Tagged: Federal Law

AMC Engagement Letter: Do Not Include Your Invoice 17

AMC Engagement Letter: Appraisers Do Not Include Your Invoice

File the complaint against the AMC yourself OR Forward the engagement letter to VaCAP to file on your behalf.  At the recent Virginia Appraisal Board Meeting on Wednesday June 28th, a discussion occurred about Appraisal Management Companies prohibiting appraisers from including their invoices with the appraisal report. The overall consensus of the Board Members was this practice could be a violation of Virginia Appraisal Management Company Statute § 54.1-2022 B. “B. The appraisal management company shall not prohibit an appraiser from disclosing in the appraisal report the actual fees charged by an appraiser for appraisal services, and shall otherwise comply...

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

Woke 'Bounty' Bill Will Chill Speech of New York Appraisers 8

Woke ‘Bounty’ Bill Will Chill Speech of New York Appraisers

A bill being crafted by the New York state Senate’s Finance Committee would, in effect, place a $2,000 bounty on the head of any heretical real estate appraiser in the Empire State who dares conclude a value that fails to satisfy a seller, serial refinancer or commissioned broker in a deal. Vulnerable buyers, who could be paying off inflated loans based on coerced values, would simply have to live with it. If enacted, the bill would authorize fines to be levied on appraisers for a new category of thoughtcrime – something called “appraisal discrimination.” Half the proceeds from the fines...

Appraisal / Appraisal News / Appraisers News / Fannie Mae - Freddie Mac / Political Action

Violating Appraisal Independence - Appraiser Intimidation & Coercion 14

Violating Appraisal Independence Through Harassment, Intimidation & Coercion

It shall be unlawful… to engage in any act or practice that violates appraisal independence… Appraisers, I have written the info below, which you may use if you desire to send to your clients and local real estate offices. It’s time for all appraisers to stand up to this kind of very adverse behavior, done by and promoted by many real estate brokers/agents across the US. I have been chastised multiple times by brokers, and in one instance that I know of, was excluded (by the lender who told me) from doing another assignment when I didn’t appraise a prior...

AMC / Appraisal / Appraisal Management Companies / Appraisal News / Appraisers News / Dodd-Frank Act / C&R Fees

Support your fellow appraisers in Georgia 30

Is Georgia Going Rogue?

VaCAP has learned the Georgia Real Estate Appraisal Board is considering rescinding rule 539-1-.23. This rule is the customary and reasonable fee requirement to appraisers from appraisal management companies. The matter will be decided at a 9:30 AM Sunday July 17, 2022 meeting. From the Georgia Real Estate Commission and Appraisal Board: RULE 539-1-.23 Appraisal Management Companies Purpose: In light of the recent decision and order In the Matter of Louisiana Real Estate Appraisers Board Before the Federal Trade Commission of the United States and to avoid even the appearance of anticompetitive conduct or the unreasonable restraint of price competition...

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

How Does the Presence of Sex Offenders Affect Appraised Value? 11

Sex Offenders & Appraised Value

“You know there is a half-way house for sex offenders in the neighborhood, don’t you? It’s about two blocks away from the subject”.. OK. You’re well and truly involved with your research on a job that’s already late. You think you’ve got all your due diligence-bases covered. But you call the broker to confirm on last detail and she asks you, “You know there is a half-way house for sex offenders in the neighborhood, don’t you? It’s about two blocks away from the subject”. Needless to say, you are taken aback! No, you had no clue there was such a facility two blocks away from...

Appraisal / Appraisal News / Appraisers News / Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice / USPAP

Unsolicited Appraisal Request - Don’t Be Afraid to Charge Your Worth 15

Unsolicited Appraisal Request

…an unsolicited appraisal request instructing payment be collected at the door… Well who said 2020 would be a nice calm year for appraisers? VaCAP has been receiving messages from appraisers about some of the crazy dumb stuff lenders and amcs are doing. What is scary is the things we are hearing are very reminiscent of 12-15 years ago. A long time VaCAP member forwarded an appraisal request to us he received via Mercury Network. All was good with the order, turn time, fee; all good except for one little issue, payment was to be collected at the door from the...

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

The Rumble of the Bifurcated Appraisal Train Before It Crashes 7

Do You Feel the Rumble?

“Can you hear that? Do your hear the rumble? It’s a train going 80 mph toward a 25 mph curve” There is an excellent article by Richard Hagar, SRA that hit everyone’s email yesterday from Working RE Magazine. The title of the article is Why “Bifurcated” Won’t Work. This is an excellent read and we ask that you take the time to read it and pass it along to all your contacts. Lots of great examples of why these products are a danger to not only appraisers, but to communities. See the article here. The pressure has begun…all they need...

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

Protecting Appraisers Against Frivolous & Retaliatory 3rd Party Lawsuits 6

Frivolous & Retaliatory 3rd Party Lawsuits

Appraisers are routinely coerced & intimidated by third parties to violate their independence and integrity… Honorable Committee Members: We are writing to add our voice to that of the Massachusetts Board of Real Estate Appraisers (MBREA is a State Coalition of professional real estate appraisers) in support of each of the above bills. The American Guild of Appraisers is a Guild within the Office Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU) of the AFL-CIO, representing the appraisal and real estate related financial consumer / taxpayer interests of over twelve and a half million AFL-CIO Family Union & Guild Members; their families, retirees...

AGA / AMC / Appraisal / Appraisal Management Companies / Appraisal News / Appraisal Organizations

Loan Officer' Letter Instructing Borrower to Push Appraiser for Value 38

A Little Push Can’t Hurt Right? Wrong!!

…forget the risky position foisted on the consumer by the loan officer… Well, here we go again. In my previous blog posts titled “Round and Round” and “Pressure My Story”, I spoke to examples of how lenders and/or AMCs have been pushing and pressuring appraisers to hit certain values on transactions. If an appraiser did not hit these numbers, or make changes to make the transaction work in the lender’s favor, the appraiser would be threatened with non-payment, removal from appraiser panels, and/or blacklisted. If you haven’t read those blog posts, feel free to go back and have a look....

AMC / Appraisal / Appraisal Management Companies / Appraisal News / Appraisers News / Automated Valuation Models

Improper Direction to Appraisers as a New Special Lender Condition 21

Improper Direction to Appraisers

…specific prohibited direction to appraisers involved in federally regulated transactions… Improper direction to appraisers as a new special lender condition Honorable Ladies and Gentlemen: The following article appeared in a recent online post at https://appraisersblogs.com/appraisers-asked-2-overlook-weed-cultivation (also copied to this letter following our inquiry). We consider the original author to be a credible source. Due to the serious implications of any appraisal management service giving such specific prohibited direction to appraisers involved in federally regulated transactions we believe it to be our duty to bring this to your collective attention. We respectfully request that each Federal Regulatory Agency review this issue...

AGA / AMC / Appraisal / Appraisal Management Companies / Appraisal News / Appraisal Organizations

xml sitemap
blank