Category: Appraisal Management Companies

Enhancements to Collateral Underwriter (CU) Are Coming - Imagecredit Flickr - Alan Levine 4

CU “Enhancements” Are Coming

CU risk score, flags and messages Appraisers, In about 6 weeks, Fannie Mae will make available to LENDERS only, and probably by default indirectly, to their AMC agents, enhancements or improvements (in their opinion) to the Collateral Underwriter electronic review process. None of the Collateral Underwriter background info,  especially about Fannie Mae’s ‘additional comps’ selection process, is shared directly with appraisers.  But when these are returned to appraisers in the form of a Quality Assurance request from the lender or AMC, appraisers are expected to drop everything and immediately review those for applicability in the appraisal report. Pay attention to the...

Determining What to Charge for Appraisal Fees - Hard & Soft Costs - Imagecredit Flickr - Chris Potter 9

Determining What to Charge for Appraisal Fees

Charge too little and you can’t cover your expenses Have you ever asked yourself why gasoline prices seem to fluctuate so dramatically? Maybe it’s the weather. Perhaps it is a conspiracy in the Middle East. Surely the politicians are to blame. To be sure, the correct answer is complicated and likely multi-faceted. There is much that goes into what your card is charged at the pump, but not much the common man probably understands. You can bet however that those who make these decisions do indeed know and understand how it all works. Have you ever wondered why a Big...

FHA vs USPAP - FHA vs USPAP - FHA requirements – Appraisers Caught in Catch 22 111

FHA Requirements vs USPAP

FHA Requirements vs USPAP – Appraisers Caught in Catch 22 Excerpt The new FHA Handbook will become effective on September 14, 2015. There has been much discussion of the implications of changing “should” to “must” in thousands of examples in the Handbook. As a Board member of the Arizona Association of Real Estate Appraisers as well as being on the FHA Roster, I have taken a good hard look at these requirements and then, it hit me as I was teaching the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP) which is the basis of appraisal standards for every appraiser in...

Another Win for Appraisers - House Bill 651 Appraisal Bd. Recordkeeping & Bkgrd. Checks. 2

House Bill 651 Another Win for Appraisers!

House Bill 651: Appraisal Board Recordkeeping and Background Checks Raleigh, NC – Today Rep. Jon Hardister (R-Guilford) passed House Bill HB 651 – Appraisal Board Recordkeeping and Background Checks – which provides regulatory relief for the real estate appraisal industry. House Bill 651 eliminates the discovery rule for civil action related to real estate appraisals and establishes a five year statute of limitations, which puts North Carolina in line with the United States Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice. This will reduce insurance and compliance costs for real estate appraisers, many of which are small businesses and independent contractors. The bill...

AMC Dangers: Appraisal Management Companies (AMC) are changing how our profession works 4

AMC Dangers to the Consumer

Appraisal Management Companies (AMC) are changing how our profession works. It’s important to know exactly how they are affecting the real estate process, especially if you are a home-owner, looking for real estate or are involved in another part of the property. Who does an Appraiser work for? An appraiser works for “The Client” named in the report who ultimately responsible for the appraiser’s compensation. It is important to realize that while a borrower may have paid a lender or third party the cost of the appraisal, “The client” remains the only party authorized to use the report. The appraiser...

Comment Subscriptions 8

Appraisal Fee Disclosure – Call To Action

Important – Call to Action This must be done by Tuesday July 7 The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is requesting comments on the proposed amendment to the “Know Before You Owe” mortgage disclosure rule, which proposes to move the rule’s effective date to October 3, 2015. We feel it is very important that the appraisal fee be disclosed separately from any add on fees such as an AMC fee. Recently 23 state appraiser coalitions including the Louisiana Appraisers Coalition worked together and submitted a letter to the CFPB about making it a requirement to separate the fees of the...

Appraisal Institute Seeks Separation of Appraisal and AMC Fees 3

Separating Appraisal Fees from AMC Fees

Disclosures regarding payments for appraisal management services versus appraisal fees On July 1, 2015, the Network of State Appraiser Organizations (NSAO) submitted a joint letter in response to the CFPB request for comments on the proposed amendment to the “Know Before You Owe” mortgage disclosure rule, which proposes to move the rule’s effective date to October 3, 2015. It specifically addresses the lack of requirement to mandate disclosure to the consumer that the fee paid for an “appraisal” be clearly defined and break down what portion is being paid to the lenders’ third party appraisal management company and which portion of the fee is...

Condo Density Primer 3

Condo Density Primer

Many appraisers still seem confused as to what the form means by density. In the project section of Fannie Mae form 1073 the first line addresses topography, size, density and view. Many appraisers still seem confused as to what the form means by density. Appraisers enter and AMCs approve phrases like: average or typical or even a calculation such as 50 units / 12,975 square feet. Appendix D regarding UAD reporting offers no guidance. What are they asking for and what does it mean? Fannie is looking to see if the existing density can be rebuilt following a catastrophic loss....

Appraiser-Client Relationship - Imagecredit Flickr - Dennis Hill 15

Don’t You Value our Relationship?

Relationships, we all have them.  And despite the efforts of Dodd Frank to destroy them, we have somehow managed to keep them. A big bank that I had a great relationship dropped me because their portal system decided there were too many appraisers last year and left me hanging. No orders for a year. Now they’re busy and want me to do appraisals. Great! But between the portal fees, underwriting charges, title surpluses, software charges, destination charges, taxes, etc. the fee works out to be substantially lower than most work I have. They asked me “don’t you value our relationship?”. I replied where...

AMC Regulation Rule Finally Published in the Federal Register - Imagecredit Flickr - Steven Lilley 1

Federal Register: AMC Final Rule

AMC Regulation Rule Finally Published in the Federal Register Appraisers and others, On June 9, 2015, the Federal Register published the new AMC Registration and Regulation Final Rule: The OCC, Board, FDIC, NCUA, Bureau, and FHFA (collectively, the Agencies) are adopting a final rule to implement the minimum requirements in the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the Dodd-Frank Act) to be applied by participating States in the registration and supervision of appraisal management companies (AMCs). Thanks to Bill Garber, Appraisal Institute Director of Governmental Affairs, for sending me this info today. I first wrote & sent info...

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