I was provided an interesting solution to the AMC appraisal issue from Tony Pistilli, a certified residential appraiser who has been employed for over 25 years in the appraisal area, at governmental agencies, mortgage companies, banks and has been self employed.

He wants appraisers to get the word out. His solution is compelling.

Anyone who reads Matrix knows what I think of the Appraisal Management Company and the Home Valuation Code of Conduct (HVCC) problem in today’s mortgage lending world.

Here’s a summary of the his article before you read it:

* Appraisers, Realtors, Brokers HATE the HVCC.
* AMC’s and Banks LOVE the HVCC.
* Regulators are disconnected from the problem just like they were when mortgage brokers controlled the ordering of appraisals during the credit boom.
* Appraisers and borrowers are paying for services the banks receive.
* Banks should pay for the services received from the AMC’s.
* Appraiser’s fees should be market driven.
* Banks should be held accountable for the quality of the appraisal.

AMC/HVCC appears to violate RESPA (Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act) since a large portion of the appraisal fee is actually going for something else coming off the market rate fee of the appraiser.

>(RESPA) was created because various companies associated with the buying and selling of real estate, such as lenders, realtors, construction companies and title insurance companies were often engaging in providing undisclosed Kickbacks to each other, inflating the costs of real estate transactions and obscuring price competition by facilitating bait-and-switch tactics.

The Ultimate Solution for the Appraisal Industry

by Tony Pistilli, Certified Residential Appraiser and Vice-Chair, Minnesota Department of Commerce, Real Estate Appraiser Advisory Board, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Since the inception of the Home Valuation Code of Conduct (HVCC) in May 2009, there has been much discussion, and misinformation, about the benefits and harm caused by the controversial agreement with the New York Attorney Generals office and the Federal Housing Finance Agency. This agreement, originally made with the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight, requires Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to only accept appraisals ordered from parties independent to the loan production process. Essentially, this means, anyone that may get paid by a successful closing of the loan cannot order the appraisal.

In the past 6 months while the Realtors© and Mortgage Brokers associations point fingers at appraisal management companies for their use of incompetent appraisers who don’t understand the local markets, appraisers are complaining that banks are abdicating their regulatory requirements to obtain credible appraisals by forcing them to go through appraisal management companies at half of their normal fee.

Banking regulations allow banks to utilize the services of third party providers like appraisal management companies, but ultimately hold the bank accountable for the quality of the appraisal. Unfortunately, the banking regulators have yet to express a concern that there is a problem with the current situation.

I need to state that appraisal management companies can provide a valuable service to the lending industry by ordering appraisals, managing a panel of appraisers, performing quality reviews of the appraisals, etc. However, banks have been enticed by appraisal management companies to turn over their responsibility for ordering appraisals with arrangements that ultimately do not cost them anything.

The arrangement works like this, the bank collects a fee for the appraisal from the borrower; orders an appraisal from the appraisal management company who in turn assigns the appraisal to be done by an independent appraiser or appraisal company. During this process the appraisal fee paid by the borrower gets paid to the appraisal management company who retains approximately 40% to 50% and pays the appraiser the remainder. So for the $400 appraisal fee being charged to the borrower, the appraiser is actually being paid $160-$200 for the appraisal. Absent an appraisal management company the reasonable and customary fee for the appraisers service would be $400, not the $160 to $200 currently being paid to appraisers.

Rules within the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA) have allowed this situation to occur, despite prohibitions against receiving unearned fees, kickbacks and the marking up of third party services, like appraisals. RESPA clearly states, “Payments in excess of the reasonable value of goods provided or services rendered are considered kickbacks”.

Banks are allowed to collect a loan origination fee. This fee is intended to cover the costs of the bank related to underwriting and approving a loan. Ordering and reviewing an appraisal is certainly a part of that process. Understanding that banks ultimately have the regulatory requirement to obtain the appraisal for their lending functions, why is it that borrowers and appraisers are paying for these services that are outsourced to appraisal management companies? Does the borrower benefit from a bank hiring an appraisal management company? Does an appraiser benefit from a bank hiring an appraisal management company? The answer to those two questions is a very resounding, no! Clearly the only one in the equation that benefits is the bank, so why shouldn’t the banks be required to pay for the outsourcing of the appraisal ordering and review process?

It is here where I believe the solution for the appraisal industry exists. Since banks are the obvious benefactor from the appraisal management company services, the regulators should require that the banks, not the borrowers or appraisers, pay for the services received. This one small change in the current business model would allow appraisers to receive a reasonable fee for their services and in turn they should be held more accountable for the quality and credibility of the appraisals they perform. Appraisal fees would be competitive among appraisers in their local markets, much like the professional fees charged by accountants, attorneys, dentists and doctors. Appraisal management companies would suddenly be thrust into a more competitive situation where their services can be itemized and their quality and price be compared to those of competing providers. This will ultimately lead to lower fees and improved quality of services to the banks. The banks will then have a very quantifiable choice, do they continue to outsource their obligations to an appraisal management company and pay for those services or do they create an internal structure to manage the appraisal ordering and review process? Either way, the banking regulators need to hold the banks more accountable at the end of the process.

When all of the previously discussed elements are present, I believe the appraisal industry will be functioning the way it was intended. Appraisal independence will be enhanced and borrowers will be rewarded with greater quality and reliability in the appraisal process. This is exactly the change that is needed, in addition to the HVCC, to stop the current finger pointing and address the poor quality and non-independent appraisals that have been and are still rampant in the industry.


5 Comments

  1. Havoc in residential appraisal » Commercial Grade March 17, 2010 at 8:44 am

    […] course.  Jonathan lays it out in a couple of recent posts on his blog  Matrix.   (Click here and here to read […]

  2. Here is today’s list of top real estate posts of the day. March 17, 2010 at 10:28 am

    […] HVCC and AMCs Violate RESPA?] Here’s a possible solution – Holding the banks more accountable, This is long fairly dry post, but worth the ready. The […]

  3. Digging on new leaf Wednesday « Closer To Pittsburgh March 17, 2010 at 2:25 pm

    […] Here’s a possible solution – The Home Valuation Code of Conduct has been controversial within the mortgage industry as it has shifted a considerable amount of power to appraisal management companies (AMC) to control the appraisal process.  Loans don’t happen without appraisals and the people that order them want to put them in the hands of appraisers they trust.  The AMCs put a protective layer in between to ensure that undue pressure is not exerted on the appraiser to inflate the value of the property.  Loan originators and real estate agents have accused the AMCs of pocketing significant portion of the appraisal fees and using less-expensive and allegedly less competent appraisers.  So the author of this article calls for the lenders to pay for the appraisals since they are ultimately who really wants the information an appraisal provides.  Beyond the obvious problem of lenders not wanting to advance money for an appraisal if the loan is going to be killed because of it, two of the biggest AMCs are owned by Bank of America and Wells Fargo who are also two of the biggest mortgage lenders around.  So this may not seem like a bad idea on its face, but it’s never going to become reality. […]

  4. Jeff Beach March 20, 2010 at 8:40 pm

    The Ultimate Solution for the Appraisal Industry. Mr. Pistilli has hit the nail on the head. Great Job!

  5. Edd Gillespie March 25, 2010 at 5:23 pm

    OK. Do it! Just git er done!
    The logic is compeling so who could possibly object to the conclusion?
    It occurs to me that the banks may object to the the Pistilli solution, but surely their objections can be overcome, don’t you think?
    Sorry for the tongue in cheek, but it isn’t gonna happen in this mortgage cycle or any other so long as appraisers even consider competing with BPOs.
    The final solution is to just absolutely refuse to work for these types. We may starve, but the short term pain will bring about a stronger profession and one we might then seriously consider a legacy for our sons.

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