Author: AppraisersBlogs

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Mortgage Fraud – Trends and Schemes

In last month’s edition of the AppraisalPort newsletter, I covered some of the appraisal guidelines that were discussed at the National AI Connect Conference in Indianapolis, July 23-25, 2013. This month, I want to discuss another session that dealt with mortgage fraud. I learned a lot about how people are trying to get rich through fraud in this very interesting breakout session. The session, “Residential Mortgage Fraud Enforcement: Trends and Identifying Schemes,” included presentations from Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Special Agent Eric Mascari, Interthinx’s Ann Fulmer, and Gary Crabtree, SRA, owner of Affiliated Appraisers. The session focused on the...

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Borrower’s Commonly Asked Questions and How an Appraiser Should Answer Them

One of the aspects I love most about appraising is that every day is different.  I inspect an average of 3.25 houses per day.  Since every house is different, every day is unique.  Despite the variety we enjoy, I have also recognized that, though the setting varies each time, there is some repetition.  Specifically, the questions we get from borrowers seem to be similar over and over again. One of the best lessons I have learned as a businessman is that, if there are any processes which are often repeated, developing a system for handling them will allow you to...

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Appraisal Advisor Now Completely Free for Appraisers

Appraisal Advisor is completely free for appraisers from here on out. They will not be charging appraisers anything to rate and review clients, and appraisers won’t be charged to view other appraisers’ reviews either. The OCC is now requiring that lenders “assess the third party’s reputation, including history of customer complaints or litigation,” and “assess the third party’s financial condition.” What does this mean for appraisers? It means that lenders are required to listen to what you’re saying about AMCs based on your scores, the invoices, reviews, and fees

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OCC bulletin regarding AMCs, lenders, and Appraisal Advisor

On October 30, the OCC issued a bulletin to all national banks and savings associations entitled “Third-Party Relationships: Risk Management Guidance.” The bulletin, in a nutshell, outlines how lenders should manage and ensure compliance of their third party vendors. AMCs, third parties in the OCC bulletin, must be managed by specific guidelines in order for lenders to maintain compliance. Appraisal Advisor offers compliance with that regulation by providing lenders, AMCs, and appraisers with its ratings and reviews system. Appraisers’ constant scoring of AMCs on Appraisal Advisor is now, more than ever, THE key deciding factor in which AMCs lenders use....

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Fannie Mae Releases UCDP Appraisal Notes

Fannie Mae will implement new proprietary appraisal messages in the Uniform Collateral Data Portal beginning Nov. 9, the government-sponsored enterprise reported Sept. 24. The new appraisal messages will expand on existing Fannie Mae appraisal messaging and focus on providing additional data validation and reasonableness checks. The messages also will highlight possible eligibility concerns prior to loan delivery. The data included in the reports is based on the appraisals provided to the UCDP in the previous month, and includes an overview of all appraisal messages (including Fannie Mae critical messages),

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GSEs Still Finding Problems with Home Appraisals

Three years after the creation of a database seeking to standardize the home appraisal process, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac continue to see major issues in numerous appraisals submitted by mortgage lenders, American Banker reported Sept. 12. Fannie Mae conducted a sampling of appraisals and determined that 17.6 percent contained contradictory information, typically pertaining to the condition or quality of the property, Robert Murphy, the GSE’s director of collateral and single-family risk policy, told a Phoenix conference of risk managers. He added that those two factors are the most important in determining a property’s value. Elevated appraisals contributed to the...

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Appraisal Guidelines

In the August edition of the AppraisalPort Newsletter, I reported on some of the general information covered at the National AI Connect Conference in Indianapolis, July 23-25, 2013. This was a great conference, covering a wide range of topics. This month, I want to pass on some information covered in one of the breakout sessions for residential appraisers. The session was titled, “Residential Chief Policy Roundtable” and included presentations from Fannie Mae’s Robert Murphy, the Appraisal Institute’s Bill Garber, HUD’s Ada Bohorfoush, and the VA’s Gerald Kifer. At Fannie Mae, Murphy handles many of the issues regarding appraisers and the...

Appraisers Expect Continued Growth 2

Appraisers Expect Continued Growth

Appraisers Expect Continued Growth: Appraisal Institute Survey CHICAGO, Oct. 22, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire: Appraisers anticipate continued growth in mortgage lending appraisals and in specialized areas of consulting, according to a recent survey conducted by the Appraisal Institute, the nation’s largest professional association of real estate appraisers. Commercial appraisers said the top five areas of growth in the next one to two years (in order of potential) are mortgage lending appraisals, land valuation, litigation valuation/forensic appraisal, real estate consulting (fee-based) and right-of-way/easements. Residential appraisers said the top five areas of growth are mortgage lending appraisals, review appraisal services, real estate owned/foreclosures/short sales,...

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What Can the Government ‘Shutdown’ Teach the Appraisal Industry?

First of all, let’s be clear… it was not really a complete ‘shutdown.’  A large majority of federal workers were still at work, but for those who were furloughed, it was uncomfortable and scary for sure.  Though the can has officially been kicked down the road for a few more months, we will face another ‘crisis’ soon enough.  So, what can this debate teach us about appraising?  It turns out… quite a bit. Why did Congress and the President choose to delay the real problem with our national debt and budget—yet again—rather than just deal with the problem?  Why was...

Borrowers to Refinance with No Appraisals 3

Knowing When to Say NO

I wish I never took that assignment One comment often encountered when investigating a complaint is “I wish I never took that assignment”. Another is “I should have walked away when I saw the property.” How can you avoid that uneasy feeling when completing an assignment? If this is a typical residential mortgage transaction, things may go fairly smoothly. If the assignment involves appraising a property in a divorce, estate, tax appeal, or anything that might end up in litigation, you should meet with your client to assess whether there could be trouble ahead. One way to avoid this type of surprise is to not consider assignments as being routine. Each assignment regardless of purpose or intent has...

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