Tagged: finance

CFPB | Bureau Crackdown: Unfair Practices Hurting Consumers 23

CFPB Crackdown: Unfair Practices Hurting Consumers

Bureau is currently investigating various fees associated with obtaining a loan, with the goal of identifying any that may be particularly burdensome or concerning for borrowers. As we all know many AMCs are not paying Customary & Reasonable fee as required by TILA. They have consistently pushed down the pay of Appraisers while making undisclosed profit off consumers and prioritizing cheapest and fastest over quality and competency. The CFPB has been in communication with individuals behind the scenes and are concerned with what has been shown enough to include AMCs in their data collection process. Now is the time to...

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

Fannie, Freddie's Offshore Gambit Imperils Privacy of Millions 37

Fannie, Freddie’s Offshore Gambit Imperils Privacy of Millions

The offshore firm will data-mine millions of images showing the personal spaces of U.S. homeowners and tenants.  Fearing the Chinese government could access sensitive user data through the video app TikTok, House lawmakers passed a bill last month that would ban the app if it isn’t sold to new owners. But a greater peril looms. Mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are reportedly “bench-testing” an arrangement with a foreign AI firm in which the offshore firm will data-mine millions of images showing the personal spaces of U.S. homeowners and tenants. If your home was appraised for a refinance or...

AMC / Appraisal / Appraisal Management Companies / Appraisal News / Appraisers News / Fannie Mae - Freddie Mac

Government-Sponsored Mortgage Giant Fannie Flouts Law 17

Fannie Wants to Script Conclusions of Outside Analyst – Believes It Is Above the Law

Government-sponsored mortgage giant Fannie Mae is essentially forcing banks to repurchase any loan it wants if [the appraiser] refuses to use the comparables Fannie has selected.  [The corporation] was created by the government, is controlled by the government, and operates for the government’s benefit,” wrote Justice Anthony Kennedy in a unanimous Supreme Court ruling in 2015. He was describing passenger rail hegemon Amtrak, but he could easily have been describing government-sponsored mortgage giant Fannie Mae. The Roberts Court held the National Railroad Passenger Corporation – known more commonly as Amtrak – was a government entity for the purposes of the...

Appraisal / Appraisal News / Appraisers News / Fannie Mae - Freddie Mac / Federal Housing Finance Agency / FHFA

Fannie Mae Census Block Grid Adjustment Raises Redlining Concerns 29

Fannie Mae ‘Census Block Grid’ Adjustment Raises Redlining Concerns

“FNMA’s collateral underwriter tool has a line item adjustment it makes on every comparable called Census Block Grid.”  In a recent discussion within the comments section of an article titled ‘The Censorship of Appraisers,’ an appraiser shared a concerning statement from an underwriter about an adjustment made by Fannie Mae’s Collateral Underwriter tool. The underwriter revealed that the tool uses a ‘Census Block Grid’ adjustment (CBG) to evaluate comparable property values. This adjustment, which modifies values based on median home values within specific census blocks, raises concerns for potentially reflecting practices akin to redlining – a discriminatory practice that is...

Appraisal / Appraisal News / Appraisers News / Automated Valuation Models / AVM / Collateral Underwriter

The One-Mile Rule: Prudent Policy or Modern Day Redlining? 8

The One-Mile Rule: Prudent Policy or Modern Day Redlining?

…whether through redlined maps or implicit “one-mile rule,” the result can be undervalued properties in historically marginalized neighborhoods.  Throughout the history of mortgage banking and lending in the United States, underwriting policies have significantly influenced the appraisal process for home purchases and refinances. Appraisers must follow underwriter appraisal review guidelines meticulously to ensure their appraisal reports are accepted by the lender. Unfortunately, in the past, these policies became the basis for redlining, wherein certain communities were systematically denied access to mortgage credit. In this article, we delve into the historical context of underwriting policies and their influence on the appraisal...

Appraisal / Appraisal News / Appraisers News / Automated Valuation Models / AVM / Collateral Underwriter

AI to Counter the Flawed Appraiser Bias Narrative 29

AI to Counter Flawed Appraiser Bias Narrative

In reality, appraisers have a great story to tell, but we have a long way to go to refocus the terribly flawed “appraiser bias” narrative onto facts and science.  Last week’s email from Cindy Chance, the CEO of the Appraisal Institute, marks an important and long overdue shift in the organization’s approach to addressing accusations of bias in the appraisal profession. For too long, appraisers have faced sweeping claims that their valuations are biased against certain groups, despite appraisers’ ethical standards, rigorous training, and lack of financial stake in transactions. As Chance acknowledges, the Institute should have done more to...

AI / Appraisal / Appraisal Institute / Appraisal News / Appraisal Organizations / Appraisers News

Federal Officials Team up with Freddie, Fannie to Deceive Investors | The Censorship of Appraisers 34

The Censorship of Appraisers

Thirty-seven hours after President Biden took the oath of office, White House officials met with executives at social media companies. The officials threatened restraint-of-trade lawsuits and regulatory action if the companies failed to censor what the White House deemed “misinformation.” In a parallel development, we can now connect the dots that similar talks occurred among White House officials, employees of government-sponsored mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and private vendors to throttle the protected speech of individuals and firms in the mortgage industry engaged specifically for their independence. The latter serve as bulwarks in federally backed mortgage transactions. In...

Appraisal / Appraisal News / Appraisers News / Fannie Mae - Freddie Mac / Federal Housing Finance Agency / FHFA

LoanDepot Appraisal Discrimination Settlement 33

LoanDepot Appraisal Discrimination Settlement

Connolly and Mott v. Lanham, 20/20 Valuations, and loanDepot.com, U.S. District Court, Maryland. This is one of the appraisal discrimination cases that has received significant attention – among appraisers, the media and government agencies. A Black couple in Baltimore – Dr. Connolly and Dr. Mott, both university professors – filed suit in August 2022 alleging racial discrimination against loanDepot.com and the appraiser it engaged to appraise their home for a refinance. They alleged that the appraiser had taken into account their race in his valuation of their home in violation of the federal Fair Housing Act and other laws prohibiting...

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

Marcia Fudge Leaving HUD Is Good News for Appraisers 38

Marcia Fudge leaving HUD!

Marcia Fudge is also the current co-chairperson of the PAVE Task Force Committee, so that group’s philosophy may also be modified with her resignation.  I read a number of web provided publications oriented to our appraisal work, and lending. This popped into my email yesterday from Inside Mortgage Finance Publications: “As IMFnews went to press Monday, Marcia Fudge announced that she will step down as secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, effective March 22. A Biden appointee, Fudge, 71, did not provide a specific reason…” USA Today: “Fudge vows not to run again “Don’t look for me...

Appraisal / Appraisal News / Appraisers News / HUD / The US Department of Housing and Urban Development / Trending

False Claims of Racism Against Appraiser 41

False Claims of Racism Against Appraiser

…my career, business, and health at risk due to false claims made by a homeowner.  As a professional real estate appraiser with many years of experience, I have seen my fair share of disputes between homeowners and appraisers. However, the situation I am about to share with you is one that has left me shocked and appalled. It is a story of false claims, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and the damaging effects of a homeowner’s actions on an appraiser’s career, business, and health. It all started when I appraised a veteran’s home for a potential refinance. From the very...

Appraisal / Appraisal News / Appraisers News / HUD / The US Department of Housing and Urban Development / The US Department of Veterans Affairs

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