Lenders May Still Profit Most from Appraisal Fees, writes Kenneth Harney WASHINGTON — When you pay $450 to $550 at settlement for an appraisal on a home purchase or refinancing, do you assume that all or most of the money is going to the appraiser who comes to the house and performs the valuation? That’s logical, but probably not correct. Despite new Federal Reserve regulations that took effect April 1 requiring lenders to pay appraisers fair fees, growing numbers of them say they are still being offered $200 to $250 — even as low as $134 — for work that...
Where To Direct Questions and Comments Regarding Customary and Reasonable Fees There has been a lot of confusions about where appraisers can direct questions and comments regarding customary and reasonable fees. The Appraisal Subcommittee has recently posted the following information: The appropriate agency to receive your concern about a creditor’s compliance with the Truth in Lending Act (TILA), including the creditor or the creditor’s agent paying an appraiser a customary and responsible fee, is the agency that enforces TILA for the creditor. If the agent or appraisal management company (AMC) is affiliated with a federally-regulated creditor, the appropriate agency to receive...
Appraisers online petition opposing use of AMC fees as Customary & Reasonable Please consider signing the online petition launched by appraisers and written by George Hatch, opposing the use of AMC fees as Customary & Reasonable: Federal Reserve Board to Clarify Customary and Reasonable Appraisal Fees On October 18, 2010, the Federal Reserve Board announced an interim final rule to Regulation Z of Title 12, also known as the Truth in Lending Act (TILA). One of the elements to Regulation Z is a binding requirement upon creditors and appraisal management companies to ensure that appraisers who are not employees of...
Who to Call? Fellow appraisers, peers, coalition members and all who work as professional real estate appraisers, we ask for your help. Federal Law known as the Dodd-Frank Act went into effect on April 1, 2011. It clearly states and intends that real estate appraisers be paid “Reasonable and Customary” fees for appraisals performed by state licensed and certified real estate appraisers. Reasonable and customary, generally means what appraisers in a geographic area are generally paid based on a survey of such fees. The survey is supposed to be of fees paid by such entities as the Department of Veterans...
A new frontier in appraising is upon us… Approximately 30 years ago the automobile industry began to introduce computers into cars and since that time they have never been the same. What was once considered a rather simple procedure – tuning up your engine or even changing the spark plugs – has become an almost impossible project for anyone, except the highly trained automobile technician. Today nearly every aspect of your car is aided or controlled in some manner by a computer. Digital radios with CD players, climate control systems, cruise control and pollution control devices are just a few...
