This is not a meeting of Baptist but I think we need to pass the plate!

[Pamela Crowley (Florida)]

A real PAC is beyond the reach of appraisers. At least that is what I believe and Tayor's post makes it pretty clear.

What I will do is put the evidence of reality in front of the people that NEED to see it, and do that over and over and over again. If enough comes in, I will go to Congress with it.

I cannot do this by myself as it most definitely is time consuming. I have to keep putting this on a back burner to do work that will pay. That is called survival. I've heard from way too many really good, honest appraisers that are hurting for a long time now. More and more are posting that they don't think they can hang on any longer. If the AVMs take the easy ones and/or the low LTV ones, so be it! But cutting out the honest appraisers in favor of those that will hit the number wanted and do that cheaper and cheaper is ruining the reputation of ALL appraisers. It galls me more than anything for appraisers to lose business because they are competent and honest!!!!!

Yesterday, a forumite from AZ sent me data that will probably turn in to a large fraud ring case. I've barely started putting the data provided into order and writing it up so that there is no way it will be ignored and getting to the people that will take this and do what needs to be done. This will take me at least 3 - 5 hours of work for just this one. There are many others coming in every day, some small stuff, some that look like it could be big.

Every one of you can make your own decision regarding what you want to do about this. Nobody is going to hurt my feelings if they disagree or don't want to participate.

I can't do everything and will not try to do everything. I will do whatever I can. It could take weeks, months, even years before we have an answer to what someone provided to me that started an investigation. That is just a fact.

I'm not asking, I'm not begging. This was not my idea, but I will accept any help anyone wants to give me, and account for that.

 

[Nicholas Durante]

A real PAC is beyond the reach of appraisers. At least that is what I believe and Tayor's post makes it pretty clear.

What I will do is put the evidence of reality in front of the people that NEED to see it, and do that over and over and over again. If enough comes in, I will go to Congress with it.

I cannot do this by myself as it most definitely is time consuming. I have to keep putting this on a back burner to do work that will pay. That is called survival. I've heard from way too many really good, honest appraisers that are hurting for a long time now. More and more are posting that they don't think they can hang on any longer. If the AVMs take the easy ones and/or the low LTV ones, so be it! But cutting out the honest appraisers in favor of those that will hit the number wanted and do that cheaper and cheaper is ruining the reputation of ALL appraisers. It galls me more than anything for appraisers to lose business because they are competent and honest!!!!!

Yesterday, a forumite from AZ sent me data that will probably turn in to a large fraud ring case. I've barely started putting the data provided into order and writing it up so that there is no way it will be ignored and getting to the people that will take this and do what needs to be done. This will take me at least 3 - 5 hours of work for just this one. There are many others coming in every day, some small stuff, some that look like it could be big.

Every one of you can make your own decision regarding what you want to do about this. Nobody is going to hurt my feelings if they disagree or don't want to participate.

I can't do everything and will not try to do everything. I will do whatever I can. It could take weeks, months, even years before we have an answer to what someone provided to me that started an investigation. That is just a fact.

I'm not asking, I'm not begging. This was not my idea, but I will accept any help anyone wants to give me, and account for that.

I personally have come to consider you a fellow cruisader for the ethical choices Appraisers can and do make in their professional lives. The concept of an AMC actually run by Appraisers was something I jokingly referred to some time ago, and find the concept to have only one major hurdle - antitrust / price fixing laws. There would need to be considerable discussion, research, and legal handholding to use the AMC business model amongst a group of appraisers without the appearance of price fixing. I have very little knowledge or information on the subject at the moment, but refence this AI document:

www.appraisalinstitute.org/membership/downloads/antitrust_policy.pdf

The antitrust laws are designed to insure that business is conducted in an open, competitive
atmosphere and that competition is not unreasonably or unfairly restricted. These laws prohibit any
agreement, combination, or conspiracy that may result in an unreasonable restraint of trade or an
injury to competition. Thus, the following types of agreements, whether by the Appraisal Institute or
its members, are deemed to constitute anti-competitive behavior.
• Agreements to fix prices, including agreements on the terms and conditions which affect the price
of a product or a service;
• Agreements to control or limit the production of a product or a service;
• Agreements to engage in a group boycott or a refusal to deal with certain competitors, suppliers,
or customers;
• Agreements to allocate or divide markets and/or customers.

I am not certain how it is that an AMC isn't in violation of these same laws, but surely someone will enlighten all of us.

 

[MS Rebel]

Thank You

Thank you for all you do Pam. A check is in the mail today.

:Emoticon_hug:

 

[Taylor Driscoll]

I forgot to mention.

There is a PAC in North Carolina http://ncpac.org/

 

[Pamela Crowley (Florida)]

Thank you!!!!! To everyone that decided to support what I'm doing. There are so many address reports, mortgage broker / lender pressure examples, and a variety of other things coming in every day now from forumites all over the nation, I'm starting to think a separate email address for these things might be in order. Those that have been on my send list are referring others to be added.

Can anybody help me figure out what to do with the reports of skippy appraisers though? Some are writing to me with inside knowledge of some pretty bad skippies, but there's no way I can go forward with just a 'rumor'.

 

[Taylor Driscoll]

Pam, what actually are you doing? What are you creating? Is this something you are developing to report to some authority or are you developing for other appraisers (like a book) or Web site. I know people send you things, but being new here, I am not sure what it is you are doing?

Thanks....

 

[Otis Key]

Can anybody help me figure out what to do with the reports of skippy appraisers though? Some are writing to me with inside knowledge of some pretty bad skippies, but there's no way I can go forward with just a 'rumor'.

Can't speak for the others, but I'd be happy to look at the ones from my area (geographic core around NM) to see if there's anything that might be provable. I'm already doing that with each one I send to the state now. Heck, half the time they don't even have to send it out for a peer review because I've already provided all the details and facts. Maybe some others might consider that as well. After all, it is about our own profession.

It might also require some money from some of those investors to pay for some reviews, investigators and other potential resources. I don't know all the answers but at least that's a starting point.

 

[DB]

I'm in ... let me know what you need me to do ...

 

[Pamela Crowley (Florida)]

This thread explains what I'm doing:

http://appraisersforum.com/improving-profession/107187-what-do-when-you-know.html

***************************************************

Regarding the appraisers I'm getting information about, these are reports, usually by a trainee or someone that was a trainee, regarding:

* supervisor or other in the office signing as the appraiser when they never left the office
* changing the comps, adjustments, sale prices, whatever it takes to hit the value wanted after the appraiser that actually did the appraisal turned it in
* collecting digital signatures of other appraisers and using those digital signatures on appraisals without the appraisers knowledge or consent.

Typical skippy shop stuff that is hard to prove and needs an investigator to actually go into that office and start pulling files, like at least a weeks worth.

Any ideas on how to make this happen?

This is not something I can just put out to my 'fraud data list'. I cannot put out an appraisers name or their company name in a mass email based on unsubstantiated allegations, even though I believe it and we all know these kinds of egregious violations are going on all the time.

Even if the appraiser advising me of this information were to turn this in as a complaint to their State Board, it's a nasty situation, especially for the 'whistle blower'. Plus, will any State Board investigators actually do the investigation that needs to be done? We all here know what needs to be done and how it could be done, but I just don't see any Board investigations ready to do this.

Anybody know of any State Board investigating any appraisal firm for these kinds of violations???

Do we really have to have a copy of an appraisal with other USPAP violations to even start an investigation of a skippy shop, and would any investigation go far enough to find out how that shop is really working???

 

[Annemieke Roell]

Can't speak for the others, but I'd be happy to look at the ones from my area .

Yep .... we'll take the Oklahoma reports ......