OPEIU meets with Fannie Mae

[Don Clark]

Brad,

I agree with your post. Also, I believe that if everyone of us would do our part we could make a difference. This idea of sitting on our butts, doing nothing, then bitching because a professional organization is "doing nothing" for us is the reason we are where we are today. Relying on the AGA or anyone else to do what we should be doing for ourselves is a refelction of the Nanny Society we live in where we want others to take care of from the cradle to the grave. I know, I know, there will be those who will say that individually we can't make a difference. Butt $#@!. I have posted on this forum and other how I, and others have changed the composition of our state board from 4 apprasiers to 6 in a 9 member board, and had the use of the mechanical seal delted(Communicator Magazine, December 2000..."How One Appraiser Changed the system". Obviously if you never call, write, send e-mail, or otherwise communicate with politicians and others you won't ever change things. If you are not willing to do your part, you have no right to complain. If the AGA is successful, or any other person or organization is successful in aiding the appraisers plight I will cheer them on. So far, I have nothing to cheer about.

BTW, I wonder why the largest union in California recently folded? Where was all that union clout when that happened?

Don Clark, IFA

 

[Jim McGrath]

Don Clark says the AGA is all talk.

I am a member of the Guild, and a few years ago, I was glad that Bill Sentner was talking loud and clear, when I had a problem with the Arizona Board of Appraisal. The Board was way off base in coming at me, and I think Bill's "talk" went a long way toward solving my problem with the Board.

According to a recent newspaper article, the AFL-CIO has 125,000 members in Arizona. That's more than all the Realtors, all the appraisers and all the mortgage brokers in Arizona at least several times over. That's the kind of numbers that determine legislative outcomes.

I will always be a Guild member.

Ricardo, according to Steve and Don, anything the AGA does is a ploy. Evidently they figure the AGA was going to confront the appraisal board anyway, and your problem had nothing to do with it.

In fact, they would probably say it was a ploy to get new members. Now isn't that a novel idea, provide help to appraisers to get new members?

Maybe the IFA, and AI will try this next, but don't hold your breath waiting for it to happen.

Jim M

 

[Fred]

Jim posts,
“Ricardo, according to Steve and Don, anything the AGA does is a ploy”

Jim has been posting misleading statements about me since this thread began. I made no such remark and did not address Ricardo’s situation. Seems like some kind of a personal vendetta.

Brad,
Since we agree that the numbers don’t work on the GSE ploy, where is the return on investment of the union. Since some object to the word “ploy,” maybe something else would be more accurate. The AGA web site says one of their purposes is “protection.” So, maybe we could say the AGA is offering “protection” of the viability of GSE holdings in the form of appraisals. And, if I understand the union releases, the union purports that it sell off its positions to prove that the GSE’s creditworthiness needs protection.

By way of question the accuracy and honesty of the oft-repeated rhetoric that something is being done “for the profession,” maybe we can begin to identify what the union has identified as future benefits. On the subject of “blackballing nonunion members from receiving certain appraisal assignments,” a high-ranking official of the AGA one wrote, “The union has substantial pension fund deposits with lenders. We will indeed seek to obtain lender appraisal work for our members.”

“For the profession”? If you believe that I have a bridge for sale.

 

[Jim McGrath]

Jim posts,
“Ricardo, according to Steve and Don, anything the AGA does is a ploy”

Jim has been posting misleading statements about me since this thread began. I made no such remark and did not address Ricardo’s situation. Seems like some kind of a personal vendetta.

Brad,
Since we agree that the numbers don’t work on the GSE ploy, where is the return on investment of the union. Since some object to the word “ploy,” maybe something else would be more accurate. The AGA web site says one of their purposes is “protection.” So, maybe we could say the AGA is offering “protection” of the viability of GSE holdings in the form of appraisals. And, if I understand the union releases, the union purports that it sell off its positions to prove that the GSE’s creditworthiness needs protection.

By way of question the accuracy and honesty of the oft-repeated rhetoric that something is being done “for the profession,” maybe we can begin to identify what the union has identified as future benefits. On the subject of “blackballing nonunion members from receiving certain appraisal assignments,” a high-ranking official of the AGA one wrote, “The union has substantial pension fund deposits with lenders. We will indeed seek to obtain lender appraisal work for our members.”

“For the profession”? If you believe that I have a bridge for sale.

Steve, anyone who is interested, can go back and read your quotes. In it you state that many things done or proposed by the AGA are ploys. As you do at the top of this quote, on the GSE ploy, if that is misleading, either I can't read english, or your writing leaves something to be desired.

In my message to Richardo, I was telling him of the impression you created in me by your previous quotes. It is always a favorite tatic of spin doctors to twist information to suit their purpose.

Do I have a personal vendetta because I don't agree with you, not likely, I don't even know you. But I have read many of your posts over the past years, and many of them have been directed at Bill Sentner. Before it was because of your disagreement with him over the IFA. When that didn't seem to work, you started attacking him over the union. I don't know Bill Sentner either, other than his posts.

But since you continually attack him over different issues, I have to assume you are the one with the personal vendetta. I know nothing I will say, or anyone else can say, will change your mind. But I would appreciate it if you would take your personal attacks back to IFA forum, if they will let you.

I'm finished wasting my time with you.

Jim

 

[Fred]

Jim writes, “I'm finished wasting my time with you.”

Good! Because making me the issue instead of discussing the costs and benefits of what the union is proposing and doing wastes EVERYONE’s time. Too bad it took four paragraphs to finish.

No matter how much Jim rips into me, it doesn’t change the fact that the union has a stated position to do things “for the profession” that includes using it's "clout" to route work away from non-union appraisers.

On the subject of “blackballing nonunion members from receiving certain appraisal assignments,” a high-ranking official of the AGA once wrote, “The union has substantial pension fund deposits with lenders. We will indeed seek to obtain lender appraisal work for our members.”

 

[Anonymous]

Jim,
You said it all.

 

[Residential Appraisal Ser]

Forum: Santora could never get the difference between my stand on accounting for moneys wasted in IFA and the Guild. Don is angry at Me for not making him a leader of the Guild in VA in 1998. This was done on the advise of his VA peers. Since that time he has attacked me and the Guild.

Brad Ellis: From your perch in your management Company in CA you preport to know what the Guild does and why it does it. YOu have yet to listen to what we have to say, and prefer to get your information 2nd hand.

We did pull the portion of the law that would have made the management companys register with the Appraisal Board. We did get what we wanted passed 50-0 in the Senate and the vote in the house will take place in Sept or Oct.
What we wanted was to make the prime Lender accountable when putting preasure on the apprasier. It is the 2nd bill of this type and the most comprehensive bill passed.

We fought your bad bill that you defended in ILL. making anything under the deminimuse that is not federally related open season and saying that a BPO is an appraisal.

We are now fighting to kill the same type of bill in CA. By the way AI is behind that bill also, in cohots with NAR. Can we stop it. I don't think so but we will try. To little to late. Instead of organizations working together they confuse the leglislators and there lays part of the problem.

On a federal level, you have noted that activity affecting appraisers is taking place in both houses of Congress. The last vote on accounting reforms that companys that do audits can't do appraisals. Didn't happen before we become active. Wonder why.

If you think that AFL-CIO wouldnot move their money (3/4 Trillion) out of Fannie you are dead wrong. I just returned from Washington.

The one thing that I can't fathom is that you arm chair Cowboys Steve, Don and Brad know so much about unions and how they work. In the last 48 hours I have met with the top people in AFL-CIO and have been with them in discussions with top people in the mortgage industry, and beleive me they can be very serious.

Steve is right about one thing. We will secure all of the work that we can for our membership.. Thats our job, to help our membership earn a decent living. Doing something even if you don't win all the time is better then doing nothing.

William Sentner
President
American Guild of Appraisers OPEIU AFL-CIO

 

[bradellis]

Bill Sentner,

There you go again...

I just never tire of your half truths, misreading of what people post and say, and the never ending insults. Oh, the entertainment!

But, let's look at some facts.

1. That PA bill was supposed to make AMCs responsible for their appraisers' work. I did not get this info second hand- I got is straight from your mouth- face to face in St. Louis. For the record, outside the Marriot Hotel. you were wearing a camel colored blazer- or something similar. In that same conversation, you told me that ALL appraisal organizations should come under the umbrella of the union!

What you are getting done is a predatory lending bill. Wildly different from making AMCs responsible. But today, even my grandmother could get a predatory lending bill passed- and she died 10 years ago.

The first federal bill on the subject was introduced by Jan Schakowsky of IL. You and the AGA did not even find out about it until Brian Weaver posted the info.

You fired your first show and it fizzled.

2. I had nothing at all to do with the IL bill- I was already living in CA (although I also maintain my IL license). I defended the IL Board- not the bill. In point of fact, I posted some concerns about the bill right on this forum. I spoke personally with the IL Appraisal Director and I know he considered what I had to say- we are personal friends. The driving force behind changes to the new the new bill was Beth Kern and Frank McAtee- at least on behalf of the NAIFA.

All I did was to offer my opinion to Mike.

3. So the AFL-CIO is going to pull those pension funds, eh? What are they going to invest in, Bill? Enron, Xerox, Vivendi, Worldcom? The stock market has lost 74% of its value from its highs as of yesterday. Please tell us all how the AGA will force the AFL-CIO to remove those MBS's from their portfolio when they might be the most solid portions of the pension portfolio. HA. We'll see what actually transpires. Please tell us all when it happens so we can check it out for ourselves.

4. I no longer work for an AMC, I work for a bank. Just to set the record straight.

5. Finally, I am pleased that you have now shown your true colors by saying that is is your intent to try to force all lenders to choose only AGA appraisers for their work. Is everyone listening out there?

And, Bill, are you ever going to tell us all how many mebers the AGA has? We've been asking for years- not names- just numbers. OK, how about just the OPEIU- don't forget to deduct the aeronautical engineers that just quit you.

Brad Ellis, IFA, RAA

 

[Head Surfer]

This topic is locked, the discussions have resorted to name calling and personal attacks. I had to delete one post and others are questionable.

Why can't you people just be civil. If you are 180 degrees apart you are never going to persuade the other to come to your view point, just agree to disagree. State your opinion, listen to the other party's opinion, and let it go.

If you have real personal differences with the other party pick up the phone and call them or go to their office and pay them a visit. I'll bet you wouldn't say some of the things to their face that you're saying here!