Tagged: Appraisal Management Company

Are Appraisers Being Sued for Errors Relating to the COVID-19 Pandemic? 2

Appraisers Being Sued for COVID-19 Errors?

The alleged errors in appraisals that parties are suing appraisers over during the pandemic are the same types of errors that appraisers usually get sued over… Wow. I did not go into the basement on my last visit. I’ll explain why an appraiser wrote that in a moment. Are appraisers being sued for errors relating to the COVID-19 pandemic? My short answer is “no” – there’s no pattern of that happening. One of the services that I provide to my legal clients is tracking lawsuits and legislation that relate to valuation services. I locate and follow cases of all types...

AMC / Appraisal / Appraisal Management Companies / Appraisal News / Appraisers News

Why is Only One Side of the Racism Claim Appraisal Story Being Told? 260

Why is Only One Side of This Story Being Told?

There are always two sides to every story; however, understanding is a three-edged sword: your side, their side, and the truth in the middle. Recently there has been a wave of news stories about racism in the appraisal profession brought on by a couple in Jacksonville, Florida. That couple, Abena Horton, a black woman, and her husband Alex Horton, a white male, made claims that an appraiser who first appraised their home came in low on the appraisal due to her race. You can read one of the numerous stories here. Before anyone here accuses me of being racist etc.,...

AMC / Appraisal / Appraisal Management Companies / Appraisal News / Appraisal Organizations / Appraisers News

Update on FTC’s Price-Fixing Enforcement Action Against LREAB 6

New Appellate Decision – LREAB v FTC

FTC’s price-fixing enforcement action against LREAB… A federal appellate court – the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit – has issued a decision in the long-standing fight between the Louisiana Real Estate Appraisers Board (LREAB) and the U.S. Federal Trade Commission about “customary and reasonable” appraisal fees. I’m venturing here to provide a short, understandable, unbiased summary of the litigation and what this latest court decision means. What did the Court of Appeals decide? Here’s the very short summary: The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is pursuing an administrative complaint it filed in 2017 against LREAB, contending that LREAB’s “customary and reasonable”...

AMC / Appraisal / Appraisal Management Companies / Appraisal News / Appraisal Organizations / Appraisers News

Was Fast & Cheap AMC Appraiser Racist? Biggest Snowball of Your Life 14

The Biggest Snow Job of Your Life

Remember the saying “Pick two: fast, cheap or good. You can only have two of them?” Well you see, amcs got impatient and stopped reading after fast and cheap… The concept is simple enough, a fire wall between the loan production staff and the appraiser to avoid any possible pressure, coercion or influence. It sounded like a good idea to many; hence the HVCC legislation passed and was enacted. This was a period of trial and error for so many and before anyone found their way, along came Mr. Dodd and Mr. Frank to give their official stamp of approval...

AMC / Appraisal / Appraisal Management Companies / Appraisal News / Appraisers News / Customary & Reasonable Fees

Consolidated Analytics AMC Fined for Appraisal Order Blast Violation 18

AMC Fined for Appraisal Order Blast Violation

Consolidated Analytics, an AMC based in Anaheim California, was fined $3,000 for violating the Utah AMC Administrative Rules R162-2e-306 “Offering An Appraisal Assignment and Communicating with Two or More Appraisers About a Potential Assignment. The specific part of this rule that pertains to broadcasting has been relatively effective in reducing broadcasting of assignments. Clear Capital recently was fined $5,000 for failing to comply and there are additional complaints working their way through the system. CONSOLIDATED ANALYTICS, INC., BRIAN GEHL, Owner/Manager, Appraisal Management Company, Anaheim, California. In a stipulated order dated June 24, 2020, Consolidated Analytics, Inc. admitted that it broadcast...

AMC / Appraisal / Appraisal Management Companies / Appraisal News / Appraisers News

Could the CFPB Eliminate AMCs? End of AMCs Fast & Cheap Mentality? 10

Could the CFPB Eliminate AMCs?

Will this be detrimental to appraisal management companies that operate under the fast and cheap mentality?… Let’s face it, the appraisal management company will not survive with quality appraisals at a reasonable and fair fee… The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is seeking public comments on the proposed rules for a Qualified Mortgage. The proposed rules require the lender to season the mortgage for 36 months before they can sell it to Fannie or Freddie. What that means is the lender will own that loan for 3 years. Fast forward if the new rule goes into effect… The lender will be...

AMC / Appraisal / Appraisal Management Companies / Appraisal News / Appraisers News / CFPB

Should Appraisers Pay to Be on AMCs Approved Appraiser List? 47

To Pay or Not To Pay, That is the Question

Should appraisers pay to be on an AMC’s approved appraiser list? Is this one way to get new clients? If an AMC solicited you, would you check it out? Now, I work for some AMCs that, frankly, you might not choose to work for. That’s fine. It’s a choice we all make. Understand that most of the areas I work are rural, so AMCs are generally willing to pay more because of this. Some AMC are very demanding. Yet, when I meet those demands, I get a lot of well-paying jobs from them. Recently, a new AMC asked me to...

AMC / Appraisal / Appraisal Management Companies / Appraisal News / Appraisers News / Trending

The Power of No! Use the Power of No and Let the AMCs Self-implode 18

The Power of No!

Appraisers always had the power to end the appraisal management pyramid scheme. All we had to do is say no. Low fees, headaches, and idiotic reviewers have reached maximum capacity. The imploding of appraisal management companies is forthcoming. Over the past few months, appraisers have been simply saying no to low paying, time wasting, headache giving appraisal management companies; problematic portals too. I even read recently an appraisal was unable to be uploaded to a portal because the opinion of value was below the contract price. This type of influence rises to a whole new level, not to mention the...

AMC / Appraisal / Appraisal Management Companies / Appraisal News / Appraisers News / Customary & Reasonable Fees

Fast Connections AMC Fined $2.8 Million - Don't Mess With Texas 9

Fast Connections AMC Fined $2.8 Million

Fast Connections USA, Inc. & its President, Towhindul Hussain, were found guilty of hundreds of violations… Well it must be true what they say… Don’t mess with Texas! The Texas Appraisal Licensing and Certification Board (TALCB) has issued a monetary fine of $2,801,500 against an appraisal management company. Fast Connections USA, Inc. and its President, Towhindul Hussain, were found guilty of hundreds of violations of Texas law and regulations. TALCB found Fast Connections contracted 274 appraisals in Texas without proper registration. These violations have a mandatory fine of $10,000 each. TALCB also found Fast Connections USA failed to pay appraisers...

AMC / Appraisal / Appraisal Management Companies / Appraisal News / Appraisal Organizations / Appraisers News

You Are a FEE Appraiser Not a FREE Appraiser - Ponzi Scheme AMCs 32

You Are a FEE Appraiser Not a FREE Appraiser

you are a FEE appraiser, not a FREE appraiser. Do not continue doing business with AMCs who don’t pay you in a timely manner per your state law… There’s an old phrase, whose origination is not precisely known, which says “mind your p’s and q’s.” What it means is ‘watch what you are doing’, or various other aspects of life. How many of you realize that the AMC business model as we currently experience, it is actually a Ponzi scheme in operation? Remember Bernie Madoff? That kind of scheme. It’s been publicized recently in various places that several AMCs, including...

Appraisal / Appraisal News / Appraisers News / Trending

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