Mercury’s ‘Research Analytics’ Breaks New Ground  August 08, 2008

If you’ve been reading the articles in this newspaper for a while regarding our revised Mercury Network, you might think that it will wind up being nothing more than a new AMC-like venture, or something akin to FNC’s AppraisalPort hub. But ordering and delivering appraisals will be just the tip of the iceberg. Read more

Can Appraisal Co-ops Save the Day?  August 06, 2008

As the market naturally erodes due to fewer real estate transactions, and as the HVCC pushes the remaining transactions in ever-increasing numbers to appraisal management companies (AMCs), many appraisers are kicking around the notion of creating a member-owned AMC, or “co-op”. Read more

Preserving Your Fees: Mercury Network 3.0  June 12, 2008

It’s clear that no matter how the HVCC plays out, there will be continued pressure to implement some sort of firewall to shield lenders from the liability inherent in loan production staff applying potential coercion to appraisers. In fact, it’s been a general requirement for years, most recently dating to the “interagency memo” in 2005 from the OCC, the OTS, the FDIC, and the Fed — the HVCC just imposes it on lenders in a more abrupt and internally meddlesome way, with additional negative consequences. Read more

How Big Is The Appraisal Pie?  May 05, 2008

In the last issue, the most popular article by far was "Preventing the AMC fee cut". This issue, we're looking at the bigger $6.3B valuation market and the role that an "un-AMC" may be able to play in keeping a much larger share of in your own pocket.
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Preventing The AMC Fee Cut  April 03, 2008

In today's climate, lenders are looking to lessen their liability. One choice is funneling all orders to AMCs, but there's another alternative. Why lenders will start to gravitate to the Mercury Network and how you can use it to prevent fee cuts. Read more