The Appraisal Foundation - Appraisers Blogs

The AMC Industry Won’t Be Toppled by Code

Guest Author — Wed, 02 Jul 2025 12:30:23 +0000

Call me when AI stops summarizing and starts suing, because until it drags the AMC industry into court, raids their coffers, and rewires the entire system they broke, it’s just another overhyped spectator in the plunder parade. We’ve entered an era where more people are giving AI broader directives, asking bigger questions, and expecting deeper responses, only to receive yet another AI-generated summary. But what, exactly, is AI doing in response? That’s the real limitation of the tech. Right now, millions are spinning their wheels in digital circles, posing complex problems to a machine built to mimic intelligence. And when...

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Appraisal Institute Scandal – Widespread Fraud Uncovered

AppraisersBlogs — Tue, 01 Apr 2025 12:30:28 +0000

The Appraisal Institute is embroiled in yet another scandal, and this time it involves widespread fraud and cover-ups at the highest levels of the organization. Alissa Akins, a former director at AI, blew the whistle on a long-running scheme where the nonprofit knowingly misreported test scores to state regulators, potentially allowing unqualified appraisers to get licensed. When Akins tried to sound the alarm and fix the problems, she was met with a “don’t ask, don’t tell” attitude from leadership and ultimately got fired in retaliation. It’s absolutely mind-boggling that an organization tasked with upholding standards and ethics in the appraisal...

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Key Part of USPAP Not Available from TAF

Dave Towne — Fri, 19 Jul 2024 12:30:37 +0000

this is a colossal failure on their part – to have a key document on BACKORDER until a month from now, or longer! Appraisers, I have a print copy of the current USPAP, but need/want a PRINT copy of the AO/FAQ Reference Manual, which TAF decided to make into a separate document for this version at a cost of $75. I prefer the printed versions, rather than the PDF so I can read it and use a highlighter for key items. I went onto the TAF web site on July 17, 2024 to order the document, and found this: In...

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Obscure Federal Official Has Hatched ‘Sick Chicken’ in Housing Sector

Jeremy Bagott — Thu, 04 Apr 2024 12:30:58 +0000

The case eventually found its way to the U.S. Supreme Court, where it came to be known to the public as the “Sick Chicken Case” It was the Great Depression’s bleakest year – 1933. At President Roosevelt’s urging, Congress passed the National Industrial Recovery Act, a New Deal bill that partially ceded lawmaking authority to private organizations and industry boards to develop codes of conduct that would then be enforced on citizens as binding law. The owners of poultry producer Schechter Poultry Corp. were indicted for violating the new private business code for the poultry industry. The chicken men lawyered...

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Recap of the 4th ASC Appraisal Bias Hearing

AppraisersBlogs — Wed, 28 Feb 2024 13:30:47 +0000

On February 13th, 2024, the fourth ASC appraisal bias hearing took place. For those who were unable to attend, the video of the hearing has been included below. The hearing was a crucial event for the appraisal industry, and it is important for all appraisers to be aware of the discussions and topics addressed. The panel of witnesses included: David Bunton, President, The Appraisal Foundation E.C. Neelly IV, Executive Director, Mississippi Real Estate Appraisal Board Maureen Sweeney, Principal, Maureen Sweeney, Real Estate Appraiser Ltd. Melissa Tran, Director, Texas Appraiser Licensing and Certification Board Jillian White, Chief Executive Officer, Appraisal Insights...

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Seller Filed a Racial Bias Complaint Against Me

Guest Author — Tue, 07 Nov 2023 13:30:08 +0000

So what’s caused the sudden loss of income? Could it be because of the racial bias complaint filed against me by an unhappy Seller… Fannie Mae accomplished what they set out to do in July 2011, when they initiated their Uniform Appraisal Dataset (UAD) and the Uniform Collateral Data Portal. The goal was to collect enough property data to effectively remove appraisers from the home buying and refinancing process. It all started with Dodd-Frank Act, a several hundred pages Act signed into law by then President Obama, sold to unsuspecting Americans as a protection from the corrupt business practices of...

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The New & Improved Fannie Mae “FRAUDULATOR 2.0”

Michael Ford — Mon, 15 May 2023 12:30:53 +0000

Originally known as Fannie Mae’s Collateral Underwriter (CU), and subsequently Collateral Underwriter 2.0 (CU-2)i this always dubious product of Fannie Mae is increasingly being referred to by some, if not many American Appraisers as The Fraudulator / Underwriter 2.0 (FU-2). To be clear it is not limited to the Collateral Underwriter (CU & CU-2) software. The new Fraudulator (FU-2) combines the CU products with their numerous improper uses. The end result of which includes OUTRIGHT FRAUD being perpetrated against banks via the repurchase letters Fannie Mae now issues on a quota based system rather than because of legitimate appraisal defects....

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The Scam of Racial Discrimination by Appraisers

Michael Ford — Wed, 10 May 2023 12:30:40 +0000

More and more appraisers are retiring every day. Aside from that more and more are changing to lower liability careers. Eventually, the opportunists who have been promoting the scam of racial discrimination by appraisers such as career politicians, and ‘anti-discrimination’ software hucksters like Black Knight will be shown to be what they truly are. Recently, a highly respected appraiser who is also a senior designated member of a well-known national professional peer association, wrote an article about a new proposed law in New York ostensibly targeting New York appraisers. Mr. Bagott’s article had an unusual amount of hyperbole within it...

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How U.S. Home Valuations Are Being Subverted

Jeremy Bagott — Wed, 22 Mar 2023 12:30:16 +0000

At the crossroads of it all is a campaign to weaken or eliminate valuations… The nonprofit is now exploring ways it can set standards for automated valuations… Expect greater distortions from Freddie and Fannie’s plodding and committee-driven foray into automated valuations. Sometimes when the hair on the back of your neck stands up, there’s a reason for it. The nation’s $11 trillion mortgage market has been nationalized. This coup occurred in broad daylight and gradually. With Freddie and Fannie now in their second decade in federal conservatorship, the prospect that they will ever again be subjected to the watchful eye...

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Look in the Mirror

Mark Skapinetz — Mon, 27 Feb 2023 13:30:14 +0000

The phrase “take a look in the mirror” is a common idiom used to encourage self-reflection and introspection. It is a powerful statement that can evoke a range of emotions and reactions from individuals, from contemplation to defensiveness. At its core, the phrase is a call to examine oneself honestly and objectively. It asks us to step back from our assumptions, biases, and preconceptions and consider our behavior, choices, and beliefs in a critical light. When we take a look in the mirror, we are forced to confront our flaws and shortcomings, but also to recognize our strengths and achievements....

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Confusing Language for USPAP Ethics Rule Addition

Dave Towne — Fri, 17 Feb 2023 13:30:52 +0000

A proposed update of professional guidelines for property appraisals contains confusing language about what constitutes discrimination, and would even suggest appraisers could engage in “ethical” discrimination. Folks, the following article is in the ABA Banking Journal e-newsletter, posted on Wednesday, February 15, 2023. I’m really glad this has been released. Hopefully the Appraisal Standards Board will closely examine the concerns of the regulators. I read the USPAP 4th Exposure Draft. It contains so much new Ethics Rule “legaleze” language about conduct that it is, and can be, overwhelmingly confusing to a majority of appraisers. It’s written by lawyers in such...

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Two Cheers for an ‘Evolved’ Beltway Entrepreneur… David Bunton

Jeremy Bagott — Thu, 16 Feb 2023 13:30:33 +0000

We come not to bury David Bunton, the public figure, but to praise David Bunton, the evolved Beltway organism. Who is David Bunton? Bunton has made a small fortune and canvassed the world at the helm of a 16-employee Washington, D.C., nonprofit that publishes a copyrighted code of conduct. The code gives his tiny fiefdom a big say in how collateral in the nation’s $11 trillion mortgage market is valued. He is a figure with outsized power in an immense market. His day-to-day funding source? For 30 years, his nonprofit, known as the Appraisal Foundation, has sold copies of its...

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Appraiser Countersuing Black Homeowners for Defamation

Dave Towne — Mon, 30 Jan 2023 13:30:23 +0000

The Maryland appraiser has filed a countersuit against the homeowners, claiming defamation. Appraisers, there have been several lawsuits filed against appraisers by borrowers who “don’t like your value, so I’m accusing you of discrimination” over the last year or so. These lawsuits all have the same theme, and it’s entirely possible that these actions are being coordinated by a consortium of ‘organizers’ and law firms. The plaintiff representing firm for the Baltimore suit is the same law firm The Appraisal Foundation hired to write new USPAP language for the Ethics Rule, which potentially will be approved in just a few...

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Bias and Discrimination in Reports, Yes or No?

Dave Towne — Wed, 04 Jan 2023 13:30:57 +0000

Appraisers, should we include discussion of B&D in our reports? Wait, What?? Bondage and Discipline? No, not that. Bias and Discrimination. Yes, it must be addressed very clearly. Now, before you blow a cork or throw your mouse at the computer screen, let’s examine what’s really been impacting ‘us’ for the past 4 plus years. One of our peers, who’s become somewhat famous for the way articles are written about appraisal and other topics, had a recent article ‘rebroadcasted’ in AppraisersBlogs, FTX Bought Government’s Silence; Did Fintechs Buy Attacks on Appraisers? A statement in that article exposes some of what has...

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What Is My Incentive?

Michael Ford — Tue, 20 Sep 2022 12:30:38 +0000

Why would I bother taking on the added risk of an inconvenient process? Where is my incentive again? As an appraiser, I have to ask (seriously) why should I care if the profession has a shortage of skilled appraisers? Logic dictates that If there is a shortage, then I will remain busy. Even if waivers (another ruse to eliminate appraisal work) increase, I’ll be busier with fewer appraisers. Especially with so many of them “trained” under PAVE or PAREA programs. If there is an adequate supply of appraisers, then users of appraisals will continue to seek cheaper alternatives from them...

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Appraisal Foundation, Like Khloe Kardashian, Rattled Tin Cup for PPP Alms

Jeremy Bagott — Thu, 15 Sep 2022 12:30:25 +0000

Yet it applied for $270,706 in PPP relief intended to aid small businesses, such as the mom-and-pop appraisal shops coerced at the state level into participating in the foundation’s privately run regulatory regimen… Wearing a scoop-neck black catsuit from her brand’s High Shine Compression line, media personality Khloé Kardashian, whose net worth has been reported at $60 million, turned heads recently at Kendall Jenner’s 818 Tequila launch party in Malibu. What could this fashionista and socialite have in common with the Appraisal Foundation, an obscure publisher with a government franchise and guaranteed annual grants from a tiny captured federal agency?...

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Grants to Help Train Appraisers

Dave Towne — Tue, 13 Sep 2022 12:30:21 +0000

To establish grants directly to supervisor appraisers to help cover the training costs for each Trainee… Folks, this article appeared in American Banker on September 7, 2022. In my view, after reading it, the article appears to present a balanced perspective about what appraisers have been experiencing since the FIRREA law was mandated back in 1989. It also exposes problems with getting new people into the appraisal profession. If you have been paying attention to appraisal related activities over the years, you will recognize the names of people quoted in this American Banker article. One thing that has not been...

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No End Date for Future Editions of USPAP

Dave Towne — Tue, 16 Aug 2022 12:30:23 +0000

Future editions of USPAP will have an effective start date but no end date. Folks, on Thursday August 11, 2022, the ASB/TAF announced the extension of the current USPAP to the end of 2023. Assuming that a ‘new’ USPAP is formally approved in time, the next issue of USPAP will become effective January 1, 2024. But here’s the interesting wrinkle about this, which I admit I missed in their 8/11/22 announcement: “How long is the current version of USPAP effective? With this announcement, the 2020-21 USPAP will now have an effective date through December 31, 2023. This is an additional...

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Justice for Texas Appraiser? You Bet. Price Tag: $99,000

Jeremy Bagott — Thu, 11 Aug 2022 12:30:32 +0000

The Texas Appraiser Licensing and Certification Board is a hot mess, but one with a malicious and callous streak. That makes it dangerous to licensees. The Unclean Hands Doctrine is a legal defense. It helps prevent petitioners who are engaged in fraud, deceit or bad faith from recovering certain damages from others. If you’re a known cattle rustler yourself, the Unclean Hands defense may keep you from recovering damages if your own cattle go missing. It’s also sometimes called the “Clean Hands Doctrine” or the “Dirty Hands Doctrine.” Based on this doctrine, the feculent fingers of the Texas Appraiser Licensing...

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USPAP Third Exposure Draft

Dave Towne — Thu, 04 Aug 2022 12:30:49 +0000

…the Ethics Rule has been expanded with a new highly detailed Nondiscrimination section, which also affects the Competency Rule. Folks, the Appraisal Foundation’s Appraisal Standards Board released the THIRD Exposure Draft to USPAP on July 26, 2022. To be honest, I didn’t know there have been two previous Exposure Drafts. I would encourage you to download and print this Draft here. The PDF is also embedded below. It’s only 11 pages total. The key difference in this Draft is that the Ethics Rule has been expanded with a new highly detailed Nondiscrimination section, which also affects the Competency Rule. You...

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