Tagged: AMC

ESA Bankruptcy, Is Chase To Blame Or A Victim? 3

ESA Bankruptcy, Chase Culprit or Victim?

ESA Bankruptcy, Is Chase to Blame or a Victim? I find myself offering thoughts about many strange and unusual situations involving appraiser E&O and risk management in general, but today may be the strangest subject of all – why it appears Chase did nothing wrong in the ESA bankruptcy case. Don’t misunderstand this as meaning I like Chase in the slightest. I strongly disapprove of what Chase has done and continues to do to appraisers using blacklisting, strong-arming, and filing state licensing complaints to force its will on the appraisal profession. I find much of what Chase has done as...

Washington State Raises AMC Bond Requirement to $100,000 1

Washington State Raises AMC Bond Requirement to $100,000

As a direct result of the recent financial failure of appraisal management companies like Evaluation Solutions and ES Appraisal, the State of Washington recently enacted a new law raising the state’s AMC bond requirement from $25,000 to $100,000.  As of July 28, 2013, all AMCs registered in Washington will be required to carry a bond in the new amount. One of the purposes of the bond is to provide security for payments owed to appraisers by AMCs. If an AMC fails to pay an appraiser in accordance with Washington’s requirements, the appraiser then may have a claim against the AMC’s bond....

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Overtime Lawsuits Continue to Spread

Overtime Lawsuits Continue to Spread Among Valuation-Related Companies — Interthinx Becomes the Latest Defendant First it was Integrated Asset Services.  In February, I wrote here about three employee overtime class actions affecting the Colorado AMC filed on behalf of “timeline managers,” “valuation managers” and “quality reviewers.”  Then it was LandSafe Appraisal.  In April, I wrote an article about a newly filed overtime lawsuit by staff appraisers against that company. There is definitely now a small wave of overtime litigation unde the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) affecting businesses in valuation-related fields.  The industry has become an easy target for...

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REALTOR® & Appraiser Interaction Under Dodd-Frank

A common complaint among REALTORS® in virtually all of Michigan is that many residential deals are failing because the home will not appraise at a value that permits the buyers to finance the purchase and close on the home. Many REALTORS® take the position that many of these properties do not appraise because the appraiser is not “geographically competent.” In other words, the appraiser is from out-of-town, unacquainted with the area in which the appraised property is located; thus, fails to learn or uncover various factors that would substantially change the valuation of the property. The question is then posed...

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Response to "A Wakeup Call for the Valuation Industry: Is anybody listening?"

RE: Richard Gilmore, ARA article – "A Wakeup Call for the Valuation Industry: Is Anybody Listening?" I would like to offer some comments regarding Mr. Gilmore’s article in the April 9, 2013 issue of Ag News. I also read most of the NAHB report – "A Comprehensive Blueprint For Residential Appraisal Reform" dated February 2013. I disagree with most of Mr. Gilmore’s comments regarding the NAHB report. The NAHB report lacks a realistic understanding of what is taking place in the real estate appraisal profession today. Most of what is commented on in the NAHB report has been required and/or in place for more...

Appraisers Confident in Housing Market 0

Survey: Appraisers Confident in Housing Market

Appraisers mostly are upbeat about home price increases and generally are becoming more confident about the state of the U.S. housing market, according to survey results released April 24 by Leawood, Kan. – based appraisal management company United States Appraisals. The survey of 600 appraisers revealed that 55 percent indicated a mildly or moderately strong level of confidence in the housing market while 25 percent said they were neutral. “Appraisers tend to be realistic,focused on their local markets and unmoved by news stories and national numbers,” Aaron Fowler, president of United States Appraisals, said in a news release. “We believe...

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Appraisal Advisor, a Real Estate Appraisal Technology Company, Launches Nationwide

Real estate appraisers find, rate, and manage clients using Appraisal Advisor’s new platform. Atlanta, GA – Tuesday, April 16 – Appraisal Advisor, LLC announced today the launch of an exciting new service focusing on helping real estate appraisers better evaluate and manage the clients, appraisal management companies (AMCs), and lenders that they do business with. Appraisal Advisor provides appraisers with instant access to client ratings and reviews, written by other appraisers, and gives appraisers an avenue to have complaints and non-payment issues be heard. Already boasting an unprecedented database of hundreds of thousands of individually-verified clients and thousands of reviews...

North Dakota AMC law 1

North Dakota Governor Signs AMC Law

AMC Law in North Dakota North Dakota became the 37th state to enact a comprehensive law requiring the registration and oversight of appraisal management companies on April 12 when House Bill 1389 was signed into law by Gov. Jack Dalrymple. The law takes effect on Jan. 1, 2014. Under the new law, entities involved in the residential collateral valuation process must register with the North Dakota Real Estate Appraiser Qualifications and Ethics Board if they oversee a panel of more than 15 independent contract appraisers in North Dakota or 25 or more nationally. Entities that exclusively employ appraisers on an...

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