Category: AMC

Price Fixing & Discrimination - FNMA & FHLMC Bond Price Fixing Claims 7

FNMA & FHLMC Bond Price Fixing Claims

Are the profits being reported by Fannie and Freddie being skewed because of price fixing? In an article released on CNBC by Reuters, US District Judge Jed Rakoff ruled investors can pursue antitrust claims against banks for conspiring to fix prices of bonds from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. According to the article, there are transcripts of chat room discussions that prove a conspiracy to price fix mortgage backed bonds from Fannie and Freddie between January 2009 and January 2016. Rakoff wrote. The chats unmistakably show traders, acting on behalf of those defendants, agreeing to fix prices at a specific level before...

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

Computershare 15 Minutes Appraisal Reviews & Cheap Diapers 10

Computershare Reviews & Cheap Diapers

The resulting “outcome” of those cheap diapers is the same outcome as Computershare 15-minute reviews must be… This didn’t start out as an article, but you know me. Doing research prior to posting in the 100% comments board I was shocked at how pervasive this new ‘service’ already is. A simple blog post can’t begin to cover it. Every single reader needs to research their own states requirements. The AMC at the following link makes this easy. Please look your state up. My concern was with Computershare and Colorado. Feel free to look them up by clicking here. If that doesn’t...

AGA / AMC / Appraisal / Appraisal Management Companies / Appraisal News / Appraisal Organizations

$15 USPAP Appraisal Reviews in 15 Minutes? - Appraisers Blogs 36

USPAP Appraisal Reviews in 15 Minutes?

$15 USPAP Appraisal Reviews in 15 minutes? A VaCAP member shared with us something they read in an appraiser group on Facebook last week and expressed concern. We agree there is a reason to be concerned and want to alert our members to be cautious. We do not know if the source of this request is an amc or a lender, but either way, there is reason for concern. Here is what was shared: “I have been diligently looking for appraisers to complete to do our NEW USPAP reviews. These pay $15 per report and are completed in 10-15 minutes....

AMC / Appraisal / Appraisal Management Companies / Appraisal Organizations / E&O / Errors & Omissions

The Rumble of the Bifurcated Appraisal Train Before It Crashes 7

Do You Feel the Rumble?

“Can you hear that? Do your hear the rumble? It’s a train going 80 mph toward a 25 mph curve” There is an excellent article by Richard Hagar, SRA that hit everyone’s email yesterday from Working RE Magazine. The title of the article is Why “Bifurcated” Won’t Work. This is an excellent read and we ask that you take the time to read it and pass it along to all your contacts. Lots of great examples of why these products are a danger to not only appraisers, but to communities. See the article here. The pressure has begun…all they need...

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

The Appraisal Management Company Business Model, Deceitful Little Lies 29

Deceitful Little Lies

At some point, appraisers need to take a stand against the appraisal management company business model. There are simply no benefits to appraisal management companies and there is no accountability for their actions. Haven’t we all been abused enough? Do the lenders really understand they are responsible for every action of the appraisal management company? Do the lenders really know the questionable ethics of the appraisal management companies? Are the appraisal management companies lying to the lenders? Deceitful, liars, bait and switch, trickery, fee shoppers, bottom feeders, empty promises and illegal activity are some of the nicer terms used to...

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

The FDIC Says NO to Appraisals - Appraiser Connections AMC Folds 10

FDIC Says NO to Appraisals

The FDIC voted to increase the minimum appraisal threshold to $400,000 for residential appraisals, despite the overwhelming opposition. The vote was quietly supported by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). Maxine Waters and The Appraisal Foundation condemn the actions of the FDIC. See The Appraisal Foundations response below. (Washington, DC) August 20, 2019 – The Appraisal Foundation President David Bunton issued the following statement after the final rule exempting residential real estate transaction of $400,000 or less from appraisal requirements was approved by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. “When the proposed rule was announced in November 2018, The Appraisal Foundation...

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

Big Data is the BuzzWord. Can We Trust Regression in Amenity Valuation? 14

Can We Trust Regression…

I would like to give a background as to what prompted this article. A few years back, word on the street was that the Collateral Underwriter was going to be using big data collected directly from our reports from the inception of UAD to aid in determining what should be “reasonable adjustments”. In order to be preemptive, I consulted an acquaintance of mine who just so happened to have a PhD in Statistics from Princeton. We worked through a number of real case scenario data sets to try and figure out if there was a way I could use regression...

AMC / Appraisal / Appraisal Management Companies / Appraisal News / Appraisers News / Collateral Underwriter

Competitors on State Appraisal Boards - NSAO Supports HR 3619 6

Competitors on State Appraisal Boards

Phil Crawford has a new Voice of Appraisal show. This is one of the best shows Phil has ever done. He touches on issues with Bifurcation, Board competitors and even mentions VaCAP and our “Other Side of Things” article that received a lot of attention on Appraisers Blogs last week. Phil encourages support for VaCAP President Pat Turner to be appointed to the Appraisal Standards Board. The show is 36 minutes, so please take the time to listen. You might even get a good laugh out of some of the humor displayed. Listen to the show below. Board Competitors? VaCap,...

AMC / Appraisal / Appraisal Management Companies / Appraisal News / Appraisal Organizations / Appraisal Subcommittee

Appraisers Should Never Do Evaluations - Appraisers Blogs 15

Appraisers Should Never Do Evaluations

…users of evaluations knew & accepted that if they obtained evaluations in lieu of real appraisals that they were getting meaningless value opinions by unqualified personnel… TALCB will be considering the Board’s position regarding appraisers performing evaluations in compliance with USPAP at the next Board meeting on August 23, 2019 Dear Texas Appraisers Licensing & Certification Board Members: The short and sweet version is that appraisers should never, repeat never do ‘evaluations’. The term itself should never be uttered as if it refers to any legitimate appraisal product that meets the USPAP requirements of a real estate appraisal. When FIRREA...

AGA / AMC / Appraisal / Appraisal Management Companies / Appraisal News / Appraisal Organizations

Bifurcated Appraisal Fans Can Claim SOW Till They're Blue in the Face 50

Hybrids vs USPAP Scope of Work Rule

Supporters of the bifurcated appraisal can claim scope of work till they are blue in the face… Appraisal Buzz published an article written by Joshua Walit on July 31, 2019 titled Nothing New Under the Sun: The Varied Face of Appraisal. The article brings up some good points, however; it does not take into account the reality of the market and the control of the lenders and appraisal management companies in the process. The mere fact that the appraiser does not have control over the person completing the inspection and in most cases, no way to even know who is providing the...

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

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