Urge your Representative to Vote for HB 210 Regulation of AMCs Hello VaCAP! As you know, VaCAP leadership has been working hard with VAR and the VAR Appraisal Alliance to help draft and support an AMC regulation bill. This bill is currently in the Virginia House of Delegates, and will cross over to the Senate on February 15th. Since many local realtor associations now require appraisers to be full members in order to obtain access to their MLS systems, VaCAP has many members who are also members of VAR. If you are a member of VAR, your dues have helped...
Request For Public Comment for the 2014-15 Edition of the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice The goal of the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP) is to promote and maintain a high level of public trust in appraisal practice by establishing requirements for appraisers. With this goal in mind, the Appraisal Standards Board (ASB) regularly solicits and receives comments and suggestions for improving USPAP. The possible issues and alternatives discussed in this document are intended to improve USPAP understanding and enforcement, and thereby achieve the goal of promoting and maintaining public trust in appraisal practice. The ASB is...
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – February 2, 2012 Contact: Paula Douglas Seidel, Executive Administrator, The Appraisal Foundation Washington, DC — A recent survey conducted by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) of state appraiser regulatory programs has produced high marks for The Appraisal Foundation regarding its effectiveness in issuing appraisal standards and appraiser qualifications. The survey, which was performed in conjunction with the GAO study issued last month entitled “Real Estate Appraisals: Appraisal Subcommittee Needs to Improve Monitoring Procedures,” contained 65 questions relating to the effectiveness of the current real property appraiser regulatory system. In addition to the effectiveness of the Foundation,...
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau released the second proposed version of a new Consumer Disclosure Form Feb. 1 that includes clear disclosure of any fee paid to a “Local Appraisal Company” and to an “Appraisal Management Company.” The Appraisal Institute reported last month that the CFPB is in the midst of developing a new form that would replace the existing HUD-1 settlement statement. In December 2011, Appraisal Institute representatives met with CFPB officials about the new form. The CFPB has indicated that several versions of the proposed form will be developed and tested with consumers by focus groups, with a...
Real Property Appraiser Qualification Criteria Changes Adopted by AQB Effective January 1, 2015 The Appraisal Foundation is pleased to announce that Proposed Revisions to the Real Property Appraiser Qualification Criteria (Criteria) have been adopted by the Appraiser Qualifications Board (AQB). The AQB is an independent Board of The Appraisal Foundation. The AQB is responsible for developing minimum qualifications for education, experience, examination and continuing education for real property appraisers in the United States. The Criteria, which were adopted at the December 2011 meeting of the AQB, will be effective on January 1, 2015. The changes to the Criteria are the...
American Guild of Appraisers Files Request with Federal Reserve Board Seeking Documents Related to Regulations on Customary and Reasonable Compensation of Fee Appraisers WASHINGTON, Jan. 23, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ On behalf of the American Guild of Appraisers, today the law firm Garvey Schubert Barer filed a request with the Federal Reserve Board under the Freedom of Information Act seeking a wide variety of documents related to the regulations on customary and reasonable compensation of fee appraisers that were issued by the Board in October 2011. In announcing this action, Guild President Peter Vidi said, “It is clear that appraisal management companies...
The Appraisal Institute continues to represent the interests of its members in ongoing rulemakings resulting from the Dodd-Frank Act, including the separation of appraisal and appraisal management fees in order to provide transparency to consumers. Last November, AI and the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers urged the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to separate appraisal fees and appraisal management fees. Last month, Appraisal Institute representatives met with CFPB officials about a new Consumer Disclosure Form slated to replace the current HUD-1. The Dodd-Frank Act authorizes, but does not require, separation of appraisal and appraisal management fees on these...
On January 18, 2012, the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) released their report on real estate appraisals “Appraisal Subcommittee Needs to Improve Monitoring Procedures” as required per Dodd-Frank. GAO was tasked with 1) determining how the Appraisal Subcommittee (ASC) is carrying out its Title XI responsibilities, 2) ASC’s plans to implement Dodd-Frank provisions, and 3) regulatory dollar thresholds for determining when an appraisal is required. GAO reports that one of the challenges faced by ASC is in the area of resources and planning. GAO cites the creation of a national hotline as one example of a Dodd-Frank requirement that could...
ASA has repeatedly stated its belief that the Fed’s interpretation and the massive loophole it created ran contrary to the plain language and clear intent of Dodd-Frank. CFPB Reissues Interim Final Rule On Valuation Independence, Eliminates Federal Reserve Commentary Permitting AMCs To Include Their Own Payments To Appraisers To Comply With Dodd-Frank’s Customary and Reasonable Fee Requirement. On December 22, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) released an Interim Final Rule dealing with the valuation independence requirements imposed by the Dodd-Frank Act, including the law’s “customary and reasonable” fee mandate. The CFPB’s rule was republished to reflect the transfer of...
The 2012-2013 edition of the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP) is now available on-line. The 2012-13 edition of USPAP is valid for two years, effective January 1, 2012 through December 31, 2013. According to a TAF press release “the new edition includes the standards of professional practice for all appraisal disciplines as well as guidance from the Appraisal Standards Board (ASB) in the form of USPAP Advisory Opinions and USPAP Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), featuring a compilation of more than 300 questions and answers.” To access the 2012-2013 USPAP on-line
