Appraiser Kim L. Herzfeldt is mad as hell at being stiffed by AppraiserLoft and by the lender’s refusal to redress the loss. His course of action offers hope and possible precedence for every appraiser who is owed money by an Appraisal Management Company (AMC).
“It felt like your best friend stealing your daughter’s college fund,” says…
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Wells Fargo Paying JVI Bad Debt By Isaac Peck, Associate Editor Appraisers getting stiffed by appraisal management companies (AMCs), that either declare bankruptcy or simply fail to pay, remains a hot-button issue for the industry. As many appraisers are reporting on OREP/Working RE’s AMC Rater blog, JVI Solutions is the latest AMC to leave appraisers…
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Editor’s Note: Appraisers are well aware that their professional feet are held to the fire regarding USPAP: to know it, understand it and follow it. So what happens when a lender decides they don’t agree with the document and punishes an appraiser for only trying to abide by its guidance? So far, not much. Chase…
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Editor’s Note: Andy Anderson looks around and ahead toward fixing a now broken appraisal profession. Customary and Reasonable Assignments By Andy Anderson The appraisal profession was not broken. Just like other professions, there were (and are) some bad actors, but appraising was not broken and should have been allowed to do its job correctly. That is not…
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Editor’s Note: In this opinion piece, appraiser Andy Anderson expresses what many of his colleagues are thinking about the upcoming UMDP requirements. UMDP/UAD: Road to Ruin? By Andy Anderson The Uniform Mortgage Data Program (UMDP) is mandated by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (GSEs) under the direction of their federal regulator, the Federal Housing Finance…
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Mobile Appraising: Saving Both Time and Money By Dustin Harris, “The Appraiser Coach” Appraisers who are truly ‘mobile’ are using laser measurers, tablet PCs or smartphones, and software to upload reports remotely to the office to be more competitive- to save time and money. As I travel the country mentoring various appraisal business owners, I…
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Turning Tide? Appraiser Independence Legislation * Mortgage Reform and Anti-Predatory Lending Act * CRS report on H.R. 3915 * Explanation of HOEPA loans * H.R. 1852: Expanding American Homeownership Act Still Pending in Congress * The Homeownership Preservation and Protection Act of 2007 * H.R. 1723: Fair FHA Appraisal Act, or visit http://www.opencongress.org/bill/110-h1723/show * H.R.…
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Report and Analysis: Readers Respond (Read Article) What Appraisers Say >> “Mr. Kantorovich (quoted in the first story) is accurate in his assessment of the Cuomo deal. Pressure on appraisers will not be eliminated but shifted from the brokers to the AMCs. Quality will suffer further as AMCs require an eight-hour turnaround time and they preset…
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Report and Analysis: Fannie/Freddie, Cuomo Agree to Appraiser Independence By David Brauner, Editor For appraisers, March came in like a lion. As winter turns to spring, appraisers have much to look forward to, as reported in the current issue of Working RE- Turning Tide? Appraiser Independence. Even with the shift to quality in the market…
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Editor’s Note: The following Q&A is from Lee Hess, PhD, author of Navigating USPAP. “The USPAP Q&A that have appeared in Working RE previously have generated many additional questions from readers,” said Hess. “Here are more questions and answers that affect the every day practice of appraising.” USPAP Q&A: Clarifying Competency, Reviews, Past Sales &…
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