Author Archives: Bill Dabney

Is the Media Misinformed?

Posted on December 20, 2011 by Bill Dabney

Wishful thinking! That’s what one real estate analyst says in response to media reports that claim the real estate market will soon make a turn for the better.

Keith Jurow, author of “The Housing Market Report” at Minyanville.com, recently went on the record with the Wall Street Journal: “I’m just trying to warn readers, so they know what’s going on.”

Jurow said his research indicates that in… Continue reading

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Calm Amid Chaos

Posted on November 15, 2011 by Bill Dabney

Chaos. That’s what some mortgage industry experts are predicting will happen when Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s UCDP initiative takes effect next month.

As of Dec. 1 — just over two weeks away — mortgage lenders will be required to upload their appraisals as electronic data via the GSEs’ Uniform Collateral Data Portal (UCDP) for loan applications being delivered on or after March 2012. By now, lenders should not… Continue reading

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Updates for Underwriters

Posted on September 19, 2011 by Bill Dabney

Compliance with UAD doesn’t diminish the role of the lender’s underwriter or the lender’s responsibility to review the appraisal, according to Fannie Mae’s Bob Murphy, director of collateral policy, speaking as part of a panel presentation moderated by FNC Risk Manager Steve Conlin at the MBA QA and Underwriting Conference last week in New Orleans.

As of… Continue reading

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Morning Scan Makes My Day

Posted on September 6, 2011 by Bill Dabney

I just want to give a quick shout-out to the American Banker for its Morning Scan email. This daily update of the latest mortgage industry news is among the first I read every day. The American Banker staff does an excellent job of aggregating industry news from a number of the most credible sources and delivering it digest-style directly to my inbox. Not only do they pull it all… Continue reading

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Not All Price Indexes Are Created Equal

Posted on August 23, 2011 by Bill Dabney

What’s the difference between the FHFA House Price Index, the popular Case-Shiller Index, the National Association of Realtors (NAR) Index, and home price indexes provided by CoreLogic and FNC itself?

Similar to the Consumer Price Index – a proxy for what people are paying for products off the shelf – mortgage industry professionals use the residential price indices mentioned above to estimate the value of their products: home… Continue reading

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FNC Receives Nod from U.S. Government

Posted on August 12, 2011 by Bill Dabney

FNC was pleased to find itself cited throughout the U.S. Government Accountability Office’s (GAO) recent report on residential appraisals. The report, which was delivered to Congressional committees in July, responded to a mandate in the Dodd-Frank Act that directed the GAO to study the effectiveness and impact of various valuation methods and the options available for selecting appraisers, as well as the impact of the Home Valuation Code… Continue reading

Posted in Appraising, FNC | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

FNC’s Kathy Coon reports on NYPTI Mortgage Fraud Forum IV

Posted on June 21, 2011 by Bill Dabney

FNC’s Chief Appraiser Kathy Coon recently spoke about appraisal fraud at the New York Prosecutors Training Institute’s Mortgage Fraud Forum IV in Albany and Brooklyn.

Kathy reports that the forum’s attendees (all very committed to pursuing and prosecuting mortgage fraud) included prosecutors, the New York State Banking Department’s criminal investigators, and representatives from government agencies and several divisions of law enforcement.

In her speech, Kathy discussed… Continue reading

Posted in General, Valuation | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Remember the RPI

Posted on June 15, 2011 by Bill Dabney

FNC co-founder Bob Dorsey and I have just arrived at the historic (and haunted) Menger Hotel in San Antonio, where Dr. Dorsey has been invited to speak to many of the nation’s leading real estate journalists.

With a conference schedule packed full of industry information, participants of the NAREE conference may be hard pressed to find time to tour the city’s most noted landmark: the Alamo… Continue reading

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We’ve Got You Covered

Posted on May 31, 2011 by Bill Dabney

In less than a month (on June 27), Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will begin accepting appraisal reports through an internet portal specifically designed to receive the property information and valuations as electronic data. FNC clients will be ready.

For many months now, we’ve worked closely with the GSEs to ensure that our clients experience a seamless transition when the Uniform Collateral Data PortalSM (UCDPSM) goes live… Continue reading

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Rerun: Rayburn Interview Provides FNC Primer

Posted on February 28, 2011 by Bill Dabney

In case you missed it, Jonathan Miller’s interview with FNC CEO Bill Rayburn delivers a fascinating look at the mortgage technology company’s value proposition. Miller taps into Rayburn’s renowned wit and wisdom to produce a podcast that is both entertaining and enlightening. Originally broadcast in 2009, this interview warrants a repeat performance.

For a “fantastic” primer on FNC, give this one a listen, if you… Continue reading

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