The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development has extended temporary changes to re-verification of employment and appraisal rules for FHA Single Family programs that were announced in Mortgagee Letter 2020-05, summarized here. Until October 31, 2020, mortgagees do not need to re-verify employment within 10 days of the Note or within 10 days of loan disbursement if there is no loss of employment by the borrower.
Appraisers may do Exterior-only (viewing from the street) or Desktop-Only (relying on various documents and not viewing the property) appraisals for FHA Single Family loans.
There changes also apply to refinances and reverse mortgages. (Mortgagee Letter 2020-28, August 28, 2020.)