Appraisal news for real estate appraisers and real estate professionals regarding Evaluation Solutions, a Florida-based valuation company, which filed bankruptcy on January 2013 leaving $9.4 million of unpaid debts to appraisers and real estate agents/brokers.
“I am owed $20,000”. “I am owed $2000”. “I am owed $500”. “I am owed $1500”. These are just some of the quotes pulled from various groups, message boards and forums from appraisers all over the country that are owed money for the appraisal services they provided. Services they provided for a Lender, Mortgage Company or Bank through an Appraisal Management Company or AMC as they are known. What’s an Appraisal Management Company you ask? Well for those that do not know, AMCs have been around a long time. Appraisal management companies (AMCs) are business entities that administer networks of independent...
For those who are not familiar with what an AMC is, it is short for Appraisal Management Company. They are not new, but since the adoption of the Home Valuation Code of Conduct, the number and the frequency of their use have increased. They are the order manager for the lender and ensure appraiser independence. If you have not already read “What’s Not in Your Wallet” or “Round and Round!”, go get a little more familiar before reading this. AMCs manage appraisal orders. They find the appraisers to give the orders to, and are supposed to provide quality control reviews...
JPMorgan Chase absolved… In a June 27 ruling, the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Florida permanently absolved JPMorgan Chase of all liabilities for fees due to appraisers as a result of the closure and bankruptcy of Evaluation Solutions, an appraisal management company that provided services to JPMorgan Chase. The court’s decision resulted from an action brought by the bankruptcy trustee, Summit Financial Resources, and by JPMorgan Chase that requested the court approve a settlement to be paid from the assets of the bankruptcy estate to Summit for a loan made to Evaluation Solutions. The loan had been...
ESA Bankruptcy, Is Chase to Blame or a Victim? I find myself offering thoughts about many strange and unusual situations involving appraiser E&O and risk management in general, but today may be the strangest subject of all – why it appears Chase did nothing wrong in the ESA bankruptcy case. Don’t misunderstand this as meaning I like Chase in the slightest. I strongly disapprove of what Chase has done and continues to do to appraisers using blacklisting, strong-arming, and filing state licensing complaints to force its will on the appraisal profession. I find much of what Chase has done as...
As a direct result of the recent financial failure of appraisal management companies like Evaluation Solutions and ES Appraisal, the State of Washington recently enacted a new law raising the state’s AMC bond requirement from $25,000 to $100,000. As of July 28, 2013, all AMCs registered in Washington will be required to carry a bond in the new amount. One of the purposes of the bond is to provide security for payments owed to appraisers by AMCs. If an AMC fails to pay an appraiser in accordance with Washington’s requirements, the appraiser then may have a claim against the AMC’s bond....
If you were affected by the bankruptcy of ES Appraisal Solutions then this is a must for you. JP Morgan Chase is filing a request for entry of Bar order with the Florida Courts. What this means is that JP Morgan Chase is trying to settle for $2,316,000. They then would not be liable for any other lawsuits or claims against them in the future regarding any appraisals or BPOs completed. Which means we will NEVER see a dime from the money owed to us. The deadline to file this objection of the bar is
It has come to my attention that the attached settlement is being proposed to the BR Trustee in the ES Appraisal case and thought that it was important that the information be passed along to whomever might need it since many of our members have been affected. Please forward to whomever you believe might be owed fees in this case. I would recommend that anyone do their own research on this as I am only passing along information that was given to me third hand. It is the belief of others that this agreement will forgo millions of dollars in...
AMC Declares Bankruptcy: What Appraisers Need To Know You received a letter in the mail informing you that your client has filed for bankruptcy. It is this moment you realize that this bad news just became your problem. Many of us are familiar with the recent bankruptcy filings of Evaluation Solutions and its subsidiary ES Appraisal Services. Peter Christensen, attorney and general counsel to LIA Administrators & Insurance Services, shared in his blog that the total unpaid fees to appraisers, agents, and brokers as listed in bankruptcy documents is $11,048,411.97! This is a remarkable amount. Evaluation Solutions’ bankruptcy documents accounted for...
Evaluation Solutions, LLC: The Anatomy of an AMC’s Failure and Why Lender’s Should Care Last week, I had the pleasure of speaking to the Collateral Risk Network about lender oversight of appraisal management companies. With that exciting topic as my general theme, I chose to address the specific issue of AMCs failing to pay independent contractor appraisers for appraisals ordered by the lender-client (and also failing to pay agents and brokers for BPOs). This issue has been brought to the forefront of many appraisers’ minds and bank accounts by the recent failure of two large AMCs: National Real Estate Information...
We are passing along this message from Dave Towne: “Ivor Hill has been working with the FBI. Today (1/24/13) the FBI collected all the files he had for JVI and appraisers that are owed money.” “He has asked to ask everyone, and that they ask everyone they know, to spread word that if anyone is owed money from ES Appraisal or any other AMC that went out of business without paying for appraisals to please contact him. He is putting together information directly for FBI investigations.” Please tell your friends to contact Ivor at: ijh@ijhill.com
