Signature][Legal]
• GP 2-4 Unit [Signature][Letter]
• GP 2-4 Unit [No Signature][Letter]
• GP Restricted Use [Signature][Legal]
• GP Restricted Use [No Signature][Legal]
• GP Restricted Use [Signature][Letter]
• GP Restricted Use [No Signature][Letter]
• GP Land [Signature][Legal]
• GP Land [No Signature][Legal]
• GP Land [Signature][Letter]
• GP Land [No Signature][Letter]
• GP Commercial [Signature][Legal]
• GP Commercial [No Signature][Legal]
• GP Commercial [Signature][Letter]
• GP Commercial [No Signature][Letter]
• Restricted Use Appraisal
• Restricted Use Appraisal Report — Residential [AI-200.04][Letter]

E&O PowerView

• We’ve added support for the coming (Phase II) UCDP hard stops (fatal edits) for the Quality of Construction, Location, View, and Condition fields for the subject and comparables which will take effect on January 26th, 2014.

TOTAL for Mobile sync

• We added the ability to upload and download reports to the a la mode Cloud from both the Appraisal Desktop and from the main toolbar and tools menu within a report.
  
  
• Downloading a mobile report from the a la mode Cloud will automatically select the source desktop report if it is available.
  
  
• You’ll be able to merge mobile reports from the a la mode Cloud into closed reports in TOTAL.
  
  
• We've added a configuration option allowing you to choose which mobile app is used by default when uploading and downloading reports from the a la mode Cloud.

Appraisal Desktop

• Marking more than one report as "paid" at a time will no longer cause the program to close.
  
  
• Triple clicking on a report will no longer display an error message stating the report was created in an older version of TOTAL.
  
  
• We've added a new Marketing PowerView in the Appraisal Desktop with information to help better market yourself to potential high-fee, non-lender clients.

SmartMerge

• We fixed an issue that prevented certain fields from merging correctly when merging into an Appraisal Update/Completion Report [1004D] form using the "Selected forms in report" option.

New forms

• Universal Residential Loan Application [1003/65]