Certifications
Interested candidates and Practitioner members of the Association may apply for certification as a Certified Valuation Analyst (CVA) or Master Analyst in Financial Forensics (MAFF). The CVA and MAFF designations are the only valuation and financial forensic credentials accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies® (NCCA®), the accreditation body of the Institute for Credentialing Excellence™ (ICE™). The CVA designation is also accredited by the ANSI National Accreditation Board® (ANAB®). NACVA’s designations serve to advise other professionals, prospective clients, and the community at large that the member has satisfied the Association’s rigorous Standards of professionalism, expertise, objectivity, and integrity in the fields of business valuation, financial forensics consulting, and the services that fall within the scope of these disciplines. The Association is no longer taking applications for the Accredited in Business Appraisal Review (ABAR) credential as the program has been terminated, though existing ABAR holders will continue to be recognized and must comply with tri-annual recertification to carry the credential.
Certified Valuation Analyst® (CVA®)—The National Association of Certified Valuators and Analysts® (NACVA®) trains and certifies CVAs to perform business valuations as a service to both the consulting community and the users of their services. Through training and rigorous testing, CVAs demonstrate they are qualified to provide capable and professionally executed valuation services. NACVA recommends specific training as a prerequisite to certification to assure that practitioners have the knowledge and understanding necessary to perform competent services, and to assure a level of consistency and continuity in their work product. Users of valuation services benefit by having greater confidence that the service they receive is professional in quality, adheres to industry standards of practice, and meets a level of expertise the Association deems credible and worthy of one of its designees.
NACVA’s Certified Valuation Analyst® (CVA®) designation is the only valuation credential accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies® (NCCA®), the accreditation body of the Institute for Credentialing Excellence™ (ICE™), and the ANSI National Accreditation Board® (ANAB®).
NACVA’s Certified Valuation Analyst® (CVA®) designation is the only valuation credential accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies® (NCCA®), the accreditation body of the Institute for Credentialing Excellence™ (ICE™), and the ANSI National Accreditation Board® (ANAB®).
Master Analyst in Financial Forensics® (MAFF®)—The MAFF credential is designed to provide assurance to the legal and business communities—the primary users of financial forensics services—that the designee possesses a level of experience and knowledge deemed acceptable by the Association to provide competent and professional financial forensics support services. To earn the MAFF credential, candidates must attest to having met certain prerequisites and Experience Requirement, plus pass a five-hour proctored exam that tests to NACVA's The Core Body of Knowledge for Master Analyst in Financial Forensics. To prepare for the exam, NACVA offers an optional five-day course entitled, Foundations of Financial Forensics Training Center. To support our MAFF designees and the entire financial forensics discipline, NACVA offers intermediate to advanced training in eight areas of specialized focus (specialty areas).
NACVA’s Master Analyst in Financial Forensics (MAFF) designation is the the only financial forensics credential accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies® (NCCA®).
Accredited in Business Appraisal Review™ (ABAR™)—The ABAR designation is the valuation profession’s most revered credential certifying competence in the review of business appraisal reports. The Accredited in Business Appraisal Review™ (ABAR™) credentialing program is ceased. Active credential holders are required to comply with NACVA annual membership and tri-annual recertification policies. The credential will phase out through natural attrition.
Certified Business Appraiser™ (CBA™) and Master Certified Business Appraiser™ (MCBA™)—The CBA/MCBA is a very prestigious credential in the eyes of all who are familiar with it as it earned the reputation of being the industry’s most difficult credential to obtain. This level of difficulty, however, led to very few individuals obtaining the CBA/MCBA over many years, and not enough to support continued efforts to further develop and promote the credential. Thus, in 2016, NACVA suspended its activities relating to the proliferation and further development of the CBA/ MCBA, and thereby the credential is no longer available to interested candidates.Note: Membership in the National Association of Certified Valuators and Analysts® (NACVA®) is no longer required to obtain or maintain NACVA’s Certified Valuation Analyst® (CVA®) and/or Master Analyst in Financial Forensics® (MAFF®) credential(s).This policy change was enacted to comply with standards promulgated by the accrediting bodies: the National Commission for Certifying Agencies® (NCCA®), a division of the Institute for Credentialing Excellence™ (ICE™), and the ANSI National Accreditation Board® (ANAB®), with whom we have accredited our CVA credential. Candidates or designees who opt not to join/belong to NACVA as a Practitioner, Academician, Government, or Student member will be subject to annual designee renewal fees and tri-annual recertification fees; and new candidates will be subject to both a certification exam fee and a designee enrollment fee. For NACVA members, these fees are embedded in the current dues and fee structure. If one chooses not to be a member, he or she will pay a little less in fees but receive no NACVA benefits other than the ability to use the credential in reports and for marketing purposes. Such designees will also have a NACVA directory listing and must comply with NACVA’s Professional Standards. For more information on this non-member option and reduced pricing, contact NACVA headquarters for details at (800) 677-2009.
Optional For All Applicants: Attend a five-day training program, the hours of which can apply towards fulfilling the educational requirement.
Exam Fee: $695 each, for either the Certified Valuation Analyst® (CVA®) or Master Analyst in Financial Forensics® (MAFF®) credential exam. Contact Member/Client Services at (800) 677-2009 to purchase the exam.
The Valuation Credentialing Board (VCB)/Litigation Forensics Board (LFB) is solely responsible for essential decisions related to the development, administration, and ongoing maintenance of the CVA/MAFF certification programs. Impartiality is central to carrying out all of the VCB/LFB's certification activities. The VCB/LFB establishes and implements policies to manage conflicts of interest and ensure the objectivity of its certification activities.
Policy on Confidentiality and Document Retention
All designees of the Association are published in our Online Directory; information provided there is made available to the public. All other information in our files pertaining to a member of NACVA, other than whether or not someone is a member of the Association and/or holds a NACVA credential, is held in strict confidence, and only under court order or written signed release from that member, will it be released to outside parties. If release of confidential information is required by law, the person concerned will be notified regarding the information that will be provided, unless such notification is prohibited by law.
Paper records pertaining to CPE and the Certification Exams are destroyed after five years. (The Case Study Workpapers, however, are destroyed immediately upon successful completion of peer review.)
Rights Reserved by the Association
The Association reserves the exclusive right to determine the eligibility of its members to become certified. Only members who are qualified and have obtained one of the designations may use the appropriate appellation following their name. The Association reserves the right to terminate a member’s Certified status if it is determined the member no longer meets the requirements of professional competence, Standards of Professional Practice, or ethical behavior as established by the Association’s Boards. NACVA reserves the right to refuse membership and/or certification to any person. A NACVA member or holder of a NACVA certification may have his or her membership or certification terminated based on appropriate grounds. Certification of members is a paramount objective of the Association. Accordingly, an administration fee, which may change from time to time, will be assessed of members who apply for certification. All qualified members of the Association are encouraged to pursue a designation.
* Certification, Accreditation, Credential, Designation, and Appellation are used interchangeably.
Paper records pertaining to CPE and the Certification Exams are destroyed after five years. (The Case Study Workpapers, however, are destroyed immediately upon successful completion of peer review.)
Rights Reserved by the Association
The Association reserves the exclusive right to determine the eligibility of its members to become certified. Only members who are qualified and have obtained one of the designations may use the appropriate appellation following their name. The Association reserves the right to terminate a member’s Certified status if it is determined the member no longer meets the requirements of professional competence, Standards of Professional Practice, or ethical behavior as established by the Association’s Boards. NACVA reserves the right to refuse membership and/or certification to any person. A NACVA member or holder of a NACVA certification may have his or her membership or certification terminated based on appropriate grounds. Certification of members is a paramount objective of the Association. Accordingly, an administration fee, which may change from time to time, will be assessed of members who apply for certification. All qualified members of the Association are encouraged to pursue a designation.
* Certification, Accreditation, Credential, Designation, and Appellation are used interchangeably.
