Fannie offers Cert #23 “Fix” By David Brauner, Editor WRE Just days after the new forms took effect and in the midst of widespread confusion and fear among appraisers nationwide regarding their increasing liability and responsibility under the new forms, and especially Cert. #23 (Intended User), Fannie Mae’s Mark Simpson, speaking to appraisers at Valuation...…
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Appraiser Wins Copyright Suit By Tim Vining, MAI I have been in the appraisal business over 25 years and have held the MAI designation for 21 of those years. Over this time my work has been pirated again and again. It took me until 1996 to learn about protection that has existed since 1978. I…
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Editor’s Note: Kevin Barnes severed five years on mortgage fraud charges and now speaks to the industry on risk management and fraud issues. Inside Mortgage Fraud (Way Inside) By Kevin Barnes I want to start by sharing a little background about what I’ve done and the consequences. I started off in the mortgage industry as...…
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Appraiser Wins “AMC-Agent” Judgment Against One-West Bank by Isaac Peck, Associate Editor The appraiser community is still reeling from the decision of a Florida bankruptcy judge to absolve JPMorgan Chase of all liability in the case of Evaluation Solutions/ES Appraisal Services (ESA) bankruptcy case. Over 10,000 real estate appraisers and agent/brokers were left unpaid by…
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Editor’s Note: Here is some food for thought from regular contributor and Mobile Appraising Training Package author, Dustin Harris. His suggestion makes sense from a valuation perspective and also might release some of the pressure on appraisers to “hit the number.” The OREP/WRE Appraiser Independence Survey has over 1,000 respondents and hundreds of comments. We…
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Editor’s Note: Marketing guru Roy Meyer shows us that while we can’t increase the amount of hours in a day, we can completely change how we use those hours to achieve success. Roy is presenting a free webinar on this topic Oct. 2 (details below). How to Find Success in Today’s Tough Market by Roy…
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When was the last time you indicated a functional obsolescence in the cost approach? Did you also reflect it in the sales comparison approach? Would you? Should you? These are questions we rarely, if ever, consider. Perhaps we even avoid the issue when we think the house we are appraising has functional…
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S.2452 is a bill intended to “amend the Truth in Lending Act to provide protection to consumers with respect to certain high-cost loans, and for other purposes.” Among other things, it’s intended to establish a duty for mortgage brokers and lenders to consider the best interests of their clients first. Lenders will be required to…
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Editor’s Note: E.J. Frank discusses techniques to make us better business people by being happier and less stressed. Better Appraising from the Inside Out by E.J. Frank There is good news and I want to share it with you. It’s not like any of us need to be reminded of the multitude of changes from…
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Editor’s Note: This story shows how to avoid inadvertently losing your E&O insurance coverage for past work and being left unprotected, should a claim arise; the consequences to your business and personal life could be disastrous. Cutting Expenses as Business Slows Why Canceling Your E&O Can Really Cost You! by David Brauner, Editor As…
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