Will VA go AMC?

[gregb]

From a FB post-

"The beginning of the end?

I'm sure many have seen this recent article in the Appraisal Institute's Valuation Magazine - Under Threat. It states, "Recently, the VA has been considering changes to this functioning and respected system by incorporating appraisal management companies into the process. This idea has been driven in part by pressure from mortgage lenders who want the freedom to influence which appraisers the AMC selects, giving them added control without added accountability."

https://www.valuation-digital.com/.../issue_4_2025/4317456/

Perhaps a reason why there is limited information on the VA's adoption of the UAD 3.6. Is the VA going the AMC route instead?"

 

[cashcatz]

From a FB post-

"The beginning of the end?

I'm sure many have seen this recent article in the Appraisal Institute's Valuation Magazine - Under Threat. It states, "Recently, the VA has been considering changes to this functioning and respected system by incorporating appraisal management companies into the process. This idea has been driven in part by pressure from mortgage lenders who want the freedom to influence which appraisers the AMC selects, giving them added control without added accountability."

https://www.valuation-digital.com/.../issue_4_2025/4317456/

Perhaps a reason why there is limited information on the VA's adoption of the UAD 3.6. Is the VA going the AMC route instead?"

Horrible, they have one of the better and fairer order management processes.

 

[glenn walker]

VA did work with the GSEs on the 3.6 and will be implementing it like FHA later in the year. Will they adopt the AMCs to be their order and delivery platform ?

Don't know they won't announce things like that ahead of time and fee panels are usually the last to be notified. But many old timers will quit after they go 3.6 anyways. Just plan accordingly and learn to do the 3.6 because all agencies are adapting it by year end.

 

[George Hatch]

Didn't see that one coming.

 

[Non Sequitur]

Why? They don't mind veterans being gouged by AMCs? What would be the reason?

 

[Trihard]

The AMC business is booming at the expense of the average appraiser. What a joke.

 

[Andyfsu1]

The only reason I`m still an appraiser is because I receive VA work which has good volume and fees. If they go the AMC route or flood the panel with the appraiser I will quit the profession. The Dodd Frank bill killed the way to build an appraisal business and cheapened the profession with the AMC`s for FHA and conventional appraisals. Now with appraisal waivers and hybrid appraisals the FHA and conventional side of appraisals is officially done with the VA only left. Someone can make more money and less headaches in several other professions than doing AMC work if the VA goes a similar route I will quit.

 

[chad hampton]

I always thought the mission of the VA was to protect the veteran? I realize very few organizations in the appraisal world give a **** about their mission statement, but I thought the VA would.

 

[TerryRohrer]

I always thought the function of a state-certified appraiser was to provide a supported, unbiased estimate of the value of the subject of their appraisal without regard for the cause(s) of any party, anywhere.

The VA does not give a tinker's damn whether or not an appraiser complies with USPAP, or whether or not an estimate of value is unbiased...their motivation is to collect a paycheck while approving VA loan guarantees with the least friction and pain on their (VA employees) part. And they do not certify, with their livelihood at stake, that they have followed any standards or any ethical guidelines whatsoever. Appraisers championing the VA "system" are motivated to protect its non-compete, above-market fee aspects while couching that in the "we are protecting the veteran" trope that has become so effective in milking the lucrative system over the past 20 years (by everyone...lenders, realtors, insurers, VA employees, politicians, etc, etc, etc). Veterans are more often targets in that lavishly funded ecosystem, rather than being unduly protected. In both actions and words, a very large contingent of VA panel appraisers has forgotten the notion suggested in the first sentence above, if they ever believed it. This reality persists because the current "system" is almost entirely opaque...very few VA appraisals are seen in the wild, compared to those from other sources. I haven't seen one I would sign, and I regularly test and discount VA-financed sales because in this market, they often close at premium prices that differences in the properties themselves cannot explain.

Before the professional victims and those prone to feigned indignation start lobbing flaming arrows this way, reread what I wrote. I didn't name "you" (I don't know you and have never seen one of your reports), and I didn't offer an opinion on your work. I didn't say "every" appraiser on the VA panel is the same. But anyone being even a little bit honest and objective will be unable to find an unwarranted statement in the preceding paragraph.

 

[Bobby Bucks]

Why? They don't mind veterans being gouged by AMCs? What would be the reason?

There are those who consider the goals of the GSE/AMCs to be superior to any needs of veterans. They have no reason to support the GSEs, but they anticipate a pat on the head for being loyal simps.