“Finally, protection against identity theft and appraisal fraud.”

Appraisal Sentry™ is a web service developed by AppraisalWorld™ that uses Appraisal Matrix™ technology to protect the integrity of the data in appraisal reports, including the identity of the appraiser. This unique service satisfies the ever-increasing major security needs of the Real Estate Lending Industry.

Appraisal Sentry’s Robust Technology
Appraisal Sentry boasts two levels of security to protect the appraisal report data. The first level incorporates Appraisal Matrix™ technology whereby the appraiser’s ID and report data are encrypted into a 2-D barcode placed into the appraisal report cover page. Many organizations, even the United States Post Office and NASA, have adopted the use of 2-D barcodes for protection because they are essentially tamper proof. Examples of 2-D barcodes are seen on metered mail, wristbands for newborn babies, and driver’s licenses. The second level of Appraisal Sentry security is comprised of a 512-bit hash of the entire appraisal report, including the newly-added cover page. The hash is a unique alphanumeric value that is assigned to the report once the first level of security is created. If anything has changed on the report before the lender uploads it to the Appraisal Sentry website for verification, the hash values will not match, prompting a warning message to the lender that the report has been altered.

Appraiser Authentication
Before the appraiser can use Appraisal Sentry, he or she needs to go through a rigorous two-step authentication process with EVS, a third-party company that is in the business of identifying individuals. During the authentication process (the first step), the data that is provided by the appraiser is compared against credit bureau data in real-time, which can immediately report back any potential problems. In the second step, the appraiser is asked a series of “Out of Pocket” questions, for which only they would know the answers. These questions can range from “How much was your mortgage payment last month?” to “What is your mother’s maiden name?”

Report Verification
If there is any question about the integrity of the appraisal report, the lender can quickly upload the report to the Appraisal Sentry site and, in just a click, verify whether the report has been altered.