Author: AppraisersBlogs

Allegations of Price Fixing by FTC Against LREAB: Response Filed 18

Allegations of Price Fixing Rejected by LREAB

LREAB denies FTC’s allegations as factually false & politically wrong-headed… On June 19, 2017, the Louisiana Real Estate Appraisers Board (LREAB) filed a response to the Federal Trade Commission’s price-fixing allegations. In its 15-page response, LREAB denies all FTC’s allegations (see PDF at the end of the article). GENERAL RESPONSE TO THE COMMISSION’S ALLEGATIONS To shore up the integrity of the residential mortgage appraisal process and, thereby, help to avert a recurrence of the real estate-fueled financial crisis of 2007-2009, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (“Dodd-Frank Act”) requires States to empower their real estate licensing agency,...

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

Human Brain, AMC app & Appraisers - Bend Over & Ask for More 49

Bend Over and Ask for More…

GUILTY of not using human brain power of thinking and communicating… More Please… How many of you can honestly state with all sincerity the appraiser is better off today with the use of Appraisal Management Companies (AMCs)? How many of you can say with all sincerity the consumer is being protected with the use of an AMC? How many of you can, with all sincerity state your business model is how you want it? How many of you are happy with the current environment of the industry? If you answered yes, congratulations, you have found your peace. You should stop reading...

AMC / Appraisal / Appraisal Management Companies / Trending

CoesterVMS AMC & Brian Coester Sued by Mark Skapinetz, Appraiser 31

Coester Sued by Appraiser

CoesterVMS & Brian Coester have a questionable history with the law… According to a lawsuit filed against CoesterVMS and Brian Coester by appraiser Mark Skapinetz on April 20, 2017, Brian Coester and CoesterVMS have illegally accessed (hacked) his email accounts. The lawsuit alleges violations of the Stored Communication Act, Trespass to Chattel, and Trespass to Land, Conversion, Fraud, and Invasion of privacy. Mark Skapinetz is a Certified Residential Appraiser in Georgia that owns a very active private Facebook page with over 700 members. Mr. Skapinetz has been very vocal about appraisers being treated unfairly by AMC’s and advocates for appraisers.

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

Clear Capital Push For Hybrid VA Appraisals 54

Clear Capital’s Push For Hybrid VA Appraisals

Clear Capital suggests that the VA consider the use of a desktop appraisal On April 4, 2017, the House Committee on Veterans Affairs held a hearing on “Assessing VA Approved Appraisers And How To Improve The Program For The 21st Century.” The hearing was designed to “assess VA’s current appraisal process, as well as specific difficulties for timely appraisals in highly rural areas”, as well as to investigate possible technological solutions to mitigate timeliness issues. Much of the hearing focused on two areas: The requirements for becoming a member of the VA appraiser panel, and the baseline requirements for comparable...

AI / AMC / Appraisal / Appraisal Institute / Appraisal Management Companies / Appraisal News

Modernizing Appraisals: It seems we're stuck in 1989. 46

Modernizing Appraisals & Being Stuck in 1989

Modernizing Appraisals: It seems we’re stuck in 1989… On November 16, 2016, the Housing and Insurance Subcommitte held a hearing on “Modernizing Appraisals: A Regulatory Review and the Future of the Industry.” Subcommittee discussed modernizing appraisals to benefit American consumers. The hearing focused on necessary changes to the appraisal industry. Subcommittee Chairman Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-MO) explained: “Appraisals are one of the cornerstones of the home-buying process. Issues that impact appraisers also impact nearly every American buying or selling a home, in rural and urban areas; in high- and low-income neighborhoods. Yet when it comes to the regulatory regime surrounding appraisals,...

AI / AMC / Appraisal / Appraisal Institute / Appraisal Management Companies / Appraisal News

Scheer Motion to Dismiss Coester vs Scheer Lawsuit 26

Scheer Motion to Dismiss Coester vs Scheer Lawsuit

More CVMS Fraud and Coester’s Fraudulent Activities Revealed Robert Scheer, former Coester Senior VP, has filed a motion to dismiss Coester vs. Scheer lawsuit. There are also whispers in the appraisal community that Brian Coester’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit against him was denied. Looks like Scheer vs. Coester lawsuit is going to trial. Scheer continues to reveal more dirt against Coester while appraisers continue to flood social media with comments, and sometimes with humorous reactions: My biggest take away from this is that it is an incredible indictment as to how (potentially) dirty the participants in major AMCs are...

AMC / Appraisal / Appraisal Management Companies / Appraisal News / Appraisers News / Coester VMS

AMC Vendor Agreement Controversies - Bad, Worst & Ugly AMCs 43

Vendor Agreement Controversies & Worst AMCs

AMC Vendor Agreement Controversies – Bad, Worst & Ugly AMCs And the winner is… According to a recent non-scientific survey conducted by AppraiserNews, the World’s Worst AMC Alive is Clear Capital. Honorable Mention goes to Coester VMS and Streetlinks. And the Worst Vampire AMC title goes to AppraiserLoft which is no longer operational. Excerpt: We’d also like to note the passion with which appraisers made their votes, describing the many ways that these AMCs deserved their titles! One final remark: It is sad that so many appraisers still hesitate to go public with their comments about AMCs, (justifiably) fearing that...

AMC / Appraisal / Appraisal Management Companies / Appraisal News / Appraisal Organizations / AppraiserLoft

George Mason Mortgage Ends Coester Appraisal Management Beta Test 36

George Mason Mortgage Ends Coester Appraisal Management Beta Test

George Mason Mortgage going back to Mercury Network On Thursdsay August 18, 2016, two days after we published the post titled “Coester Allegedly Engaged in Fraud Sued by Former Senior VP“, George Mason Mortgage LLC (GMM) emailed its GMM Appraisal Partners announcing GMM Transition for Appraisal Technology. Based on this announcement, George Mason Mortgage is going back to Mercury Network effective Monday, August 22, 2016. Be sure too look at their fee schedule below. Thank you to each of our valued Appraisal Partners who participated in the George Mason Mortgage (GMM) Appraisal Management Beta Test. After evaluating six months of...

AMC / Appraisal / Appraisal Management Companies / Appraisal News / Appraisers News / Coester VMS

Coester Sued by Former Senior VP 128

Coester Allegedly Engaged in Fraud Sued by Former Senior VP

Mr. Coester Was the Party Engaging in Fraud Coester VMS, a Maryland based appraisal management company, and it’s CEO, Brian Coester, are facing a lawsuit by Robert Scheer, former Coester VMS Senior Vice President. Robert Scheer filed a lawsuit claiming tortious interference and is seeking a declaratory judgment that the 2012 Non-Disclosure/Confidentiality agreement provided by Coester is fraudulent and a forgery. “CVMS and Mr. Coester have a history and pattern of engaging in fraudulent conduct which has led to their reputation for dishonesty in the appraisal management company industry….” 10. Mr. Scheer left his employment at CVMS, where he was...

AMC / Appraisal / Appraisal Management Companies / Appraisal News / Appraisers News / Coester VMS

AMC Exposed inflate values 37

AMC Exposed… Getting the Value Needed

Are AMC appraisers pressured to inflate property values? We stumbled upon this article yesterday from WSB Atlanta and thought it was worth sharing. Jim Stickland, a Channel 2 Consumer Investigator with Atlanta TV News, covers the story of a lender colluding with an AMC to inflate property values. Stickland reports that John Laymac, a new homeowner was denied a mortgage on his $390,000 home when the appraisal came at $365,000. Consequently, the builder, SR Homes, had Laymac apply with its preferred lender, Brand Mortgage, claiming that they will get the value needed to close the deal. In an email to...

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

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