Appraisal Institute News | Appraisal Institute

Sep 11, 2019 12:30 PM

White House Unveils Plan to End Fannie, Freddie Control

The Trump administration on Sept. 5 shared its plan for releasing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac from more than 10 years of government control, including the creation of new competitors, Bloomberg reported. The plan involves cooperation from multiple federal agencies and calls for reforms that protect the government-sponsored enterprises from another housing crash.

Aug 28, 2019 12:30 PM

LIBOR Replacement Remains Elusive for US Lenders: Fitch

The London Interbank Offered Rate is set to expire at the end of 2021, but a replacement for the short-term interest rate benchmark hasn’t been determined, HousingWire reported Aug. 20. Investor consent has been a problem for the phase-out of LIBOR, according to a group of trustees from Fitch Ratings’ U.S. RMBS Trustee Roundtable.

Dec 19, 2018 12:30 PM

Department of Veterans Affairs Drops Fannie Mae Form 1004MC Requirement

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs announced Dec. 11 that, effective immediately, it will no longer require appraisers to include Fannie Mae Form 1004MC in VA appraisal reports. However, appraisers still are responsible for analyzing and accurately reporting market conditions.

Sep 26, 2018 12:30 PM

House Passes Legislation Raising Threshold Levels for SBA Loan Programs

The U.S. House of Representatives on Sept. 25 approved HR 6347 and HR 6348, legislation the Appraisal Institute says will put taxpayers at significant risk by virtually eliminating appraisal requirements for the Small Business Administration’s two largest loan programs. AI had submitted a letter urging the House to vote against the legislation.

Sep 26, 2018 12:30 PM

US Economic Growth to Halt in 2020, Wall Street Journal Survey Shows

Fifty-nine percent of economists responding to a Wall Street Journal survey said they believe the U.S. economy will stop expanding in 2020, HousingWire reported Sept. 18. Sixty-two percent of respondents said the most likely cause of the next downturn would be an overheated economy that leads to increased Fed tightening.

Sep 26, 2018 12:30 PM

Investors Expect Senior Housing Market to Remain Strong, CBRE Reports

Nearly two-thirds of real estate investors said they are planning to add more senior housing to their portfolios, and interest in independent living properties is especially high, according to commercial real estate company CBRE, MBA NewsLink reported Sept. 17. The senior housing vacancy rate is hovering around 9 percent.

Sep 19, 2018 12:30 PM

Mortgage Fraud Rose Sharply During the Second Quarter: CoreLogic

The risk for mortgage fraud jumped 12.4 percent year-over-year in the second quarter, according to the Mortgage Application Fraud Index released Sept. 13 by analytics firm CoreLogic, HousingWire reported. The index includes data for such fraud indicators as identity, income, occupancy, property, transaction and undisclosed real estate debt.

Sep 19, 2018 12:30 PM

Beige Books Shows Housing Activity Slowing, Commercial Activity Growing

Home sales through the end of August slowed in some Fed districts due to lower demand and reduced inventories, but commercial sales and leasing showed modest increases, as did lending activity, the Federal Reserve reported Sept. 12 in its latest Beige Book.

Sep 19, 2018 12:30 PM

New Google Tool Estimates Carbon Footprint of Buildings, Transportation

Google launched its Environmental Insights Explorer tool Sept. 10 to estimate the carbon footprint of a city’s buildings and all the modes of transportation used by the people living there, Fast Company reported. More than 9,000 cities have agreed to reduce emissions as part of the Paris Agreement, but many have no inventory of emissions.

Sep 12, 2018 10:40 AM

Farmland Prices Hold Steady Despite Trade War with China, Moodys Says

Farmland prices in the U.S. are holding steady despite the recent trade war with China, according to risk management firm Moody’s Analytics, Commercial Observer reported Sept. 4. Real estate values in the Federal Reserve’s seventh district (where most soybean production occurs) reached a record high of $3,140 per acre in August.

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