Federal Reserve Board – Agencies take temporary action on appraisal requirements in area affected by Hawaii wildfires

To help facilitate recovery efforts from wildfires in Hawaii last year, four federal financial institution regulatory agencies today temporarily paused certain appraisal requirements for real estate-related transactions in Maui County.

This temporary action is expected to allow banks and credit unions to work with families and businesses without obtaining an appraisal. Banks and credit unions will still be required to determine that the value of the real estate supports the institution’s decision to enter into the transaction.

As a result of this temporary action, financial institutions will be better able to lend or modify loans in areas where wildfire damage has made appraisals challenging to obtain and reduce loan processing times, helping to facilitate recovery from the disaster.

This action will expire on August 10, 2026. The agencies will monitor institutions’ real estate lending practices to help ensure the transactions are being originated in a safe and sound manner.