UAD 3.6, made simple

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My lender has a UAD 3.6 “policy exception.” What does that mean for me?

“I keep hearing Fannie and Freddie gave lenders an extension. If my lender got a policy exception, can I keep doing UAD 2.6 reports after November 2? Until when?”

Last checked: Oct 20, 2026. Guidance can change, so check the official pages linked below before relying on this.

The short answer

November 2, 2026 did not move. A lender that asked for and got the exception can keep sending new UAD 2.6 reports through May 19, 2027. From March 1, 2027 those 2.6 reports get worse treatment. From May 20, 2027 every new report must be UAD 3.6. After June 28, 2027, 2.6 is gone completely.

Plain-English answer

  1. The Nov 2 deadline did not move. The GSEs wrote: “The November 2, 2026 mandate is not changing” [1]. A lender that hasn't switched by then “will not be compliant with the Guides, unless they obtain a policy exception” [1].
  2. It is a lender exception, not an appraiser exception. Only lenders that sell loans straight to Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac (the GSEs call them “Sellers”) ask for it: “only Sellers are required to request the policy exception.” Lenders that don't sell directly to the GSEs don't ask, but “must align with their investors on their implementation plans” [1]. A lender that buys loans from other lenders and sells them on must either make sure all of those lenders send UAD 3.6 reports “or you must request the policy exception” [1].
  3. How a lender gets it. It is not automatic. Someone at the lender who can sign contracts fills out an online request, once for each GSE the lender sells to [1][2][3]. In it the lender admits it can't meet Nov 2, agrees to temporary contract terms, and commits to a plan to fully switch to UAD 3.6 before the exception runs out [1][3].
  4. The dates for a lender that has the exception [1][2][3]:
    DatesWhat happens
    Nov 2, 2026 – Feb 28, 2027New 2.6 and 3.6 reports can both go to UCDP. 2.6 reports still get a normal risk score and still qualify for rep-and-warranty relief on value [7].
    Mar 1 – May 19, 2027 (“Reduced Functionality Period”)2.6 reports are still accepted, but Fannie's Collateral Underwriter returns a risk score of “999” and Freddie's Loan Collateral Advisor returns “99”. Loans with a 2.6 report lose the lender's rep-and-warranty relief on value.
    May 20 – June 27, 2027All new reports must be UAD 3.6. A 2.6 report can only be resubmitted if it was already submitted before. A brand-new 2.6 submission fails in UCDP with a “Fatal” message.
    June 28, 2027UAD 2.6 is retired. “No UAD 2.6 appraisal reports will be processed.”

    The official wording for the March 1 change: the risk score “will be '999' in Fannie Mae's Collateral Underwriter® (CU®) and '99' in Freddie Mac's Loan Collateral Advisor®. The loans secured by these appraisal reports will not be eligible for collateral representation and warranty (R&W) relief for value” [1].

  5. The dates go by when the report is sent to UCDP. The deadline is “based on the initial UCDP Submission Date of each report,” “not the Loan Application or Effective Date” [5]. Every date in the table above is about submission to UCDP. See the FAQ on submission dates.
  6. It will not be extended again. The GSEs call it “a one-time policy exception that will not be extended” [1].
  7. What this means for you in practice: if a lender with the exception orders a 2.6 report, you can still do one. Which format to use “should be in the Engagement Letter. If not, work with your client,” and lenders “may implement a staged rollout of UAD 3.6,” so it can differ from one assignment and lender to the next [6]. Expect a mix of 2.6 and 3.6 orders into spring 2027. The GSEs don't publish which lenders have the exception, so ask the client.
  8. What appraisers are saying (not official): appraisers and vendors expect many lenders and AMCs to use the exception. One vendor webinar put it as “if you give them an out they're going to take it” [8]. That's a read on the market, not policy.

Sources

Limits. This isn't legal advice. Your lender's and client's instructions come first. It covers what's allowed and how the process works, and says nothing about value or fees. GSE guidance can change, so check the current GSE pages before relying on this.

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