News By Edition

At the Valuation 20/20 virtual conference, veteran appraiser Josh Walitt, principal consultant for Walitt Solutions, told the attendees some common scenarios that drive clients to report appraisers to state regulators.

He also advised appraisers what not to do if they find themselves on the defensive regarding their reports.

Read on to learn more.

A major acquisition has been announced.

Cannae Holdings and Senator Investment Group, LP, which own 15 percent of the outstanding shares of CoreLogic, sent a letter to the company’s board of directors June 26, outlining a proposal to acquire CoreLogic for $65 per share in cash, equivalent to about $7 billion.

Read on to learn more about this major bid and hear reaction.

Recently, Stewart Information Services Corp. acquired United States Appraisals.

Valuation Review sat down with United States Appraisals CEO Aaron Fowler for an in-depth interview to discuss innovative methods now, and what the appraisal profession likely will see in the days to come.

Read on for our conversation.

CoreLogic announced that its board of directors has elected a new member, which went into effect June 17. Read on to find out who the individual is and how this enhances the CoreLogic business.

The Appraisal Institute of Canada (AIC) elected Jan Wicherek of Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, as national president for 2020-2021. Wicherek formally was inducted during AIC’s 2020 annual General Meeting, held virtually June 5. Read on to learn more.

The American Society of Appraisers (ASA) announced its 2020-21 election results for the new International Officers, Region Governors, Discipline Committee Officers, Discipline Governors and Members-At-Large, according to a post on the ASA website. Read on for the complete list of new officers.

On June 17, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in Mortgagee Letter 2020-19 extended the foreclosure and eviction moratorium for Federal Housing Administration insured single-family loans from June 30 to Aug. 31. Read on for more information from HUD.

What is the current status of marketing in the commercial space?

Investment activity in Qualified Opportunity Zones rebounded in the aftermath of the pandemic’s initial impact on the commercial real estate market, according to BBG.

Read on to learn more.

Amrock, formerly Title Source, applauded the Texas Fourth Court of Appeals’ ruling that reversed the trial court’s decision and ordered a new trial in its case against HouseCanary.

This, according to a statement provided by Amrock.

Read on to learn more and hear from Amrock’s legal representation.

The latest quarterly mortgage lender survey from Fannie Mae found that, although lenders expected their profit margins to fall in the second quarter, they expect refinance demand to drive profitability in the quarter.

“Lenders, profitability outlook remains positive, likely because of stable refinance demand, lender capacity constraints, and still-wide mortgage spreads,” Chief Economist Doug Duncan said.

Read on for more details from the survey of lenders.

The economy will experience about a 6 percent contraction this year.

However, it will begin to recover from a severe second-quarter downturn in the third quarter, according to the latest forecast of the American Bankers Association’s (ABA) Economic Advisory Committee.

Read on for more from the ABA report.

With the arrival of the coronavirus, housing became so much more the "hot" topic around the country.

Now, many are reconsidering their home’s functional purpose as popular and traditional design features have become less workable with buyers looking at other construction options, according to a report by Zillow.

Read on to learn more.

According to Freddie Mac’s Quarterly Forecast, housing markets have been affected by the pandemic, with both home sales and house price growth declining. Still, its latest forecast calls for the third-highest mortgage origination year on record. Read on to learn more.

OpenClose completed an interface with Radian Guaranty Inc., the mortgage insurance subsidiary of Radian Group Inc., the company announced in a release. Read on to learn more about what this integration means for the mortgage and market industry.

DocMagic, Inc. has made an agnostic version of its eSign technology available for free to help organizations increase productivity, efficiency and compliance among work-from-home employees during COVID-19 stay-at-home orders as well as after they are lifted. Read on to learn more.

On June 25, the IRS announced a settlement offer to certain taxpayers with pending docketed Tax Court cases involving syndicated conservation easement transactions.

This is according to a release issued by Land Trust Alliance.

Read on to learn more about the offer and hear reaction from the nonprofit’s CEO.

The changes, adjustments, restrictions, requirements and guidelines continue to mount as appraisers seek guidance to perform assignments in a healthy and safe environment.

But are additional updates helping appraisers or creating more doubt? Dustin Harris, “The Appraiser Coach” shared his thoughts with Valuation Review.

Read on to learn more.

Appraisal Logistics said that the company’s new Property Vision appraisal inspection tool will remain free for the present time to home equity lenders that need verified interior images to make underwriting decisions. Read on to learn more.

Despite the coronavirus and safety considerations, homeowners still can work with appraisers to help provide a full picture of their property, the Appraisal Institute (AI) said in a release on its website. Read on to learn more and hear what the AI president had to say.

Weekly new listing volume of single-family detached homes was down 17.5 percent nationwide the week ending June 12.

This is compared with the week ending March 13, HouseCanary’s latest issue of Market Pulse revealed.

Read on for more details from the report.

Cannae Holdings and Senator Investment Group, LP, which own 15 percent of the outstanding shares of CoreLogic, sent a letter to the company’s board of directors June 26, outlining a proposal to acquire CoreLogic for $65 per share in cash, equivalent to about $7 billion. Read on to learn more about this major bid and hear reaction.

Almost 60 percent of Americans think COVID-19 has changed the way we work for the better, according to WalletHub’s nationally representative Coronavirus and Working from Home Survey. Read on to learn more.