BRAVE Guide for Bank OZK

Why Bank OZK Uses the BRAVE Standard

Bank OZK is one of the most active commercial real estate lenders in the United States, consistently ranking among the top originators for construction and permanent financing. Given the volume of appraisals Bank OZK processes each quarter, the bank has adopted the BRAVE (Banking Real Estate Appraisal Valuation Exchange) standard to streamline how appraisal data flows from appraisers into their loan review systems.

BRAVE provides a structured, machine-readable format that eliminates the manual re-keying of appraisal data. For appraisers working with Bank OZK, understanding the BRAVE field requirements is not optional — it is a prerequisite for timely review and funding.

Required BRAVE Fields for Bank OZK Submissions

Bank OZK's review process focuses heavily on income-producing commercial properties, so the income approach fields in BRAVE carry particular weight. BRAVE was created by Valcre as an open industry standard with 99 fields in 6 categories. At a minimum, Bank OZK expects the following to be fully populated:

• Property identification: Property.Name, Property.AddressStreet through Property.AddressCountry, Property.Type, Property.LegalDescription, and related fields.
• Income fields: Income.PotentialGrossIncome, Income.VacancyLoss, Income.EffectiveGrossIncome, Income.OperatingExpenses, and Income.NetOperatingIncome.
• Cap rate and valuation: Value.CapRate, Value.TerminalCapRate, Value.DiscountRate (where applicable), Value.IncomeApproach, Value.SalesApproach, Value.CostApproach, and Value.ReconciledFinal.

Bank OZK construction loan appraisals typically require both value columns (As-Is and Prospective Upon Completion) to be populated. For a deeper dive into these specific fields, see our BRAVE Valuation Fields Guide.

Submission Format and Workflow

Bank OZK accepts BRAVE data in both XLSX and CSV formats. The preferred workflow is:

1. Complete your appraisal in your standard software (Valcre, ARGUS, or a BRAVE-format Excel template).
2. Export the BRAVE data file alongside your PDF report.
3. Upload both the PDF and the BRAVE file through the bank's appraisal portal.

If you are using Valcre, the BRAVE export is built into the platform. See our guide on exporting BRAVE from Valcre for step-by-step instructions.

Common Pitfalls When Submitting to Bank OZK

Mismatched property types. Bank OZK's system validates the Property.Type field against the loan file. If your appraisal classifies a property as "Mixed Use" but the loan file says "Multifamily," expect a rejection notice.

Incomplete value columns. For construction loans, both value columns (As-Is and Prospective Upon Completion) must be populated with Value.ReconciledFinal and the supporting approach values.

Stale cap rate data. Bank OZK's underwriters cross-reference BRAVE cap rate fields against their internal market data. If your cap rate is more than 50 basis points outside their range, be prepared to provide additional support in the addenda.

How AppraisalAPI.com Helps

Rather than manually formatting your BRAVE output, you can use AppraisalAPI.com to validate and convert your appraisal data into a BRAVE-format file. Our API checks every required field against the BRAVE specification before you submit, catching errors that would otherwise delay the review process.

If you are new to the BRAVE standard, start with our BRAVE Compliance Checklist to make sure your workflow is set up correctly from day one. For background on the standard and Bank OZK's mandate, read What Is BRAVE? and our detailed analysis of the Bank OZK BRAVE mandate.