Category: AMC

CFPB Fines AMC for Inflated Appraisal Fees 2

CFPB Fines Lender, AMC for Inflated Appraisal Fees

The CFPB has ordered Amerisave and Novo to pay $14.8 million… The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) announced Aug. 12 that it fined mortgage lender Amerisave Mortgage Corp., its affiliate, Novo Appraisal Management Company, and the organizations’ collective owner, Patrick Markert, $19.3 million for allegedly luring prospective borrowers with misleading interest rates and trapping them with inflated appraisal fees. The CFPB claimed that the lender and its affiliated AMC violated the Truth in Lending Act and Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act by enticing tens of thousands of borrowers with deceptive advertising and then illegally overcharging them for third-party services. The...

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

Who are Mutual First, LLC and Savant Claims Management? Why is Mutual First Suing Appraisers? - Imagecredit Flickr - paurlan 2

Who are Mutual First, LLC and Savant Claims Management? Why is Mutual First Suing Appraisers?

Some appraisers are now being targeted in lawsuits by an entity named “Mutual First, LLC.” It has filed at least 35 lawsuits since May. Mutual First is not a bank, credit union or any kind of regular financial institution. It’s an entity aiming to make money for investors by suing appraisers. Based in Texas, it acquires foreclosed loans for small fractions of the original principal amounts. It then files lawsuits against the appraisers who performed appraisals years ago for the original lenders who made the loans. In its lawsuits, Mutual First claims that the appraisers are liable to Mutual First...

AMC / Appraisal / Appraisal Management Companies / Appraisal News / Appraisers News / E&O

The Shady Truth About HVCC Comes Out 4

The Shady Truth About HVCC Comes Out

  HVCC… the shady truth We all got gut punched by Andrew Cuomo’s HVCC, the most of which were the appraisers. Well now the shady truth about it’s conception is here. HVCC. We all remember it. Basically is was a total drag. Unless you owned a huge AMC that is. Which by the way virtually all the banks did. It was totally counter productive to the industry and real nuclear bomb to our collective equity as a nation. Well as it turns out, one of Cuomo’s buddies actually got the ball rolling on it as long as he and his company got total immunity. Which...

AMC / Appraisal / Appraisal Management Companies / Appraisal News / Appraisers News / Home Valuation Code of Conduct

Fannie Mae re-evaluate appraisers adjustments 1

Fannie Re-Evaluating Your Adjustments & VA Hiring Appraisers

Fannie Mae’s Murphy stated that over the past year, the GSE had been focusing on “quality” and “condition” ratings of comps used in multiple appraisals by the same appraiser and found many cases where the appraiser has changed the quality and/or condition ratings on the same comparable from appraisal to appraisal. Now, based on the examination of the Uniform Appraisal Dataset (UAD) data, Fannie Mae’s focus for the next 12 months will be on adjustments. The data indicates that many appraisers are not using…

AMC / APB / Appraisal / Appraisal Management Companies / Appraisal News / Appraisal Organizations

AMCs stats 5

AMCs…Some Statistics

Some stats on Appraisal Management Companies (AMCs) Most AMCs are small companies. 86% have annual gross revenue less than $10 million. Conversely, 13% have annual gross revenues of over $50 million. AMCs are more frequently adopting a “cost plus” pricing model for their services. This means they charge a separate fee for their service and are transparent about their fees paid to an appraiser. (Note: Arizona Appraisal Statute requires appraisers to disclose the fees they have been paid by an AMC in the Scope of Work section of the appraisal). 35% of the AMCs surveyed are headquartered in the western...

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

Goodbye to AMCs - City pays multi billion settlement 5

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...

AMC / Appraisal / Appraisal Management Companies / Appraisal News / Appraisers News / Home Valuation Code of Conduct

AMC Staff - Overseas AMC Staff - Outsourcing 3

Overseas AMC Staff: Could I Speak to “Villiam?”

AMC Staff: “HELLO! Bill. Could I please speak to Villiam?” At least one appraisal management company (AMC) put a new accent on appraising by having the point of contact be in another country—specifically, a call-center in India. According appraiser Bill Streep, this is how the conversation went: Bill Streep: “Hi, this is Bill.” AMC Staff: “HELLO! Bill. Could I please speak to Villiam?” Bill Streep: “This is Bill.” AMC Staff: “Yes, Bill. I need to speak to Villiam.” Bill Streep: “My name is Bill, it’s short for William.” AMC Staff: “Yes… (insert long pause) Could I please speak to Villiam?”...

AMC / Appraisal / Appraisal Management Companies / Appraisal News / Appraisal Quality Monitoring / Appraisers News

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Appraisal Fee vs. the Cost of Gas

Let’s compare the average appraisal fee to the cost of gas during the last 20 years. One of the requirements of your job as an appraiser is getting to the property to appraise it. Unless you are appraising a property within a few blocks of your own house or office, chances are that you will be driving there. Today, the costs of driving — higher gas prices, higher insurance premiums and higher maintenance costs — have gone through the roof. This got me thinking: the cost of almost everything that we, as appraisers, need to do to successfully perform our...

AMC / Appraisal / Appraisal Management Companies / Appraisal News / Appraisers News / Customary & Reasonable Fees

Are Realtors and AMC’s Killing the Home Valuation System? In a word, YES! 9

Are Realtors & AMC’s Killing the Home Valuation System?

Are Realtors and AMC’s Killing the Home Valuation System? In a word, YES! Many Appraisal Management Companies are now demanding that appraisers change the square footage details listed within their reports. Why? Because they saw a different number on Zillow® or in public records. How have we gone this far wrong? Appraisers generally turn first to their own files for square footage details. Next, they turn to the MLS, which is touted as “the most trusted source of real estate information in the world.” Then, if there are no other options (like in the many areas where the MLS does...

AMC / American Measurement Standard / American National Standards Institute / AMS / ANSI / Appraisal

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You Are Being Robbed Blind

You Are Being Robbed Blind (24 Hour Membership Deadline) AMCs are concealing their profits within YOUR appraisal fee, and using coercion to drive down YOUR income as far as they can. This government-permitted process allows them to rob you blind while building their appraiser-squeezing power even stronger. NOW is the time to take a stand to fix this broken industry and the career you have spent a lifetime building. The Appraiser Prosperity Coalition was formed to fight for the legislative and regulatory changes needed to save this devastated industry. If you are willing to join us today, we can defeat the...

AMC / Appraisal / Appraisal Management Companies / Appraisal News / Appraisers News / Customary & Reasonable Fees

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