Category: Appraisal News

AMC Hires a Convicted Felon as Property Data Collector 63

AMC Hires a Convicted Felon as Property Data Collector

The recent case of Paschal Uchendu, a convicted felon awaiting sentencing for orchestrating a $1.2 million armed robbery of a courier van, which he was entrusted to secure, is cause for alarm when it comes to the use of unlicensed property data collectors. One of the largest appraisal management companies, Class Valuation, had hired Mr. Uchendu as one such property data collector despite his criminal background and pending legal issues – clearly demonstrating their lackadaisical attitude towards vetting employees who are tasked with collecting sensitive information about properties and homeowners. Class Valuation is among the six vendors approved by Fannie...

AMC / Appraisal / Appraisal Management Companies / Appraisal News / Appraisers News / Trending

Disparate Treatment and Impact 10

Disparate Treatment and Impact in USPAP

USPAP has introduced the terms DISPARATE TREATMENT AND IMPACT in its 5th exposure draft. Disparate treatment and impact are bad for appraisers because they can damage the reputation of the profession, lead to legal and regulatory action, and negatively impact the success and viability of individual appraisers and their businesses. Disparate treatment occurs when an appraiser treats individuals or groups differently based on their race, ethnicity, gender, religion, or other protected characteristics. This type of discrimination is illegal and can result in legal and regulatory action, as well as damage to the appraiser’s reputation and business. Disparate impact occurs when...

Appraisal / Appraisal News / Appraisers News / Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice / USPAP

Are the Courts a Remedy for Nation's Financial Truth-Tellers? 8

Are the Courts a Remedy for Nation’s Financial Truth-Tellers?

Politicized boards and commissions with little accountability to the electorate want to deplatform these truth-tellers at every turn.  This month, the U.S. Supreme Court dealt a blow to the Regulatory State. Financial analysts, fiduciaries, auditors and appraisers should take heart. Those targeted by a growing number of independent agencies, boards and commissions may now immediately challenge an agency’s constitutionality in federal court without having to submit to a drawn-out administrative process that frequently serves only the interests of the agency being challenged. The decision couldn’t have come soon enough, as an army of assorted technocrats, believers, grand viziers, cronies, hustlers...

Appraisal / Appraisal News / Appraisal Organizations / Appraisal Subcommittee / Appraisers News / ASC

Pushback to Fannie Mae: Certified Appraisers vs. Unlicensed Data Collectors 7

Certified Appraisers vs. Unlicensed Data Collectors

Here’s a great take on the difference between Certified Appraisers vs. Unlicensed Data Collectors by Leigh Brown, President of the NC Association of REALTORS. Fannie Mae has been working hard to get rid of appraisers for years. Their latest twist is to re-categorize many appraisers as “Unlicensed Data Collectors.” Fannie Mae will end up creating more instability for the trillions in the bond market – investors will have to process millions of valuations with the physical attributes of the home collected by unlicensed, uninsured, and unprepared individuals getting paid $10-$25 per inspection.   AI meets with Fannie Mae regulators to...

AI / Appraisal / Appraisal Institute / Appraisal News / Appraisers News / Snippets

Borrowers With Good Credit Scores to Foot the Bill for Higher Risk Borrowers 24

Borrowers With Good Credit Scores to Foot the Bill for Higher Risk Borrowers

It is disheartening to think that those of us who have worked hard to maintain good credit scores will now be penalized with higher mortgage rates and fees, just so the government can subsidize people with riskier credit ratings. It’s no surprise that the Federal Housing Finance Agency’s (FHFA) new rule forcing homebuyers with good credit scores to pay higher mortgage rates and fees is causing a stir. The Federal Housing Finance Agency’s push for affordable housing is admirable, but it should not come at the expense of those with good credit scores who are trying to buy or refinance...

Appraisal / Appraisal News / Appraisers News / Fannie Mae - Freddie Mac / Federal Housing Finance Agency / FHFA

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FNMA Property Data Collectors Program Violates WV Law

The Fannie Mae Property Data Collectors program seems to have run afoul of West Virginia law. This program allows for the collection of data related to real estate appraisals by unlicensed third-party data collectors, which is in direct violation of article 38 of the state’s Real Estate Appraiser Licensing and Certification Act. The act specifically states that only a casual or drive-by inspection can be performed when it comes to consumer loans secured by real estate, and no opinion can be rendered as to its value nor any fee charged for such an inspection. ARTICLE 38. THE REAL ESTATE APPRAISER...

Appraisal / Appraisal News / Appraisers News / Fannie Mae - Freddie Mac / Trending

Canadian Banks Will Exploit Gutted U.S. Mortgage Underwriting 13

Canadian Banks Will Exploit Gutted U.S. Mortgage Underwriting

Canadian banks see the newly dismantled underwriting safeguards and risk-shedding experiments at Fannie and Freddie as a way to keep the party going, with the risk passed along to the U.S. taxpayer directly… Canada’s banks are in trouble. Their mortgage portfolios are filled with time-bombs called “fixed-payment” mortgages. Despite the name, the loans contain rate-hike triggers that are causing payment shocks for borrowers. High interest rates and falling home values mean borrowers north of the border aren’t able to refinance out of these toxic mortgages. Short sellers are even targeting one Canadian bank, Toronto-Dominion Bank, better known as TD Bank....

Appraisal / Appraisal News / Appraisers News / Fannie Mae - Freddie Mac

Sale Price versus Appraised Value Disconnect 8

Sale Price vs Appraised Value Disconnect

How can it be said that valuing a property lower than its eventual sale price based on current market evidence is tantamount to BIAS?  The article titled “FHFA Data Fueling Looks into Appraisal Bias” was in the Inside Mortgage Finance Publications e-newsletter on 4/06/23. The Federal Housing Finance Agency is a is a critical provider of the data necessary for oversight, enforcement and research, FHFA Director Sandra Thompson noted during a discussion in late March. According to aggregate statistics from the Uniform Appraisal Dataset released by the FHFA, roughly 57% of appraisals were above the contract price in 2021. Just...

Appraisal / Appraisal News / Appraisers News / CFPB / Consumer Financial Protection Bureau / Federal Housing Finance Agency

We the People 26

We the People…

We the people need to redirect the mortgage lending direction… The time for every appraiser and consumer to step up is now. This country was founded on the principle of “We the people”. Please sign this petition and share it everywhere.  Appraisers have been the target for blame for everything gone wrong in the mortgage lending world. We were blamed for the Savings and Loan collapse, the financial crisis of 2008, and appraisal bias and racial discrimination. Appraisers have even been the target on loans gone bad after several years on payments. Yep, we have been the target and have...

AMC / Appraisal / Appraisal Management Companies / Appraisal News / Appraisal Organizations / Appraisers News

ASA Concerned About the Expansion of FNMA Appraisal Waiver Program 22

ASA Concerned About the Expansion of FNMA Appraisal Waiver Program

In response to the Federal Housing Finance Agency’s (FHFA) decision to allow Fannie Mae to expand its appraisal waiver program, the American Society of Appraisers (ASA) has released an op-ed by ASA’s Strategic Partnership Officer, John D. Russell, JD, criticizing this move. ASA believes that by expanding the appraisal waiver program and relying on data and models for mortgage lending instead of human interaction, Fannie Mae is leaving behind two very important aspects: safety and soundness as well as consumer protection. The fear is that overvaluation may occur due to a reliance on models which always try to chase value...

American Society of Appraisers / Appraisal / Appraisal News / Appraisal Organizations / Appraisers News / ASA

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