Category: Federal Housing Finance Agency

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“Fake” Appraiser E&O Insurance and Shady Things from AMCs Too

Outright Fake E&O For many appraisers and also some AMCs (appraisal management companies), the only reason they purchase professional liability insurance (E&O) is because a client requires them to show coverage in order to receive work.  The fact that some appraisers and AMCs only look at insurance as an “E&O ticket” leads to some unfortunate examples of fraud, which appraisers, firms, AMCs and clients should be aware of. Before I get to the fakery, however, I’ll explain that our purpose in providing E&O, and also the reason that most of our insureds purchase it, is because E&O first serves the insured by providing...

Regulatory Claims Exclusion 0

Regulatory Claims Exclusion

Navigators Sues More Appraisers to Deny Coverage under “Regulatory Claims” Exclusion Last Thursday, November 14, Navigators Insurance Company sued two more appraisers to enforce “regulatory claims” exclusions in the E&O policies they purchased. These appraisers are in Nevada. Like the appraiser sued by Navigators in Florida on November 6, the Nevada appraisers are being sued by the FDIC for professional negligence in cases filed about a year ago. The objective of Navigators’ lawsuits is to seek court confirmation of Navigators’ legal position that there is no coverage under Navigators’ policy for damages awarded against the appraisers to the FDIC, which is demanding about $500,000...

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Mortgage Takings: The Next Appraisal Frontier or Liability?

According to the Appraisal Institute’s recently published 2013 Real Estate Appraisal Outlook, U.S. appraisers anticipate that litigation valuation/forensic appraisals will be one of the top five areas of growth in the next one to two years in both commercial and residential appraisal.  Indeed, approximately 33% of surveyed commercial appraisers anticipate more demand from law firms and lawyers in the near future, with 24% of those surveyed expecting an increase in valuation consultation and studies in support of litigation.  The appraisers’ prediction may be spot on the money as at least one U.S. municipality has begun to implement a plan to...

Appraisal Exemptions Proposed Rule 1

Proposed Rule on HPML Appraisal Exemptions

Appraisal Exemptions: Agencies Issue Proposed Rule to Exempt Subset of Higher-Priced Mortgage Loans from Appraisal Requirements WASHINGTON— Six federal financial regulatory agencies today issued a proposed rule that would create exemptions from certain appraisal requirements for a subset of higher-priced mortgage loans. The proposed exemptions are intended to save borrowers time and money and to promote the safety and soundness of creditors. The appraisal requirements for higher-priced mortgages were imposed by the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (Dodd-Frank Act). Under the Dodd-Frank Act, mortgage loans are considered to be higher-priced if they are secured by a consumer’s...

NAIHP Promotes New Appraisal Rules on Capitol Hill 4

NAIHP Promotes New Appraisal Rules on Capitol Hill

NAIHP acknowledges neither HVCC nor Appraiser Independence rules require the use of AMC’s. The conflict of interest rules contained in the “Interim Final Rule on Appraiser Independence,” were designed to establish a firewall between a loan production department ordering valuations of residential real estate and appraisers, who perform valuations. The Federal Reserve Board (FRB), who established the Interim Final Rule to replace the Home Valuation Code of Conduct (HVCC) in October of 2010, recognized it was not always practical to separate these functions in small financial institutions, which is why the FRB created two sets of firewall requirements: one for...

Higher-priced mortgage loans 0

Final Rule on Appraisals for Higher-Priced Mortgage Loans

Agencies Issue Final Rule on Appraisals for higher-priced Mortgage Loans Washington, D.C. – Six federal financial regulatory agencies today issued the final rule that establishes new appraisal requirements for “higher-priced mortgage loans.” The rule implements amendments to the Truth in Lending Act made by the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 (Dodd-Frank Act). Under the Dodd-Frank Act, mortgage loans are higher-priced if they are secured by a consumer’s home and have interest rates above certain thresholds. For higher-priced mortgage loans, the rule requires creditors to use a licensed or certified appraiser who prepares a written appraisal...

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Regulators Should Take Actions to Strengthen Appraisal Oversight

Fed Report Scrutinizes Appraisal Processes The Government Accountability Office released a report June 28 that scrutinized real estate valuations in the wake of the recent mortgage crisis. The report, Residential Appraisals — Regulators Should Take Actions to Strengthen Appraisal Oversight, was produced using data from Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and five of the biggest mortgage lenders. The report revealed that valuations received through broker price opinions and automated valuation models take less time and are less costly than traditional appraisal reports, but traditional appraisal reports are still mandated for almost all first-lien residential loan originations due to their greater reliability....

NAIHP call to action 1

NAIHP Urgent Call to Action

NAIHP: “Congressional Subcommittee REFUSES Small Business Brokers and Appraisers a Seat at the Table” For the second time in a week, the Subcommittee on Insurance, Housing and Community Opportunity, Chaired by Rep. Judy Biggert (R-Illinois), refused small business housing professionals the right to be represented during Congressional testimony. On June 20th, the Subcommittee held a hearing entitled: “Mortgage Disclosures: How Do We Cut Red Tape for Consumers and Small Businesses?” Although, Banks were represented three times on the panel, Brokers were intentionally excluded. NAIHP argued to represent the industry, but was refused because the panel was full. On June 28th,...

HVCC & Interim Rules Unintended Consequences 7

NAIHP Letter Regarding Appraiser Independence Regulations

An outline exposing the unintended consequences created by HVCC and the Interim Rule February 23, 2012, Hon. Richard Cordray, Director, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Re: Appraiser Independence Regulations Dear Director Cordray: Thank you for taking the time to meet with NAIHP on January 26, 2012. We always appreciate the opportunity to meet with the CFPB and discuss issues of concern that affect consumers and small business housing professionals. Although, our meeting covered a broad range of issues, my comments today are limited to the ongoing problems associated with “Appraiser Independence.” Today’s interim Rule on Appraiser Independence, was built on the...

Fatal UAD edits 0

USDA Adopts Uniform Appraisal Dataset (UAD)

The US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Rural Development announced that the Uniform Appraisal Dataset will apply to the Single Family Housing Section 502 Guaranteed and Direct Loan Programs effective January 1, 2012. The purpose of this Administrative Notice (AN) is to announce the USDA Rural Development Single Family Housing Section 502 Guaranteed and Direct Loan Programs will adopt the new Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Uniform Appraisal Dataset (UAD) effective September 1, 2011. To allow sufficient time to make any necessary data system changes, the requirements of this AN will be mandatory for all appraisals completed on or after January...

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