Appraisal Institute Spokesman Alan Hummel Blames Inflated Appraisal Numbers On Mortgage Brokers
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“Hitting the Numbers” is all because of the evil mortgage brokers according to the spokesman for the Appraisal Institute Alan Hummel. Hummel speaking to a Senate subcommittee on mortgage abuse tried to deflect the huge amount of over-inflated appraisals back on the mortgage companies as if the appraisers have no responsibility for the unethical work.
To me this is bure baloney. Am I saying that the mortgage brokers do not put pressure on Appraisers to find the right dollar amount on a loan? I am sure they do.
However, the appraiser is also a professional who should guard their honor and reputation as their most important asset. The reality is that to make the numbers work is the easy way out for appraisers who substitute their reputation for money. It was a decision every one of them made.
And when you have to feed your family you may make that decision, I understand. But at the end of the day every appraisal that was fudged to hit the numbers lies squarely at the feet of the appraiser and his company. They decided that exchanging their ethics for revenue was the course of action and can blame no one else.
And they should bear the responsibility for their actions.
In prepared testimony Tuesday before a Senate subcommittee on mortgage industry abuses, Alan Hummel, spokesman for the Appraisal Institute said “Appraisers face pressure from various parties involved in mortgage transactions. They are told to doctor their appraisals or else never see work from those parties again.”
Hummel blamed poor regulation of mortgage brokers and lenders, and weak or nonexistent enforcement of real estate practitioners. via CNN
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Comment by Doug Quance on 27 June 2007:
I must agree.
Appraisers should not cave into the pressure of “hitting the numbers”.
Like many other professions in the real estate field, the ethical and honest approach does not usually serve their bank accounts well… and therein lies the problem.
Comment by turdly on 27 June 2007:
Just say no. Crack addicts do, alcoholics do, appraisers that sell themselves for $350 should. Absolute thieves, got their funds from lying. They lied, about the value brokers did not. Liars and thieves. I am under pressure every day to; run red lights, have sex with under age girls, smoke dope, cheat on income taxes, steal the miscounted change from a cashier, drive away without paying for gas I pumped. Shut up the whining appraisers. Some States are strating to take action, you’ll go to jail for the theft.
Comment by turdly on 27 June 2007:
Please feel free to criticize my typing and spelling skills. It’s the last vestige of those that have no rebuttal.
Comment by the truth on 27 June 2007:
bulls**t,
appraisers are the police of values, they sold out.
f**k them all!
Comment by T Murphy on 19 July 2007:
Yes, it IS the responsibility of each appraiser to choose the right path when faced with lender pressure. But, the fact that many appraiser’s keep their local clients by “keeping them happy” only makes it harder on the honest appraisers who don’t give in! They (we) are the ones that suffer the most from lender pressure, NOT the ones who give in!
Pingback by 90 Percent of Appraisers Pressured To Restate, Adjust, or Change Values in 2006 — The Real Estate Bloggers on 21 July 2007:
[…] reading the comments in this post by appraisers, I think that the return to tougher analysis is good for everyone. The appraisers can find their […]
Comment by J. Hughes on 20 September 2007:
I agree with T. Murphy on this issue. One of those folks should have to deal with those high pressure, angry brokers. I worked in the film industry for 17 years and left it to get away from evil Producers but I have met their equal, The Mortgage Broker (sub prime).
What one must consider though, while those of us that remain honest, our figures can be skewed by the dishonest ones. When using the sales comparison approach, we may (unwittingly)use those sales that have been slightly (I say slightly because otherwise its obvious when compared to the market) skewed. Therefore those numbers become unintentionally “juiced” which amplify the problem.
Being blacklisted by Mortgage Brokers is only half the problems faced by the Appraiser. My experience has been that Mortgage Broker just won’t pay for the Appraisal if it hits below the mark and the kills the deal. Just yesterday, a peer was threatened with law suits and verbaly abused because he didn’t make the numbers. Its likely that the Broker would have lost but the hasle, cost, stigma and such is too draining for an one man operation. He simply refunded the money and moved on… I wonder if this was the Broker’s normal m.o. for broken deals. The Appraiser needs to be given more recourse for these situations. Mechanic leans as appose to judgment… in other words, unpaid appraisals will result in the Broker being shut down.
As it stands now, I feel most Residental Appraisers feel powerless. Walking a thin line of keeping their ethics and licenese while trying to make a living.
For those outsiders who still feel they know better and resort to using profanity - Read USPAP and your state laws regulating Appraisers… if you can keep from falling asleep and make it to the Advisory Opinions… well first my hat’s off to you but you’ll see that the Appraiser is under a lot of law and guidelines (USPAP). The S&L crisis addressed a lot of these issues. I just feel that there should be more laws to isolate Appraisers from the pressures of the Brokers.
Comment by Mike on 11 November 2007:
Wow, as a Licensed Appraiser I can’t believe the ignorance from some of these comments… Actually baffles me.
Every single day… EVERY SINGLE DAY I have brokers call me asking to run comps, hit value or tell me they have an order for me but they NEED VALUE.
Turdly, you sound exactly like a Broker… I take it you are.
Brokers order over 70% of all appraisal requests. Every single day I must tell these idiotic broker to take a hike. What that means is they are going to call up my competition until they find an appraiser to hit their value while I sit here honest, eithical and 1/3 the business as these sleeze ball brokers and appraisers.
Brokers do NOT care about the quality of your work, your eithics, how easy you are to deal with, etc. All they want is you to hit their value, period. They ARE screwing up the entire Real Estate industry and until they are licensed to be held accountable for their fraudulent actions nothing will change.
The more honest you are, the better the Appraiser you are, the more ethical you are… The more the Broker hates you.
Comment by Nancy Houston TX on 11 April 2008:
I work for a mortgage broker and I have shopped an appraisal around, but within a network of appraisers and if they all say no then its no to the value. I have never said do it or your done, appraisals are opinions on value and different appraisers have different opinions, the ones I work with would never put their license on the line to make a false appraisal and we would never ask., you also have to ask yourself, of the ones doing this, how many were playing the subprime game and where are they now. Most likely out of business, the brokers running honest business and looking out for the customers are the ones still around, and will make it through this slow crunch. Brokers and appraisers though are not the reason for the inflated values and the bubbles across the country. Cheap money and real estate speculation played the largest part of it. Can’t blame the fed though so lets go after the broker and appraiser!