Recently, the FHA has changed their Case Number rules in ways that may cause confusion. In order to prevent potential compliance issues, they are requiring appraisers to make adjustments to their workflow. Now, appraisers have to enter the FHA Case Number in their reports as the “Other File Number”. Fortunately, with TOTAL this setting adjustment is just a few clicks away.
When starting a new FHA report, you'll be asked whether the report is a VA or FHA report in SmartStart. Click the box next to “FHA Report”.
If you have any FHA templates, simply open the template in the Assignment PowerView, click the FHA Case Number field then click the box next to “FHA”. See detailed instructions here.
If you also want to include your own File Number in the appraisal, then click on the Tools menu and select “Report Options". Then, check the box next to “Show Lender Case No.” on each form and select the appropriate File Number option. Click here for a step-by-step walkthrough of this process.