Political Action - Appraisers Blogs

Lack of Fee Transparency: Exposing the AMC Exploitation

Desiree Mehbod — Wed, 31 Jul 2024 12:30:07 +0000

By keeping the borrower in the dark about the true cost of the appraisal, the AMCs are able to charge exorbitant prices and pocket the difference (as shown in Figures 1 through 10), exploiting the consumer’s lack of knowledge. Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s Request for Information on Fees Imposed in Residential Mortgage Transactions. The growth of Appraisal Management Companies (AMCs) in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis was driven by a well-intentioned but ultimately misguided belief that they could help “ensure the integrity and independence” of property valuations. The reasoning...

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Biden’s Remark on Home Values Sparks Backlash

AppraisersBlogs — Wed, 10 Jan 2024 13:30:55 +0000

President Biden’s recent comment about the discrepancy in home values between Black and white families has sparked backlash on social media, with many accusing him of being a “divider”. During a campaign speech at Charleston Church in South Carolina, Biden stated that homes owned by Black families are often valued at less than those owned by white families, even if they are built by the same builder. “Today, a home owned by a Black family on one side of a highway, built by the same builder on the other side of the highway & a white guy living in it,...

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New Jersey Draconian Penalties on Appraisers

AppraisersBlogs — Fri, 22 Dec 2023 13:30:57 +0000

“Well, I guess no one will be doing appraisals in New Jersey… or maybe the standard fee is going to be $10,000?” said one appraiser. The bill proposed by New Jersey Senate lawmakers to create steep penalties for real estate appraisers who undervalue homes because of the owner or buyer’s protected characteristics has been met with both praise and criticism. Supporters of the bill are lauding its potential to combat discrimination in housing transactions, while critics worry that it could lead to unintended consequences due to its disregard for appraisers’ motives. Violators would pay $10,000 on a first offense, $25,000...

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Dear Representative, FNMA Has Gone Rogue!

AppraisersBlogs — Mon, 27 Mar 2023 12:30:24 +0000

Dear representative, waiving/eliminating property appraisal for lending purposes is wanton recklessness. Fannie Mae’s decision to waive/eliminate property appraisal for lending purposes is nothing more than wanton recklessness that could have serious repercussions in the future. The truth of the matter is that appraisals are an essential part of any mortgage transaction and should not be taken lightly or eliminated without due consideration. Without them, there can be no assurance as to whether a homebuyer will get what they pay for or if lenders will make bad investments with their money. In short, waiving/eliminating property appraisal requirements puts everyone at risk...

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We Need a Lobbyist

Guest Author — Fri, 17 Mar 2023 12:30:29 +0000

Who is going to organize raising the funds and hiring the lobbyist? We are woefully behind the curve here. Myself and many others were organized in the early 1990s and managed to protect the appraisers’ interests for the most part at that time. Here in 2023, there does not appear to be any meaningful response other than the same old anecdotal war stories we pass along among ourselves. Yes, past markets crashed due to really bad mortgage products/underwriting, and banks failed due to really bad management decisions to go along with those mortgage schemes, but if Uncle Sam is going...

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FTX Bought Government’s Silence; Did Fintechs Buy Attacks on Appraisers?

Jeremy Bagott — Fri, 23 Dec 2022 13:30:11 +0000

The nation’s 80,000 licensed real property appraisers should pay close attention to the manipulation of Washington by FTX, which turned out to have the characteristics of a Ponzi scheme. Fallen crypto whiz kid Sam Bankman-Fried and his associates are a living testament to the power of political donations in American politics. It’s unclear precisely what the more than $70 million in political donations bought FTX during an 18-month period leading up to the midterms, but one can speculate the money silenced what was once a brisk debate on Capitol Hill and at the U.S. Treasury on the regulation of crypto-currency....

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Federal Valuation Agency Impact on Appraisers & the Public

VaCAP Board — Fri, 22 Jul 2022 12:30:02 +0000

To establish an independent agency to be known as the Federal Valuation Agency that would oversee the appraisal industry in the name of “equity.” VaCAP has been informed of a Discussion Draft of a Bill introduced into the US House of Representatives that will directly impact every appraiser, appraiser trainee, appraisal firm, and appraisal management company. From the discussion draft, the purpose of the Bill: “To establish an independent agency to be known as the Federal Valuation Agency and real estate valuation standards and appraiser criteria, including promoting a fair, unbiased, transparent, repeatable valuation process, and for other purposes.” VaCAP...

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Is Georgia Going Rogue?

VaCAP Board — Mon, 13 Jun 2022 12:30:27 +0000

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...

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PAVE May Pave Over Appraisers

Dave Towne — Fri, 01 Apr 2022 12:30:36 +0000

The blame game against appraisers is continuing the fast and furious start, evidenced by the PAVE report. A synopsis is in the link: PAVE task force delivers plan on appraisal bias – Lexology Key info from the PAVE report. “Relevant agencies have also committed to addressing potential bias in the use of technology-based valuation tools through a rulemaking related to automated valuation models (AVMs), including the addition of a nondiscrimination quality control standard in the proposed rule.” And, “In the coming months, the Task Force will assess: (i) the “expanded use of alternatives to traditional appraisals as a means of reducing...

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Anti-Appraiser Agenda

Jeremy Bagott — Fri, 11 Mar 2022 13:30:00 +0000

Money may have been used to buy influence and promote the current anti-appraiser narrative being embraced by key public servants in the executive and legislative branches. TOOL MAY HELP APPRAISERS CONNECT DOTS TO UNRELENTING CHARACTER ATTACKS It’s reminiscent of a practice pioneered by Texas savings-and-loan kingpin Tom Gaubert in the 1980s. The idea was to have employees at his crumbling institution and those of his friends funnel a large number of small-dollar political donations to his buddy, Democratic House Speaker Jim Wright. The speaker, one of the most corrupt to hold the position (and that’s really saying something), spread the...

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Maxine Waters Wants Appraisers Investigated

AppraisersBlogs — Wed, 23 Feb 2022 13:30:18 +0000

On February 22, 2022, Maxine Waters sent a letter to HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge, TAF, ASC and AI regarding ongoing appraisal bias and discrimination. She is calling on the federal regulators and AI to investigate appraisers’ misconduct and potential illegal discrimination. She will also be introducing legislation to address ongoing discrimination. Maxine Waters’ letter “highlights longstanding racial inequities plaguing America’s home valuation system”. The letter highlights longstanding racial inequities plaguing America’s home valuation system, particularly in Black-majority communities and other communities of color. To illuminate the severity of this issue, Chairwoman Waters references an email recently sent by an appraiser...

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Tapping States for Backchannel Budget

Jeremy Bagott — Mon, 07 Feb 2022 13:30:21 +0000

Scofflaw U.S. Agency Taps States For Its Backchannel Budget VENTURA, Calif. (February 4, 2022) – History is replete with cautionary tales about federal government enterprises with unchecked funding sources – that is, those outside the annual congressional appropriations process. One alternately funded enterprise was nicknamed “The Little Green House on ‘K’ Street.” Harry Daugherty, President Harding’s attorney general, set up the organization to accomplish ad hoc goals. It became a den of corruption that led to the Teapot Dome scandal. A half-century later, H. R. “Bob” Haldeman, President Nixon’s chief of staff, set up a similar off-the-books enterprise called the...

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New Suspicious Law in CA

Dave Towne — Thu, 07 Oct 2021 12:30:22 +0000

…any suspicion of a discriminatory appraisal by the holder of a real estate appraiser license… Folks in the Golden State, here’s something you’d better keep a very keen eyeball on: Appraiser Discrimination – AB 948 (Holden) Signed by Gov. Newsom This law requires a purchase agreement in a real estate transaction to inform a seller and buyer of the opportunity to report, through the Department of Consumer Affairs’ internet website or telephone number, any suspicion of a discriminatory appraisal by the holder of a real estate appraiser license. Furthermore, it would require such a notice to be provided by a...

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Racial Bias Narrative to Remove Appraisers

Guest Author — Mon, 21 Jun 2021 12:30:27 +0000

…the racial bias narrative will be what is utilized to remove appraisers from the lending equation… Removing us will finally put the FOX completely in charge of the HEN HOUSE…this entire narrative could very well end up costing us all, our way to make a living… Unfortunately, Professional Appraisers have no organized voice and I don’t see that we ever will. There is no one to defend us. And that has been used against us for years. After all that Appraisers have been through over the last 15 years, the racial bias narrative and the allegations of racial discrimination in...

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Our Job Is to Observe & Report

Guest Author — Thu, 21 Jan 2021 13:30:11 +0000

Our job is to observe and report. For an appraiser to arbitrarily go into another area to get “comps” merely because it would result in a higher value is an act of fraud… Dear President Biden, Sir, I welcome your incoming administration, and my sincerest hopes and well wishes are extended to you in terms of healing in this nation. Additionally, as an appraiser, I welcome the desire for equality in housing opportunity in the United States, and if there is any bias in my profession, I support efforts to correct this. However, in watching your party’s position on race...

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Bill Prohibiting Discrimination in Appraisals…

Peter Christensen — Mon, 16 Nov 2020 13:30:30 +0000

A bill to amend Illinois’ appraiser and real estate licensing acts to address discrimination. With increased public attention on the issue, complaints alleging unlawful discrimination are emerging in the courts and before regulators in relation to appraisals. In Illinois, a bill (HB 5862) has been introduced to amend the Illinois Real Estate Appraiser Licensing Act and the Real Estate License Act to expressly prohibit discrimination in appraisals, broker price opinions (BPOs) and comparative market analyses (CMAs) for residential real estate. The bill would amend each licensing act to state that an appraiser or real estate licensee engages in prohibited discrimination...

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GAO to Investigate Appraisal Loopholes

VaCAP Board — Fri, 21 Feb 2020 13:30:32 +0000

…Arizona is seeking damages and penalties against CoesterVMS… GAO has agreed to complete the study… Maxine Waters and Congressman William Lacy Clay requested a formal study/investigation into Title XI (FIRREA) and the recent dilution of its intent by the Federal Agencies. VaCAP has learned GAO has agreed to complete the study. The Network of State Coalitions has sent the following to their state members: This is the result of so many voices – the Foundation, ASA, coalitions, NAR, etc. Our Network efforts have given us an inside connection that hopefully we can continue to build on. Our meeting in DC...

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FIRREA Under Attack!

VaCAP Board — Thu, 13 Feb 2020 13:30:15 +0000

…the federal agencies charged with implementing Title XI of FIRREA have taken steps to limit the number of transactions for which an appraisal is required… Congresswoman Maxine Waters and Congressman William Lacy Clay request a formal study/investigation into Title XI (FIRREA) and the recent dilution of its intent by the Federal Agencies. The letter to Gene Dodaro, Comptroller General, Government Accountability Office, addresses threshold increases, regulatory exemptions, appraisal waivers, the North Dakota appraiser certification waiver and evaluations in lieu of an appraisal. It is clear the Chairwoman of the House Financial Services Committee and Subcommittee Chairman on Housing, Community Development and Insurance...

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New CA Law Negative Effect for Appraisers

John Pratt — Fri, 08 Nov 2019 13:30:50 +0000

Some of you appraiser in California may not realize there is a new law, AB-5, which goes into effect on 1/1/2020, less than 60 days from now that will have a significant effect on the working relationship between appraisers and AMCs. Most appraisers work as Independent Contractors when working with AMCs. However, this will most likely change under this new law, AB-5, as of the first of the year. Most engagement letters or other instructions from AMCs to appraisers are in conflict with this new law as it pertains to the use of Independent Contractors. Under most of these agreements...

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Fannie and Freddie Will Fail!

VaCAP Board — Wed, 30 Oct 2019 12:30:08 +0000

Fannie and Freddie Will Fail! That comes straight from Dr. Mark Calabria, the Federal Housing Finance Director that oversees Fannie and Freddie! In a prepared statement given to the US House of Representatives Committee on Financial Services, FHFA Director Mark Calabria did not hold back in his comments. But in their current condition, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will fail in a downturn. The testimony of Dr. Calabria before the US House of Representatives Committee on Financial Services was geared around affordable housing goals. Blame is given to local zoning, land use restrictions, environmental regulations, onerous building codes and permitting...

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