Category: Dodd-Frank Act / C&R Fees

Expert Witness AMC Order Blast & Appraiser's Response 5

Expert Witness AMC Order Blast & Appraiser’s Response

AMC’s order blast for Expert Witness Appraisal Services Before I can offer ANY bid, you folks need to decide whether you want a FNMA 1004 form, a 1073 form or a 1025 form. If the latter is sought, then a 1004MC would not appear to be relevant. I am expert witness qualified in Los Angeles County Superior Court. In addition to the base fee (due in advance) which starts at a minimum of $1,500 for SFR, $2,000 for a condo and $2,500 for a 2 to 4 unit rent controlled property in Los Angeles, I charge $350 an hour for...

Low AMC Fees? FDIC Wants to Hear from Appraisers 24

Low AMC Appraisal Fees? FDIC Wants to Hear from Appraisers

AMCs paying low fees, Appraisers and Regulation Z of TILA VaCAP recently learned of some encouraging news. The FDIC wants Regulation Z to be followed and will enforce it for appraisers. Here is what VaCAP received from an appraiser who reached out to the FDIC: I just had a call from an extremely pleasant lady named Susan Welch from the FDIC Consumer Response Center (1-800-378-9581). I had sent a note over regarding an AMC attempting to get me to sign a “Base Fee Letter” agreeing to a drop of my base fee for full appraisals to $325 from $400-500. She...

Earthworm AMCs and Free Appraisals 11

Earthworm AMCs and Free Appraisals

Quit working for the earthworm AMCs I love reading Jonathan Miller’s Housing Notes blog each week. Here is one of his entries from last week. Below this I’ll add my own $0.02. Actually, it’s worth a nickel! Let’s explore the concept of free appraisals. The idea that “you get what you pay for” doesn’t seem to apply to real estate. Appraisers have been under siege for the past decade and the industry is decimated. There are only a few good appraisers left in each market as lenders and the Appraisal Management Companies (AMCs) they use have pressed hard to convert...

Appraiser Safety - Stalked by Homeowner 29

Appraiser Safety, Stalked by Homeowner

Personal safety of appraisers I have several issues that focus on PERSONAL SAFETY of appraisers especially female appraisers that I need to address. I had a recent event where a homeowner was not happy with the appraised value of his home. Four weeks after I had turned in the appraisal, the lender, Freedom Mortgage, proceeded to send five sales that were 16 to 29 months old, for my review. I responded via StreetLinks AMC communication log stating these were not within FNMA guidelines. A few weeks later StreetLinks sent me the following: Good afternoon, the lender has ordered a second...

Paid Late AMC Violations 20

The Appraiser is the Only One Policing the Industry

Paid Late, Non C&R fees, Operating Without License AMC Violations VaCAP has learned North Carolina has disciplined Appraisal Nation and Independent Settlement Services for non-payment within 30 days in accordance with North Carolina Law. See the details below. How does this help appraisers in Virginia? The answer is simple, precedence! When the VREAB receives a complaint and determines a violation has occurred, there is guidance in disciplinary actions. On the topic of AMC’s not complying, VaCAP has learned of several AMC’s operating in Virginia without proper licensure. And yes, all of them have been reported to DPOR! We can not...

VaCAP AMC Compliance Notification 9

Compliance Notification to AMCs

Virginia Coalition of Appraisal Professionals’ Courtesy notification to AMCs licensed in Virginia On Monday March 29, 2016, VaCAP sent via email a courtesy notification to each AMC licensed in Virginia along with a copy of the Guidance Document issued by the Department of Professional Occupation Regulation. They will follow up with a hard copy to each licensed AMC next week as well. VaCAP continues to Unite, Preserve and Promote the collective interests of all appraisal professionals in the Commonwealth of Virginia. To all Licensed AMCs in Virginia: This correspondence is intended as the Virginia Coalition of Appraiser Professionals (VaCAP) courtesy...

5

Simply too BIG to Say No to…

If they can’t even get their own PACE Pro form right, how are these alternative “valuation” providers going to get something as complicated as the value right? First American, and to some extent similar large scale conglomerate “players”, supply everything to the transaction: from the Home Warranty for the buyer, to the escrow services, to the mortgage company, to the mortgage servicer, to the title company, to the appraisal management company, to the appraiser panelists, to the software company that DESIGNS the software used for PACE Pro and almost all other appraisal software (ACI), to the BPO providers, to the...

AMC bidding game 35

AMCs Bidding Game

An appraiser’s response to AMCs bidding system. Recently, we came across an interesting story and thought it’s something fruitful that needs to be shared. If you receive “appraisal orders by email-blast”, you may find the below “template” useful. This was inspired by another appraiser. We encourage appraisers to copy this defacto response or adapt your content to suit your context/circumstances. We need to work together as a group in our efforts to fight AMCs’ bidding system and put an end on low bid appraisal ordering. Dear AMC, If your company consistently calls for bid quotes and is unable to assign...

Cracking Down on Appraiser Licenses & Higher Fees 12

Cracking Down on Appraiser Licenses & Higher Fees

Now they’re saying your license has to be revoked! The Federal Government is cracking down on appraiser licenses that were issued by the states where the applicant did not meet the “new” TAF requirements. Several states have this problem. Virginia is in that mix. About nine appraiser licenses were issued that the Federal Government is now saying have to be revoked. About half of these people have reached out to me. There is not a lot I can do or VACAP can do. But the state will be addressing this issue over the next couple of board meetings. So if...

We work together and support each others initiatives 1

Let’s Work Together

We work together and support each others initiatives… Like VaCAP, other appraiser organizations are working towards the betterment of the appraisal industry and public trust. VaCAP works independently, as well as with a network of other state coalitions and other professional organizations in our industry. Many of the initiatives VaCAP supports are the same initiatives other organizations support. Although we may have different ideas on solutions, we work together and support each others initiatives as the appraisal industry and the consumer benefits. The American Society of Appraisers was represented by John Russell, Director of Government Relations, at the Customary and...

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