The consumer is being fed yet another lie! Remember when we heard an appraisal waiver will save the borrower money? Do you recall all those videos from loan officers and mortgage companies encouraging borrowers to obtain an appraisal waiver to save them money? News flash – they lied! But you already knew that. Well, fellow appraiser and blogger Krystal Schware of Paragon Appraisal Services has a story for you: “The Danger of Saying Yes to an Appraisal Waiver”. “For only $599, we will grant you an appraisal waiver to help you avoid having an appraisal that ‘comes in short’.” **...
So who is really responsible for payments to appraisers?… Where to start with this? Do I have to refer you back to my past articles like What’s Not in Your Wallet or Appraisers Outraged? Where do we even begin… We begin here. Another story of an Appraisal Management Company going out of business, owing tons of money to appraisers for services they provided. Coester VMS, once one of the biggest players in the game, closed its doors recently. They closed them leaving appraisers with thousands of unpaid invoices for services that who knows if they will ever be paid for....
“I am owed $20,000”. “I am owed $2000”. “I am owed $500”. “I am owed $1500”. These are just some of the quotes pulled from various groups, message boards and forums from appraisers all over the country that are owed money for the appraisal services they provided. Services they provided for a Lender, Mortgage Company or Bank through an Appraisal Management Company or AMC as they are known. What’s an Appraisal Management Company you ask? Well for those that do not know, AMCs have been around a long time. Appraisal management companies (AMCs) are business entities that administer networks of independent...
…contact information for the bonding company… Appraisers, if any of you are owed money for unpaid appraisals from CoesterVMS, you might want to read and save this message. However, first…often, bonding companies require a Superior Court judgement in writing before they will pay up. So you may need to follow that process in your state. You will need to have invoices for all unpaid reports which document the property address, and report file number, plus lender name if known. A peer appraiser has provided me the name and contact information for the bonding company as filed with the CoesterVMS AMC...
We object to the proposal to increase the de minimis threshold at which no appraisal is required… Sirs: The American Guild of Appraisers (AGA), of the Office Professional Employees International Union (#44 OPEIU) of the AFL-CIO represents the members and extended family and retirees, taxpayer and consumer real estate appraisal interests of nearly Twelve and a half million citizens and voters. We object to the proposal to increase the de minimis threshold at which no appraisal is required from $250,000 to $400,000. Respectfully, if anything is done with it at all, lowering it to a range not to exceed $100,000...
For those who are not familiar with what an AMC is, it is short for Appraisal Management Company. They are not new, but since the adoption of the Home Valuation Code of Conduct, the number and the frequency of their use have increased. They are the order manager for the lender and ensure appraiser independence. If you have not already read “What’s Not in Your Wallet” or “Round and Round!”, go get a little more familiar before reading this. AMCs manage appraisal orders. They find the appraisers to give the orders to, and are supposed to provide quality control reviews...
…all payments on orders completed prior to 11/15/2018 cannot be paid… Appraisers, there is a body of evidence being disseminated via various sources that CoesterVMS, the AMC based in Maryland started by appraiser Brian Coester, is in bankruptcy. This message from CoesterVMS was circulated last week: “Due to financial difficulties all payments on orders completed prior to 11/15/2018 cannot be paid at this time, our BK attorneys will be in contact with all creditors. Coester can guarantee payment next day on all orders completed on or after 11/16/2018. We apologize for any inconvenience.” Does it make any logical sense to...
Coester VMS Surety Bond Claims Exceed Value… Appraisers licensed in North Carolina received the following email by International Fidelity Insurance Company: Re: Principal: Coestervms Bond No.: TXIFSU0633863 Obligee: NORTH CAROLINA APPRAISAL BOARD Please be advised that International Fidelity Insurance Company (the “Surety”) issued an Appraisal Bond to CoesterVMS (“Coester”). The penal limit of the bond is $25,000.00. This letter will advise you that the Surety has received claims against the above referenced bond in excess of the bond’s penal sum. As a result, the Surety will pay claims on the bond on a pro rata basis according to the amount...
The real question I have is simple: Is Mr. Brian Coester being honest with people, and telling the truth about what REALLY happened? I’m skeptical, but I don’t do business with CoesterVMS. Brian Coester claims “We are not out of business,” as AMC runs into financial difficulty – AMC claims bank made mistake I sure have read lots of first-hand comments from appraisers about either slow pay, or not being paid, for reports completed for CoesterVMS. That makes me highly uncomfortable about accepting any assignment from them, unless they pay the report fee UP FRONT, and they don’t get the report until...
VaCAP has been forwarded an email from the North Carolina Appraisal Board stating the Surety Bond for Coester VMS has been cancelled. We have not heard anything from Virginia or any other state, but will update you as new developments arise. From: NCAppraisal Board ncappraisalboard@ncab.org Sent: Monday, November 26, 2018 11:24 AM Subject: Bond Claims against CoesterVMS The surety bond holder for CoesterVMS, IFIC, has notified the Appraisal Board that Coester requested the bond to be cancelled. The effective date of the cancellation is February 16, 2019. The bond number is TXIFSU0633863. A scan of the original bond is attached. Note...
