Category: AMC

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Greatest Risk Facing Appraisal Businesses

Greatest risk: low fees or low cash flow? A Recent Report From Texas There has been a lot of buzz about the recent survey from Texas. The Texas Appraisers and Appraisal Management Company Survey published by Texas A&M Real Estate Center in conjunction with the University of Houston’s Hobby Center for Public Policy and the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago reports the current condition of the appraisal industry in the state of Texas. 1,584 appraisers and 55 Appraisal Management Companies (AMCs) doing business in Texas were surveyed and findings from the report were released to the public...

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Charging by the Hour for Appraisal Services?

How much are you worth per hour? I am fuming. Thanks in advance for letting me vent and virtually ‘throw-up’ my frustration all over you. My Personal Assistant accepted an order for a Forensic Investigative Field Review the other day. Originally, the AMC had offered a fee of $350. We countered back at $500 and crossed our fingers… that we would NOT get the order. These types of orders are becoming more and more popular. As the market has dropped across the nation, lenders cannot sell the collateral they loaned on between 2005 and 2008 for a fraction of the appraised value. Naturally, it must be...

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Texas Appraisers and AMC Survey

In August 2012, the Texas Appraisers and Appraisal Management Survey surveyed a total of 1,584 appraisers and 55 appraisal management companies doing business in the state of Texas. The questions were specifically designed to achieve the following: Clearly distinguish between the fees paid to appraisers by Appraisal Management Companies (AMCs) and fees paid by non-AMC clients for residential appraisals. Capture any difference in fees paid by property type: single family, condominium, size or square footage, or other factors. Capture the impact on fees by market area or locale: urban vs. rural, (MSAs, county, zip code, etc.). Determine whether appraiser qualifications...

Lenders May Still Profit Most from Appraisal Fees 2

To Disclose or Not to Disclose AMC Fees

To Disclose or not to Disclose AMC Fees… With the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB”) up and running, there are numerous regulatory issues still pending relating to the Dodd-Frank Act. The regulatory issues include appraisal independence rules, AMC fee disclosure, AMC registration, required physical property visit by appraisers in “higher risk” mortgages, HUD-1/RESPA Consumer Disclosure, and asset backed securities. Of particular note, the CFPB has proposed a new Consumer Disclosure form that is intended to replace the HUD-1 settlement statement. The proposed rule which was release for public until November, allows disclosure of appraisal management company fees, but does not...

Appraisal of the Industry - analysis - Imagecredit Flickr - VBC17 3

Appraisal of the Industry

Of course any one who has bothered to open USPAP, or read the preface of any appraisal related book is very likely familiar with the valuation process. definition of the problem preliminary analysis data collection highest and best use analysis estimate of land value application of the three appraisal approaches: cost, market, income reconciliation of value estimates report of value Of course the application of this definition and process is where the fun begins. Definition of the problem… If I do not complete this report within the allotted 48 hours that has been so graciously allowed by the high pressure...

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NAR on Low Valuation in Home Appraisals

WASHINGTON (October 10, 2012) – The real estate market is recovering but still faces hurdles, notably from tight mortgage credit, but problems with a sizeable share of real estate appraisals also are holding back home sales, according to survey findings by the National Association of Realtors®. Most appraisers are competent and provide good valuations that are compliant with the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice. However, appraisals generally lag market conditions and some changes to the appraisal process have been causing problems in recent years, including the use of out-of-area valuators without local expertise or full access to local data,...

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Who Has Been Suing the Most Appraisers?

Two Names You Know. Two Names You’ve Probably Never Heard. These are four of the parties who have been suing the most appraisers in 2011-12. I suspect most appraisers won’t recognize two of the names, unless the appraisers are defendants in one of their cases. The parties are in no particular order, but the last one does file the most lawsuits. LSF6 Mercury REO Investments This is an investment fund of a private equity company named Lone Star. LSF6 bought discounted mortgage debt from bankrupt CIT Group in 2008. In late 2011, LSF6 began suing appraisers in New York as...

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Black Cat Causes Fair Housing Issue with AMC

An appraiser was required by an AMC to edit/crop the photos in an appraisal report because of a black cat. The AMC claimed that the black cat violated fair housing act. This was the response of the AMC in regard to the cat: “Please be advised that the following issues were found: a cat appears in the rear open patio photo and the landscaping photo. Please edit or crop this photo accordingly, as this is a fair lending issue for the client.” Fast forward the video below to 1 minute:

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New Trade Association Announces Launch to Support Appraisal Industry

Announcing the Official Formation of the National Association of Appraisal Management Companies (NAAMC) Providence, RI (PRWEB) August 31, 2012 Filling a long missing void in the ever-changing Appraisal and Residential Home Mortgage sectors, a collection of Industry-leading Appraisal Management Companies joined forces to create a unique and extremely necessary organization exclusively committed to supporting all entities impacted in the Residential Appraisal and Valuation industries. Officially formed in late July 2012, several months’ pre-launch due diligence was completed by the sixteen Founding Members of the National Association of Appraisal Management Companies (NAAMC). This non-profit trade association is officially incorporated in Delaware and...

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New York Attorney General v. eAppraiseIT: Settlement

The New York Attorney General’s Office announced yesterday that it has reached a settlement with CoreLogic, as successor to eAppraiseIT, over the 2007 lawsuit filed against eAppraiseIT by then-Attorney General Cuomo. This was the case, of course, that led to the HVCC with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. It also put the AMC liability train in motion, which has kept rolling since — resulting in significant lawsuits filed by both government agencies and private parties against a majority of the 10 largest AMCs. The NY AG noted that the lawsuit concerned approximately 10,000 appraisals in New York for WaMu in...

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