3 Different Appraisal Company Names.

[Tom Foster]

I use 3 different appraisal company names.

The first one I set up 18 Years ago. The 2nd and 3rd one recently.

The reason for the second name is because the some other guy in Northern California (about 350 miles away from me) has the same company name and he is doing shoddy work and a few lenders called to see if we were associated.

By the way, he started using this name about 2 years ago.

All 3 company names are registered and all 3 have bank accounts open.

I was talking to some guy at a continuing education class the other day in the parking lot and he said it’s a state law that you can only have 1 company name.

Does anyone know if this is true that I can only have 1 appraisal company name linked to my name??

Tom

 

[Abester]

I don't know about CA, but here you can have as many as you can afford.

 

[Tony V]

Tom,

Have you tried to get the guy to change his Co name....I didn't think that two Co's can have the same name and since you had it first......

 

[Tom Foster]

Since I'm not a corporation and He's in a different county, same company names can exist.

I am slowly phasing that name out.

It's tough to give it up after 18 years .........



Tom

 

[icisic7]

Tom, have you considered registering the name as a trade name? If you can prove (and it's easily done with old invoices, etc.) that you've been using the name longer, the US Patent and Trademark office will grant the tradename to you, and you can get the other guy to cease and desist. You can find out more here.

It happened to me in my old business. I got an attorney to write a "nasty gram" to the offender and she had to get all her products re-labeled, plus pay my attorney's fees. We didn't even have to go to court. Just the letter from him stating all the things she'd be liable for was enough to do it.