Tagged: AMC

Beware of Spot Value Solicitations 28

Beware of Spot Value Solicitations

Many appraisers have gotten invitation letters in the mail from Spot Value to join their panel. The letter states that the appraiser was recommended by one of their clients and that their panel is by invitation only! They have a website which makes them look legit. Their address at 2601 Main St, Irvine, CA 92614 is to Century Centre building but they do not provide a suite number. The domain is registered to a Michael Miller who is also the CEO and sender of the invitation letters. We were unable to reach Michael Miller at 919-404-4889. Their greeting message is...

If Feedback is Negative, then Why Do Business & Let Them off the Hook? 15

Why Do Business & Let Them off the Hook?

If it’s bad feedback and the people or companies are terrible to deal with, what are you complaining about if you choose to work with them?… “They are who we thought they were, and we let them off the hook.” That was the sound bite Dennis Green said after the Chicago Bears came back and beat the Arizona Cardinals in a football game in October 2006. It will forever go down as one of the best sound bites ever in NFL history and to this day its replayed over and over. To me, this quote is not only amazing (I’m...

iMortgage, the Dollar Bidding Company, Sues LREAB for Antitrust Violation 7

LREAB Hit With an Antitrust Lawsuit

…everyone knows that iMortgage / Single Source is the “dollar bidding” company. They send out appraisal requests at $1.00 and ask everyone to provide their fee… The Louisiana Real Estate Appraiser Board has been hit with another legal battle. This time, iMortgage, operating under the name Single Source has filed suit against the Louisiana Real Estate Appraisal Board claiming a violation of antitrust laws. This suit mirrors that of the FTC, which is currently paused by the Fifth Circuit Court. In the suit, iMortgage claims rules created by the Louisiana Real Estate Board, which consists of market participants, set appraisal...

AMCs Appraisal Report Reviews - Validox Appraisal Review Document 20

AMCs Appraisal Report Reviews

AMCs are legally required to do appraisal report reviews… Appraisers, an appraiser shared AMC appraisal report review documents with me, which the appraiser was given. I have not seen these before. See the PDF embedded below for an example. Per state laws in the various states, AMCs are legally required to do appraisal report reviews per provisions of their state AMC license on up to 5% of the reports they process. AMCs must keep the results of those appraisal report reviews on file for a specified time period, and of course, send the review document to the client lender pertaining to the...

Think It's Okay to Do Bifurcated Hybrids? Georgia Fines Hybrid Appraiser! 101

Georgia Fines Clear Value Hybrid Appraiser

So, do you think it’s ok to do bifurcated hybrids? On January 31, 2018, what appeared to be egregiously deficient Clear Capital “Clear Value” bifurcated hybrids were exposed in AppraisersBlogs. See What IS a “ClearVal Appraisal”? The properties were in Georgia. The appraisals were performed on a desktop basis by an appraiser in Indiana. Total fee was $250. Out of that $250, AMC Fee was $225, and the Indiana desktop appraiser was paid $25.00. Keep that fee in mind as you read through the attachments. Two complaints were filed by AGA™. One with the State of Indiana, and one with...

Hard Fixed Appraisal Fee in TRID - Possible Changes by CFPB 19

TRID – Possible Changes by CFPB

For appraisers and lenders, a key sticking point is the ‘appraisal fee’ has been hard-fixed, quoted up front, and difficult to change, at the time the assignment is given to the appraiser… Appraisers / Lenders, the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection (CFPB) has opened a comment period soliciting written comments on the current TILA-RESPA Integrated Disclosure (TRID) process applying to consumer mortgage loans. Comments can be submitted to the following addresses, until Jan. 21, 2020. You may submit comments, identified by Docket No. CFPB-2019-0055, by any of the following methods: Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the instructions for submitting comments....

Veterans Administration on Hybrid Appraisals - Protecting Veterans 8

Veterans Administration on Hybrid Appraisals

See the announcement by the Veterans Administration basically telling lenders and appraisal management companies we are going to protect our Veterans with sound appraisal practice. …the person providing property information to the appraiser must have entered into an agreement with the appraiser to do so. …the person who provides to the VA fee panel appraiser information must sign the appraisal report in the “Appraiser” section of the left side of the appraisal report. Assisted Appraisal Processing Program (AAPP) This section authorizes the Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) Secretary to issue guidance explaining the conditions under which VA permits VA fee...

Appraisal Management Companies Soliciting for Fast & Cheap Appraisers 22

Appraisers Not Signing Up with These AMCs

Over the past few weeks VaCAP has been hearing from our members on some of the concerns they have with how appraisal management companies are conducting themselves. It started when appraisers on the USDA panel received notifications that USDA was no longer ordering appraisals directly and that task has been outsourced. Verdi Consulting and Jones Lang LaSalle have received the contracts from USDA for appraisal origination. Neither of these companies are licensed as an appraisal management company in Virginia and they are using two appraisal management companies as subcontractors; Valligent and Clarocity. Most appraisers we heard from were highly concerned...

New Law Effect on the Working Relationship Between Appraisers & AMCs 3

New CA Law Negative Effect for Appraisers

Some of you appraiser in California may not realize there is a new law, AB-5, which goes into effect on 1/1/2020, less than 60 days from now that will have a significant effect on the working relationship between appraisers and AMCs. Most appraisers work as Independent Contractors when working with AMCs. However, this will most likely change under this new law, AB-5, as of the first of the year. Most engagement letters or other instructions from AMCs to appraisers are in conflict with this new law as it pertains to the use of Independent Contractors. Under most of these agreements...

PS - Never Quit! - Appraisers Are Fighting Back all Over the County! 4

PS – Never Quit!

Here we are over 3 and a half years after the article titled “I Do Not Quit, Not Ever!“. No one has quit yet. AGA™ is now a tax-exempt 501(c)(6). We have successfully renegotiated our affiliation agreement with OPEIU and AFL-CIO. The articles of incorporation revised our previous articles of association. In the past two years Jan Bellas and the National Appraiser Peer Review Committee have helped in excess of 185 appraisers get off blacklists; be reinstated with lenders and assisted those wrongfully accused in defending themselves before state regulatory agencies. Anyone that’s dealt with Jan Bellas KNOWS she doesn’t...

xml sitemap
blank