Jim Allotta is in a tough industry. His business, Allotta Appraisal Services, has faced some challenges in the past year including a declining housing market and predatory lenders who try to dictate appraisers’ work.
The previously booming housing market brought appraisers who didn’t know much about the process and told lenders what they wanted to hear.
The [...]

Four national associations of real estate appraisers have asked Congress for major regulatory reforms in the wake of an Associated Press investigation that identified key failings within the existing system.
Led by the Chicago-based Appraisal Institute, the groups said Wednesday they want the Congress to approve more money so that state appraisal boards can boost enforcement [...]

How much is your house worth in this turbulent market? That’s the question on the minds of many Bay Area homeowners, but it’s become increasingly tough to answer, even for the pros.
Instability in the region’s housing market is making it difficult to determine values, according to mortgage brokers and real estate appraisers. “It’s miserable,” said [...]

When home sales began to slow at the start of the downturn, home builders offered buyers incentives — instead of reducing prices — to stimulate demand. The incentives included cars, tuition and credit-card payments, and even cash.
Now, federal investigators are questioning whether some of those incentives misled lenders and caused them to write mortgages that [...]