Goodbye to AMCs – Citi to Pay $7 Billion
Did Citigroup Get Off Easy With $7 Billion Penalty?
Citigroup will pay $7 billion to resolve claims it misled investors who purchased shoddy mortgage-backed securities that helped lead to the financial crisis six years ago, Reuters reported July 14. The deal includes the largest civil fraud penalty ever levied by the U.S. Department of Justice. The multi-billion-dollar settlement is more than twice what many analysts expected but less than the $12 billion the government sought in negotiations with Citigroup.
All those who argue about the causes of the real estate crisis cannot discount yet another billion dollar settlement. Over and over again we see large settlements for mortgage securities fraud, where the problem was not with the appraisals, but the crooked financiers who manipulated the system, stealing money from homeowners all across the country. While appraisers are still being punished for the sins, big banks obviously have ample funds to pay these fines and continue with business as usual, while appraisers are being regulated to death. Every day more skilled appraisers are leaving the business while AMC’s steal profits and do little if anything to improve the home buying system. It’s time to take AMC’s back to the pre HVCC days where they can earn a market share the fair way, rather than by government intervention. It’s time to get the government out of the appraisal industry. Let’s says goodbye to AMC’s, and hello to sanity back in the appraisal industry.
An excerpt from MotherJones:
The Citi deal is one of several lukewarm settlements the government has entered into with banks in recent years over financial crisis-related wrongdoing. In November, JPMorgan Chase agreed to pay a record $13 billion for selling toxic mortgage products in the run-up to the financial crisis. Some experts say the fine should have been 22 times higher.
- No Appraisals Required. The End of Appraisers? - March 9, 2023
- Is ANSI for Appraisers Really the Answer? - November 18, 2021
- Statistically Supported Appraisal - June 9, 2021
Doubt they will disappear. It’s hard to undo any regulation. Thank Chris Dodd and Barney Frank who added to the nightmare we as appraisers face. So far since the bill was passed I have never gotten a customary and reasonable fee. The AMC’s take a chunk. And w Chase going out of the lending business that means another slump is coming in appraisal work. Remember many lenders wholesale to Chase. While u are preparing appraisals for lenders, those appraisals ultimately wind up at Chase. Will Citigroup follow Chase out of the lending biz? Anyone have a crystal ball?
Wasn’t hard to ditch Glass-Steagall. Citigroup will pay $7B and nobody goes to prison. Disgusting. How much money did Citigroup make with their scam? $30B!
How many appraiser’s in the 2006 – 2008 years were BLACKLISTED, if they did not support the dollar number needed for the lender’s loan.
You state that “AMCs steal profits”. Keep in mind that the vast majority of AMCs stealing those profits are bank owned. In short, banks are holding on to the original billions that they stole from homeowners via deception and paying their paltry billion dollar penalties from money they are stealing from appraisers via their AMCs. Quite an accomplishment, don’t you think?
The article really misses the point. If you want government out of the lending industry, there naturally is an accompanying sentiment that taxpayer backed lending and gse’s should also step down. Not sure if that’s a great move though, because we have failed to take the proper initial actions to deter white collar crime. As long as nobody goes to jail for white collar crime, it’s presence will continue to be determined on a profit factor, not a moral or personal protection basis. As long as nobody gets in personal trouble, we can expect more of the same.