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    <title>Christine von dem Bach's Blog</title>
    <link>http://activerain.com/blogs/christinevon</link>
    <description></description>
    <language>en-us</language>
    <item>
      <guid>http://activerain.com/blogsview/1264272/mortgage-delinquencies-the-coming-storm</guid>
      <title>Mortgage Delinquencies - The Coming Storm</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I appreciate the fact that somebody is bringing this to the forefront!&amp;nbsp; We have been inundated with recent media hype about how good the home sales are doing, when deep down, I feel the opposite.&amp;nbsp; I personally chalked it up to&amp;nbsp;the summer season, epecially when driving&amp;nbsp;through some&amp;nbsp;neighborhoods and seeing a home that appears to be desolate.&amp;nbsp; I think&amp;nbsp;we need to concentrate on the shadow inventories.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;If the banks would only work with us&amp;nbsp;on a more accord platform to help them in getting rid of their stack of&amp;nbsp;stagnant files!!&amp;nbsp; But as we all know it is difficult to get a repoir going.&amp;nbsp; I don't know if loan modifications are the answer for a homeowner. &amp;nbsp;I just know that the banks are getting $1000 for every loan they&amp;nbsp;convert.&amp;nbsp; Is this truly beneficial for the public, or just another way for the banks to make capital?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div id="reblogging_tag"&gt;Via &lt;b&gt;&lt;a href="http://activerain.com/blogsview/1262848/mortgage-delinquencies-the-coming-storm"&gt;Jeff Geoghan MBA - Lancaster PA Real Estate Expert (The Jeff Geoghan Realty Group, Coldwell Banker Lancaster PA)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/b&gt;:&lt;br&gt;&lt;blockquote&gt;
&lt;p&gt;This is one of those posts where I wish I didn't have to write it, but felt &lt;strong&gt;it was so important&lt;/strong&gt; to my readers that I would be remiss not to at least talk about it.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Everyone out there probably knows somebody who is behind on their mortgage payments, looking for alternatives and likely also just finding out that their home's value has dipped below what their loan amount is.&amp;nbsp; I know some within my own personal circles.&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt; It's a tough situation for me to advise them&lt;/strong&gt; as a professional because it's such a personal challenge to their pride and self-worth, not to mention their plans and dreams for the family. The question we're asking is "when is this going to stop and where are we heading?"&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;I'm going to put up a few graphs that show the trends nationally with regards to mortgage delinquincies:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img title="Mortgage delinquency rates" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/3/6/9/9/5/ar125432506859963.jpg" height="369" alt="Lancaster PA foreclosures, Lancaster County Mortgage, Delinquencies" width="622"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;This chart is by quarter - Single-family mortgages set a new record delinquency rate in the second quarter of 2009, according to a quarterly survey by the Mortgage Bankers Association. Those of us in the real estate business see the foreclosure process (just visit the local Sheriff Sale docket to see the current numbers) but the looming delinqency-to-foreclosure issue is far, far larger.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The Wall Street Journal on 8/3/09 reported the following quote: &amp;ldquo;While subprime mortgages sparked the first round of housing problems two years ago, now "troubles are lurking further up the food chain," says Joshua Shapiro, chief U.S. economist at MFR Inc. &lt;strong&gt;White-collar job losses have accelerated while more adjustable-rate loans to prime borrowers are resetting to higher payments.&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;lsquo;You put all that together, it leads me to believe that the next leg down on home prices is going to come from the top,&amp;rsquo; he says.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The first objection someone may have would be to say "yes, but historically those who are delinqent usually get their act together and come current on the mortgage after a while".&amp;nbsp; That WAS true, but not anymore!&amp;nbsp; We call that the &lt;span style="text-decoration: underline;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;"Cure Rate"&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;, that is the rate of delinquencies that go back to current.&amp;nbsp; The Wall Street Journal reported on 8/24/09 about a Fitch analysis that found that &lt;strong&gt;the Cure Rate from 2000-2006 was 45%&lt;/strong&gt; (which means about half of people fix their delinquency).&amp;nbsp; However, &lt;strong&gt;as of July 2009 the rate had dropped to just 6.6%&lt;/strong&gt;!&amp;nbsp; That means that over 90% of delinquent customers are going to foreclosure.&amp;nbsp; Take a look again at the above chart...&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The next thing someone will say is "well, that's the 'sand states' and not my area".&amp;nbsp; Here's the chart for all 50 states showing the same breakdown of delinquencies and foreclosures.&amp;nbsp; Guess what - &lt;strong&gt;most states have a significant problem&lt;/strong&gt;, especially compared to historical figures.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img title="Mortgage delinquency rates by state" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/4/6/7/1/4/ar125432516041764.jpg" height="403" alt="Lancaster PA foreclosures, Lancaster County Mortgage, Delinquencies" width="620"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Now the next thing someone may say is &lt;strong&gt;"aren't those loans going to get 'fixed' by a loan modification?"&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp; I know several people right now who are applying for a Lancaster County loan modification but are waiting and waiting.&amp;nbsp; I hope it works out for them...&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;In reality, loan modifications are hardly making a dent.&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp; To me, that's a burning question.&amp;nbsp; Why arent banks being more aggressive in giving customers the option to extend their loan and/or reset to a lower rate?&amp;nbsp; Why are they being SO difficult? The people I know don't want to be foreclosed.&amp;nbsp; They CAN make payments.&amp;nbsp; They just need the terms redrawn to allow them to catch &amp;amp; keep up.&amp;nbsp; Loan modifications are not helping us get this crisis under control.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img title="Lancaster County loan mod modifications PA" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/1/4/4/0/6/ar125432520360441.jpg" height="485" alt="Lancaster PA foreclosures, Lancaster County Mortgage, Delinquencies" width="593"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;What are the causes of all these delinquencies?&amp;nbsp; Here's a chart that is enlightening:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/7/2/5/2/9/ar125432676092527.jpg" height="455" alt="" width="639"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;We hear a lot about adjustable rate mortgages being the culprit, but the reality is that &lt;strong&gt;it's the loss of jobs and the tanking real estate market&lt;/strong&gt; that's the perfect storm.&amp;nbsp; See my &lt;a href="http://activerain.com/blogsview/1261424/unemployment-in-lancaster-county-vs-pennsylvania-the-us" title="Lancaster County PA unemployment" target="_blank"&gt;previous post on unemployment in the nation, the state and Lancaster County.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Keep in mind, this post is not intended to give us "good news".&amp;nbsp; You may be experiencing good things in your market and that's great.&amp;nbsp; &lt;strong&gt;My intent is to get us thinking about the challenges&lt;/strong&gt; that aren't going away and how we're going to address them as homeowners, agents and professionals.&amp;nbsp; I'd love to hear your ideas!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/blockquote&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;</description>
      <dc:creator>Christine von dem Bach (Coldwell Banker United Realtors)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Thu, 01 Oct 2009 09:26:06 -0700</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/1264272/mortgage-delinquencies-the-coming-storm</link>
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      <guid>http://activerain.com/blogsview/1010155/fair-credit-reporting-act</guid>
      <title>Fair Credit Reporting Act</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;The &lt;strong&gt;Fair Credit Reporting Act&lt;/strong&gt; (FCRA) is an &lt;a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States" title="United States"&gt;American&lt;/a&gt; federal &lt;a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law" title="Law"&gt;law&lt;/a&gt; (codified at &lt;a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Title_15_of_the_United_States_Code" title="Title 15 of the United States Code"&gt;15 U.S.C.&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/15/1681.html" title="http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/15/1681.html" rel="nofollow"&gt;&amp;sect;&amp;nbsp;1681&lt;/a&gt; et seq.) that regulates the collection, dissemination, and use of consumer credit information. (&lt;a href="http://www.ftc.gov/os/statutes/031224fcra.pdf" title="http://www.ftc.gov/os/statutes/031224fcra.pdf" rel="nofollow"&gt;Full Statute&lt;/a&gt; (PDF).)] Along with the &lt;a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_Debt_Collection_Practices_Act" title="Fair Debt Collection Practices Act"&gt;Fair Debt Collection Practices Act&lt;/a&gt; (FDCPA), it forms the base of consumer credit rights in the United States. It was originally passed in 1970,&lt;sup id="cite_ref-0"&gt;&lt;a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_Credit_Reporting_Act#cite_note-0"&gt;[1]&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/sup&gt; and is enforced by the US &lt;a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Trade_Commission" title="Federal Trade Commission"&gt;Federal Trade Commission&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Which companies are regulated by the FCRA?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;While putative database companies like &lt;a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LexisNexis" title="LexisNexis"&gt;Lexis&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westlaw" title="Westlaw"&gt;Westlaw&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ChoicePoint" title="ChoicePoint"&gt;ChoicePoint&lt;/a&gt;, and &lt;a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EFunds_Corporation" title="EFunds Corporation"&gt;eFunds&lt;/a&gt; (owner of &lt;a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ChexSystems" title="ChexSystems"&gt;ChexSystems&lt;/a&gt;) do &lt;strong&gt;not&lt;/strong&gt; create credit reports, they may gather the same types of information and as a result may subject some of their actions to FCRA.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;An excerpt of the &lt;a href="http://www.ftc.gov/os/statutes/fcra/sum.htm" title="http://www.ftc.gov/os/statutes/fcra/sum.htm" rel="nofollow"&gt;1999 FTC advisory opinion&lt;/a&gt; states:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;dd&gt;
&lt;em&gt;An entity that meets the definitional requirement for a "consumer reporting agency" (CRA) in Section 603(f) of the FCRA is covered by the law even if the only information it collects, maintains, and disseminates is obtained from "public record" sources.&lt;/em&gt; &lt;/dd&gt;&lt;dd&gt;
&lt;em&gt;Section 603(f) defines a "consumer reporting agency" as any person "which, for monetary fees, dues, or on a cooperative nonprofit basis, regularly engages in whole or in part in the practice of assembling or evaluating consumer credit information or other information ... for the purpose of furnishing consumer reports to third parties ...". In turn, Section 603(d) defines a "consumer report" as the communication of "any information" by a CRA that bears on a consumer's "credit worthiness, credit standing, credit capacity, character, general reputation, personal characteristics, or mode of living" that is "used or expected to be used or collected in whole or in part" for the purpose of serving as a factor in establishing eligibility for credit or insurance to be used primarily for personal, family, or household purposes, employment purposes, or any other purpose authorized under Section 604.&lt;/em&gt; &lt;/dd&gt;&lt;dd&gt;
&lt;em&gt;If the commercial service you describe regularly provides information for the purposes set forth in the definition of consumer report in Section 603(d), the agency is a consumer reporting agency and the information it collects from public record sources and maintains in its computerized files is subject to the FCRA.&lt;/em&gt; &lt;/dd&gt;</description>
      <dc:creator>Christine von dem Bach (Coldwell Banker United Realtors)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Mon, 30 Mar 2009 15:02:09 -0700</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/1010155/fair-credit-reporting-act</link>
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      <guid>http://activerain.com/blogsview/1007137/coldwell-banker-advertising-2009</guid>
      <title>Coldwell Banker Advertising 2009</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&amp;bull;&amp;nbsp;Two new commercials will run in 2009, "Iconic" Houses" and "Scroll".&amp;nbsp; Both commercials incorporate the Portraits but in a very different way.&amp;nbsp; They have a more subtle role in this year's spots and help tell the story as opposed to &lt;em&gt;being&lt;/em&gt; the story.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;bull;&amp;nbsp;Both spots will be available for local use FREE OF CHARGE, allowing for a 5-second tag at the end where offices can include their company name, contact information and web address.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;bull;&amp;nbsp;The spots will be accessible on coldwellbankerworks.com beginning the week of March 23rd.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;bull;&amp;nbsp;The commercials will run on premium cable news and entertainment programming beginning the week of March 30th&amp;nbsp;through the end of June.&amp;nbsp; Coldwell Banker anticipates returning with a second flight of cable advertising in September.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;bull;&amp;nbsp;This year, &lt;strong&gt;Coldwell Banker&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&amp;reg; &lt;/strong&gt;will have an increased, steady presence on category relevant programming on HGTV and our commercials will run on this network from March straight through September.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;bull;As part of Coldwell Bankers multi-screen approach to advertising, commercials will run on hulu.com as pre-roll to replays of some of the most popular programs currently on network television.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;bull;&amp;nbsp;In addition, through Tremor Media, our commercials will be &amp;lsquo;fed' to other premium video content channels.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;bull;&amp;nbsp;In terms of online advertising, display advertising will appear on major portals like msn, Yahoo and AOL.&amp;nbsp; Coldwell Banker says "We'll also continue to use behavioral targeting on these sites to drive qualified traffic by pushing our ads to users who have shown interest in real estate within the last 48 hours."&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;bull;&amp;nbsp;Another efficient means of driving traffic has been our direct response effort on msn.&amp;nbsp; Through this effort Coldwell Banker display ads run throughout the entire msn network on a cost per click basis.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;img title="coldwellbanker-time-square1" src="http://okaloosamls.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/coldwellbanker-time-square1.jpg?w=450&amp;amp;h=346" height="346" alt="coldwellbanker-time-square1" width="450"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <dc:creator>Christine von dem Bach (Coldwell Banker United Realtors)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Sat, 28 Mar 2009 15:09:46 -0700</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/1007137/coldwell-banker-advertising-2009</link>
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      <guid>http://activerain.com/blogsview/1007130/coldwell-banker-lineup-2009</guid>
      <title>Coldwell Banker Lineup 2009</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;img title="coldwell-banker-fashion-show" src="http://okaloosamls.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/coldwell-banker-fashion-show.jpg?w=450&amp;amp;h=261" height="261" alt="coldwell-banker-fashion-show" width="450"&gt;&lt;br&gt;Engaging Consumers Online and Offline for Better Results&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;In 2009, &lt;strong&gt;Coldwell Banker &lt;/strong&gt;is taking a multi-screen approach to our advertising strategy so that we can reach consumers on their terms in the media outlets they go to for news, information and entertainment.&amp;nbsp; Whether they're watching TV, surfing the web, enjoying digital video content or using their Smartphones, &lt;strong&gt;Coldwell Banker&lt;/strong&gt; will have a presence.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Campaign Highlights&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Two new commercials will make their debut this year.&amp;nbsp; Both spots incorporate the Portraits, but they are used in an entirely different way. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;In addition to running on cable television, the spots will run as pre-roll on Hulu.com, a Web site that offers commercial-supported streaming video of TV shows like &lt;em&gt;Heroes, 24&lt;/em&gt; and &lt;em&gt;The Office&lt;/em&gt;.&amp;nbsp; Unlike network TV, which is subject to the use of DVR's, in this environment our commercials cannot be fast forwarded or skipped over. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;In a first for the real estate category, &lt;strong&gt;Coldwell Banker &lt;/strong&gt;will run advertising on digital billboards in Times Square and Las Vegas.&amp;nbsp; Passers by will be encouraged to text to see listings in their area of interest and the results will display on the billboard as well as on their phone. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;</description>
      <dc:creator>Christine von dem Bach (Coldwell Banker United Realtors)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Sat, 28 Mar 2009 15:03:25 -0700</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/1007130/coldwell-banker-lineup-2009</link>
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      <guid>http://activerain.com/blogsview/992644/christine-vondembach-reo-properties-video</guid>
      <title>Christine vondemBach REO Properties Video</title>
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      <dc:creator>Christine von dem Bach (Coldwell Banker United Realtors)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Thu, 19 Mar 2009 16:42:36 -0700</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/992644/christine-vondembach-reo-properties-video</link>
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      <guid>http://activerain.com/blogsview/984965/realogy-responds-to-the-yahoo-finance-article</guid>
      <title>Realogy Responds to the Yahoo Finance Article</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Dear &lt;strong&gt;Coldwell Banker&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&amp;reg;&lt;/strong&gt; Broker/Owners and Sales Associates:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Earlier today we saw a business writer's blog post get picked up as a "news" report pertaining to the financial condition of a number of companies, including our parent company, Realogy. This coverage generally focused on the long-term debt and viability of these companies.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Although Realogy is currently in a quiet period and we cannot release certain financial information in advance of our fourth quarter 2008 earnings call in March, we certainly could have addressed the fundamentals had this reporter taken the time to attempt to carry out his due diligence by contacting Realogy for the facts.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;I want to point out a number of "silver linings" for Realogy that clearly have not been taken into consideration by either the media or the financial ratings agencies:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;During the past several years Realogy has moved aggressively to mitigate the impact of the economy on our company. We have successfully reduced our overhead by more than $350 million and continue to focus on maximizing the effectiveness of our cost structure. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;As we have focused on costs we have been equally focused on growth. In spite of the woes of the housing market we have made great progress in advancing our company. From franchise sales to the retention of the top-tier sales associates to signing new clients at Cartus and Title Resource Group, we continue to be forward thinking, highly focused on the future of our company and the industry. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;In 2009, we expect to benefit from&amp;nbsp;considerably lower interest rates since a significant portion of our bank debt is tied to LIBOR; &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;None of our corporate debt is due until at least 2013; and &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Unlike many companies in today's economy, we have the support and commitment of one of the best financed private equity firms in the country, Apollo Management. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Please also remember that private equity funds managed by Apollo Management and co-investors originally invested $2 billion in our company. Apollo has a substantial ongoing interest in the success of Realogy. Our senior management team is highly confident of Apollo's commitment to Realogy. If there is any question as to Apollo's overall financial strength, one need only look to Apollo's success in raising approximately $15 billion in capital last month for its newest investment fund.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;As to the future of the industry, we are encouraged that Congress and the White House appreciate the importance of stimulating housing. We have actively engaged in lobbying the House of Representatives, the Senate and the Treasury Department on this critical aspect of our economy. In due course, we believe the government will act to provide the proper stimulus for our industry.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;We look forward to the recovery in housing that we all know is inevitable. Thank you in advance for your hard work, patience and commitment to &lt;strong&gt;Coldwell Banker&lt;/strong&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Sincerely,&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Alex Perriello&lt;br&gt;President &amp;amp; CEO&lt;br&gt;Realogy Franchise Group&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <dc:creator>Christine von dem Bach (Coldwell Banker United Realtors)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Sun, 15 Mar 2009 16:09:21 -0700</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/984965/realogy-responds-to-the-yahoo-finance-article</link>
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      <guid>http://activerain.com/blogsview/960780/federal-reserve-response</guid>
      <title>Federal Reserve response</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div id="reblogging_tag"&gt;Via &lt;b&gt;&lt;a href="http://coldwellbankerunited.activerain.com/post/953887/Federal-Reserve-response"&gt;Coldwell Banker United Realtors Crestview&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/b&gt;:&lt;br&gt;&lt;blockquote&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Credit and Liquidity Programs and the Balance Sheet&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.federalreserve.gov/monetarypolicy/bst.htm"&gt;Overview&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;Crisis response&lt;br&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.federalreserve.gov/monetarypolicy/bst_fedsbalancesheet.htm"&gt;Fed's balance sheet&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.federalreserve.gov/monetarypolicy/bst_frliabilities.htm"&gt;Federal Reserve liabilities&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.federalreserve.gov/monetarypolicy/bst_recenttrends.htm"&gt;Recent balance sheet trends&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.federalreserve.gov/monetarypolicy/bst_openmarketops.htm"&gt;Open market operations&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.federalreserve.gov/monetarypolicy/bst_liquidityswaps.htm"&gt;Central bank liquidity swaps&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.federalreserve.gov/monetarypolicy/bst_lendingdepository.htm"&gt;Lending to depository institutions&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.federalreserve.gov/monetarypolicy/bst_lendingprimary.htm"&gt;Lending to primary dealers&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.federalreserve.gov/monetarypolicy/bst_lendingother.htm"&gt;Other lending facilities&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.federalreserve.gov/monetarypolicy/bst_supportspecific.htm"&gt;Support for specific institutions&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.federalreserve.gov/monetarypolicy/bst_ratesetting.htm"&gt;Collateral and rate setting&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.federalreserve.gov/monetarypolicy/bst_riskmanagement.htm"&gt;Risk management&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.federalreserve.gov/monetarypolicy/bst_longerterm.htm"&gt;Longer-term issues&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.federalreserve.gov/monetarypolicy/bst_reportsresources.htm"&gt;Reports and other resources&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;img src="http://www.federalreserve.gov/monetarypolicy/gifjpg/spacer_1_1.gif" alt=""&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The Federal Reserve's response to the crisis&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The Federal Reserve has responded aggressively to the financial crisis since its emergence in the summer of 2007. The reduction in the target federal funds rate from 5-1/4 percent to effectively zero was an extraordinarily rapid easing in the stance of monetary policy. In addition, the Federal Reserve has implemented a number of programs designed to support the liquidity of financial institutions and foster improved conditions in financial markets. These new programs have led to a significant change to the Federal Reserve's balance sheet.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Related&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;
&lt;a href="http://www.federalreserve.gov/pf/pdf/pf_3.pdf"&gt;Policy Implementation Framework&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;
&lt;a href="http://www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/speech/bernanke20090113a.htm"&gt;The Crisis and Policy Response&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;Speech by Chairman Ben S. Bernanke, Jan. 13, 2009&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The first set of tools, which are closely tied to the central bank's traditional role as the lender of last resort, involve the provision of short-term liquidity to banks and other depository institutions and other financial institutions. Because bank funding markets are global in scope, the Federal Reserve has also approved bilateral currency swap agreements with 14 foreign central banks. These swap arrangements assist these central banks in their provision of dollar liquidity to banks in their jurisdictions.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;A second set of tools involve the provision of liquidity directly to borrowers and investors in key credit markets. The Commercial Paper Funding Facility, the Asset-Backed Commercial Paper Money Market Mutual Fund Liquidity Facility, and the Money Market Investor Funding Facility fall into this category. In addition, the Federal Reserve will soon implement the Term Asset-Backed Securities Loan Facility. All of the programs are described in detail elsewhere on this website.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;As a third set of instruments, the Federal Reserve has expanded its traditional tool of open market operations to support the functioning of credit markets through the purchase of longer-term securities for the Federal Reserve's portfolio. For example, on November 25, 2008, the Federal Reserve announced plans to purchase up to $100 billion in government-sponsored enterprise (GSE) debt and up to $500 billion in agency mortgage-backed securities.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/blockquote&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;</description>
      <dc:creator>Christine von dem Bach (Coldwell Banker United Realtors)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Sun, 01 Mar 2009 21:29:15 -0800</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/960780/federal-reserve-response</link>
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      <guid>http://activerain.com/blogsview/959609/national-clean-energy-summitt</guid>
      <title>National Clean Energy Summitt</title>
      <description>&lt;embed name="flashObj" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/index.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash" src="http://services.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f8/1632654798" swliveconnect="true" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" height="412" flashvars="videoId=14385756001&amp;amp;playerId=1632654798&amp;amp;viewerSecureGatewayURL=https://console.brightcove.com/services/amfgateway&amp;amp;servicesURL=http://services.brightcove.com/services&amp;amp;cdnURL=http://admin.brightcove.com&amp;amp;domain=embed&amp;amp;autoStart=false&amp;amp;" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" width="486"&gt;&lt;/embed&gt;</description>
      <dc:creator>Christine von dem Bach (Coldwell Banker United Realtors)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Sun, 01 Mar 2009 00:37:23 -0800</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/959609/national-clean-energy-summitt</link>
    </item>
    <item>
      <guid>http://activerain.com/blogsview/946536/ecar-mls-rules-updated</guid>
      <title>ECAR MLS Rules updated</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;If you are having trouble reading this email, you may &lt;a&gt;view the online version&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;Emerald Coast Association of REALTORS&amp;reg; MLS Rules have been modified to allow website references in the Agent Notes and to extend Virtual Office Website (VOW) provisions.&amp;nbsp; The changes were approved at the February 19, 2009, meeting of the ECAR Board of Directors.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Section 4.4, Note 2, of the rules was changed to better represent the rule's original intent.&amp;nbsp; The note was added several years ago to restrict references to real estate licensees who did not subscribe to ECAR MLS.&amp;nbsp; For example, if an ECAR member co-listed a property with a Realtor from Tallahassee who did not subscribe to the MLS, the rule prohibited entering information about the Tallahassee agent.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The original wording, however, was broader than necessary and inadvertently prohibited references to any third parties including homeowner associations and builders.&amp;nbsp; The Board of Directors narrowed the wording to specifically reference real estate licensees and their assistants.&amp;nbsp; This allows information and website links for third parties to be placed in Agent Notes.&amp;nbsp; The change does not affect the requirement to record a non-MLS selling agent's name in the Sales Notes.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Virtual Office Websites, or VOWs, are private websites used by brokers to provide services to their customers over the Internet.&amp;nbsp; They are password-protected sites that require visitors to pre-register, essentially making them customers, before accessing services on the site.&amp;nbsp; These services use active and off-market listing information and are similar to those offered face to face.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The National Association of REALTORS&amp;reg;, with help from the U.S. Department of Justice, established policies in December to govern the use of MLS information on Virtual Office Websites.&amp;nbsp; ECAR adopted the mandatory VOW language in January, but only recently determined which of the optional policies it would include in the MLS Rules.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;ECAR's Board of Directors determined it would not place a restriction on the statuses used on Virtual Office Websites, but did decide not to allow confidential information to be displayed on these sites.&amp;nbsp; Because that policy required a similar restriction to be placed on all brokers, the Board also approved a rule prohibiting the sharing of Agent reports with any customers other than a listing's seller(s).&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Members should check to be sure that automated emails to prospects are sending Customer reports and that they are not using Agent reports for flyers.&amp;nbsp; Customer reports "with Contact Information" provide complete agent information if a listing agent wants to use a report as a listing flyer.&amp;nbsp; Prospect notification emails sent to agents always use the Agent reports which is not against the rules.&amp;nbsp; It is also okay to use Agent report when participating in an MLS Marketing Tour.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a&gt;View a summary of the MLS Rules changes&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <dc:creator>Christine von dem Bach (Coldwell Banker United Realtors)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Sat, 21 Feb 2009 19:56:26 -0800</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/946536/ecar-mls-rules-updated</link>
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      <guid>http://activerain.com/blogsview/946167/bp-capital-the-future-of-energy-funds</guid>
      <title>BP Capital the future of Energy Funds</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;BP Capital, L.P. ("BPC") and TBP Investments Management, LLC ("TBP").&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;BPC is a Commodity Pool Operator and General Partner for the BP Capital Energy Fund, L.P. ("the Energy Fund"). TBP is a Commodity Pool Operator and General Partner of BP Capital Management, L.P., the General Partner of BP Capital Energy Equity Fund II, L.P. ("the Equity Fund"). Collectively, TBP and BPC are refered to as "BP Capital".&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Our firms have one objective: &lt;strong&gt;"Investing With Energy"&lt;/strong&gt;.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;BPC and TBP are private investment firms that focus on investments in energy futures and stocks of public companies in various energy sectors and energy dependent industries.&lt;br&gt;Minimum investment is $5 million.&lt;br&gt;Our team is led by Boone Pickens, who brings more than 50 years of experience in the oil and gas industry. Mr. Pickens is the founder of Mesa Petroleum, one of the largest and most influential independent producers of natural gas and oil.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;T. Boone Pickens, founder and chairman, BP Capital Management, is principally responsible for the formulation of the energy futures investment strategy of the BP Capital Commodity Fund and the BP Capital Equity Fund. With more than $4 billion under management, BP Capital manages one of the nation's most successful energy-oriented investment funds. Pickens frequently utilizes his wealth of experience in the oil and gas industry in the evaluation of potential equity investments and energy sector themes. He has not been shy in predicting oil and gas prices and - more often than not - has been uncannily accurate.&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <dc:creator>Christine von dem Bach (Coldwell Banker United Realtors)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Sat, 21 Feb 2009 15:19:50 -0800</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/946167/bp-capital-the-future-of-energy-funds</link>
    </item>
    <item>
      <guid>http://activerain.com/blogsview/946138/this-weekend-mardi-gras-destin-florida-harbor-walk</guid>
      <title>This weekend Mardi Gras Destin Florida Harbor Walk</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Saturday, February 21: Mardi Gras Parade&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp; The highlight of Mardi Gras is the spectacular parade that winds its way through HarborWalk Village. Enjoy dazzling floats, colorful costumes, street performers and float riders tossing handfuls of beads to delighted parade goers as they create a festive party atmosphere unlike anything else in Destin. Bring your kids to make their own Mardi Gras Crowns. Parade from 3pm-till. &lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.harborwalkdestin.com/_files/Miscellaneous/HarborWalk_Village_Mardi_Gras_Parade_Application_and_Instructions.pdf"&gt;Download Application&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Sunday, February 22: Jambalaya Cook-off and Pet Costume Contest&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp; The first annual Jambalaya Cook-Off and Pet Costume Contest at HarborWalk Village. Let your pets enjoy the Mardi Gras festivities at this benefit for the Destin Harvest while enjoying Jambalaya from your favorite restaurants on the harbor. Live entertainment by Terry and the Zydeco Bad Boys. Dress your pets in their snazziest Mardi Gras costumes and show off their special trick and their owners. Event is from 11am-3pm. Costume Contest 11:30am. &lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.harborwalkdestin.com/_files/miscellaneous/CostumeContestApplication.pdf"&gt;Download Costume Contest Application&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <dc:creator>Christine von dem Bach (Coldwell Banker United Realtors)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Sat, 21 Feb 2009 14:59:06 -0800</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/946138/this-weekend-mardi-gras-destin-florida-harbor-walk</link>
    </item>
    <item>
      <guid>http://activerain.com/blogsview/945988/paper-pre-session-surveys-for-florida</guid>
      <title>Paper pre session surveys for Florida</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div id="reblogging_tag"&gt;Via &lt;b&gt;&lt;a href="http://okaloosamls.activerain.com/post/945873/Paper-pre-session-surveys-for-Florida"&gt;Brandon Jordan (Coldwell Banker United Realtors)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/b&gt;:&lt;br&gt;&lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;p&gt;Paper Pre Session Surveys are in the snailmail, however an&amp;nbsp;online version is available for Florida residents&amp;nbsp;at: &lt;a&gt;www.flhouse.us&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp; All paper hard copy surveys received will be entered into this survey website so that results can be combined and tabulated electronically.&amp;nbsp; The survey results will also be posted on this website.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; The cut-off date for ensuring your survey response is included in the results tabulation is February 28th.&lt;br&gt;This is a one time announcement.&amp;nbsp; There is no master mailing list to be deleted from. &amp;nbsp; Survey website:&amp;nbsp; &lt;a&gt;www.flhouse.us&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;</description>
      <dc:creator>Christine von dem Bach (Coldwell Banker United Realtors)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Sat, 21 Feb 2009 13:02:08 -0800</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/945988/paper-pre-session-surveys-for-florida</link>
    </item>
    <item>
      <guid>http://activerain.com/blogsview/945986/appraisal-foundation-seeks-comments</guid>
      <title>Appraisal Foundation seeks comments</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div id="reblogging_tag"&gt;Via &lt;b&gt;&lt;a href="http://okaloosamls.activerain.com/post/945882/Appraisal-Foundation-seeks-comments"&gt;Brandon Jordan (Coldwell Banker United Realtors)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/b&gt;:&lt;br&gt;&lt;blockquote&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Appraisal Foundation seeks Comments on White Paper&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The Appraisal Foundation is looking to write a White Paper on appraisal regulatory reform, and they are seeking your comments. Possible topics for the white paper include:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;- Implement National Licensing or Registration Requirements for Appraisal Management Companies. &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;- Require Greater Due Diligence from federal financial institutions. &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;- Improve enforcement among the states. &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;For more information on the Foundation's White Paper, please click the link below:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://narblog1.realtors.org/mvtype/appraisalinsight/Foundation%20White%20Paper%20Request.pdf"&gt;Download file&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;To comment on this White Paper, you can email the Foundation at:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="mailto:whitepaper@appraisalfoundation.org"&gt;whitepaper@appraisalfoundation.org&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;
&lt;p&gt;MEMORANDUM&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;TO: Board of Trustees&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Appraisal Standards Board&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Appraiser Qualifications Board&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The Appraisal Foundation Advisory Council&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Industry Advisory Council&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Appraisal Foundation Sponsors&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;FROM: David Bunton, President&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;RE: &lt;em&gt;White Paper on Appraiser Regulatory Reform&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;DATE: February 12, 2009&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;REQUEST FOR COMMENTS&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The Appraisal Foundation is in the process of identifying issues and recommendations&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;that should be included in a regulatory white paper that it intends to develop in the&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;near future and distribute to key government officials. As an individual affiliated with&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;the Foundation, we are seeking your opinion on what improvements could be made to&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;the existing appraiser regulatory system. This memorandum contains a series of&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;possible recommendations. You are encouraged to comment on these&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;recommendations and are invited to offer others as well.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;We request that you provide your comments to the Foundation by the close of business&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;on &lt;strong&gt;March, 2, 2009&lt;/strong&gt;. Comments can be sent in the following manner:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Mail: Regulatory White Paper&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The Appraisal Foundation&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;1155 15th Street, NW, Suite 1111&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Washington, DC 20005&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;E-mail: &lt;a href="mailto:whitepaper@appraisalfoundation.org"&gt;whitepaper@appraisalfoundation.org&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Facsimile: 202-347-7727&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/blockquote&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;</description>
      <dc:creator>Christine von dem Bach (Coldwell Banker United Realtors)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Sat, 21 Feb 2009 13:01:26 -0800</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/945986/appraisal-foundation-seeks-comments</link>
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      <guid>http://activerain.com/blogsview/945912/appraisers-upset-over-new-rules</guid>
      <title>Appraisers upset over new rules</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div id="reblogging_tag"&gt;Via &lt;b&gt;&lt;a href="http://okaloosamls.activerain.com/post/945889/Appraisers-upset-over-new-rules"&gt;Brandon Jordan (Coldwell Banker United Realtors)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/b&gt;:&lt;br&gt;&lt;blockquote&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Below is what I found on NAR website I can understand an appraisers position to be against a pool as we as Realtors would be against a pool they have worked hard for years to earn business then are told they will now be on the same level as someone just starting. This does not seem like it will go over very well.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;I have seen comments posted already on the story below saying things like &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;"We do not sign an agreement with appraisal management companies. They send us their fee schedule and we continue to bill our standard fees (of course they won't pay them)....so we turn them in to the local credit bureau."&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Another post said&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;" They started with the right idea (separating brokers &amp;amp; lenders from appraisers). Unfortunately selfish individuals came to control the end result.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;1. Bankers and brokers should be forced to play on a level playing field&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;2. Neither banks or lenders should be allowed any control or ownership in the "third party" ordering companies.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;3. The "third party" ordering company's fee should be paid out of the borrower's pocket rather than the appraiser's pocket. If appraisal review is a portion of the "third party company's services; that portion of the fee should be paid by the lender (as it was in the past). "&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Appraisers Upset Over New Rules&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;From &lt;a href="http://www.fwbusinesspress.com/display.php?id=9544"&gt;Ft. Worth Texas&lt;/a&gt;, another article on the Home Valuation Code of Conduct:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Money quote:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;blockquote&gt;Kenneth Jones, a Realtor as well as a 16-year veteran appraiser, said his options are limited if he wants to continue to work: join a pool.
&lt;p&gt;"What's so funny is that bad appraisers have been joining pools for years because they can't get enough business to make it as an independent appraiser," Jones said. "But now they'll be on the same playing field as the good appraisers."&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Management companies also typically charge appraisers to be included in pools and Jones said that cost will hurt many appraisers. ...&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;..."I know some really good appraisers who have gotten out the business because of all of this," Jones said. "The local impact, just like the national impact, could be huge. And I'm not sure if that will be in a good way or not."&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/blockquote&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Another story about appraisers, where the big concern is the low fees at AMC's.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;My question to this group is: Are you appraisers having any luck establishing your own fees with Appraisal Management Companies?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/blockquote&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;</description>
      <dc:creator>Christine von dem Bach (Coldwell Banker United Realtors)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Sat, 21 Feb 2009 12:13:34 -0800</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/945912/appraisers-upset-over-new-rules</link>
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      <guid>http://activerain.com/blogsview/943177/102-104-main-st-building-for-sale-crestview-florida-landmark-1925-building</guid>
      <title>102-104 Main St building for sale Crestview Florida landmark 1925 building</title>
      <description>&lt;object height="344" width="425"&gt;&lt;param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/O4Zpvr8oHvY&amp;amp;hl=en&amp;amp;fs=1"&gt;
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&lt;embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/O4Zpvr8oHvY&amp;amp;hl=en&amp;amp;fs=1" allowfullscreen="true" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" height="344" width="425"&gt;&lt;/embed&gt;&lt;/object&gt;&lt;p&gt;Truly priced to sell, this is a one-of-a-kind building great for investing in the rapidly growing Crestview area. With a perfect location in downtown Crestview's revitalized "Florida Main Street" state-designated historic district, this two-story circa 1925 landmark was built as a hotel with eleven rooms on the second floor which were converted into office space. It is situated thirty miles from the beaches of the Gulf of Mexico, near Fort Walton Beach, Destin, Pensacola &amp;amp; Navarre on the I-10 corridor in the fastest growing city of its size in the entire state; also near aerospace hub of Eglin Air Force Base with rapid growth due to BRAC realignment. The first floor has two separate storefronts, one of which is currently a doctor's office and the other an attorney's office.This storefront features terrazo flooring. The entire second floor has clear-coated tongue-and-groove heart of pine walls and ten-foot ceilings with exposed "Chicago Brick" on the outer facing walls. The second floor also includes a full kitchen, tiled floors, a gas range, crown molding and trim on all 17 second-story windows and solid wood custom cabinets as well as hand-built custom carpentry with cypress, cedar, and pine throughout. Each room has a ceiling fan. The second-floor bath features a custom-built tiled shower. There is a 420 square foot deck off the second floor as well. The exterior is all brick with new hurricane-insulated windows and 2 new insulated and tinted storefront windows. These are the all new 2000-2005 mechanicals: new A/C and heat pumps, electrical wiring, plubming, CAT5 data/telephone lines and amplified digital cable to current code in every room. This property need to be seen to be truly appreciated. It is ideal for office space or a restaurant/bar. A unique piece of property you don't want to miss. Owner may finance for qualified buyer.&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <dc:creator>Christine von dem Bach (Coldwell Banker United Realtors)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Thu, 19 Feb 2009 16:46:39 -0800</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/943177/102-104-main-st-building-for-sale-crestview-florida-landmark-1925-building</link>
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      <guid>http://activerain.com/blogsview/942960/natural-spring-okaloosa-county-florida-property-70-acres</guid>
      <title>Natural Spring Okaloosa County Florida property 70 Acres</title>
      <description>&lt;object height="344" width="425"&gt;&lt;param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/3Z3-tdpKK6Q&amp;amp;hl=en&amp;amp;fs=1"&gt;
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&lt;embed allowfullscreen="true" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/3Z3-tdpKK6Q&amp;amp;hl=en&amp;amp;fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" height="344" width="425"&gt;&lt;/embed&gt;&lt;/object&gt;&lt;p&gt;With a potential for.. Natural Springs Resort,Retreat Center, Recreational Facility ,Fishing Lodge, Natural Wellness Center, Campground, RV Park, Senior Resort community ,Private Estate. This luxurious "natural springs" waterfront acreage is set in an impressive position, with sweeping panoramic views over your own private lake. It makes a great impression! private natural springs lake Ideal for entertaining and relaxing, it is a peaceful haven laid out on 70 acres, a lovely multitude of mature trees that add to the breathtaking surroundings all this while only 5 Minutes drive time to Crestview.&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <dc:creator>Christine von dem Bach (Coldwell Banker United Realtors)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Thu, 19 Feb 2009 15:04:16 -0800</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/942960/natural-spring-okaloosa-county-florida-property-70-acres</link>
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    <item>
      <guid>http://activerain.com/blogsview/934031/my-video-christine-von</guid>
      <title>My Video Christine Von</title>
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      <dc:creator>Christine von dem Bach (Coldwell Banker United Realtors)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Sat, 14 Feb 2009 18:52:25 -0800</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/934031/my-video-christine-von</link>
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      <guid>http://activerain.com/blogsview/934027/okaloosa-county-welcomes-the-7th-special-forces-to-eglin-afb</guid>
      <title>Okaloosa County welcomes the 7th special forces to Eglin AFB</title>
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      <dc:creator>Christine von dem Bach (Coldwell Banker United Realtors)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Sat, 14 Feb 2009 18:50:28 -0800</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/934027/okaloosa-county-welcomes-the-7th-special-forces-to-eglin-afb</link>
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      <guid>http://activerain.com/blogsview/933714/645-territory-lane-fox-valley-subdivision-short-sale-crestview-florida-remix</guid>
      <title>645 Territory Lane Fox Valley Subdivision short sale Crestview Florida Remix</title>
      <description>&lt;object height="344" width="425"&gt;&lt;param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/WByHpNzAK1Y&amp;amp;hl=en&amp;amp;fs=1&amp;amp;rel=0"&gt;
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&lt;embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/WByHpNzAK1Y&amp;amp;hl=en&amp;amp;fs=1&amp;amp;rel=0" allowfullscreen="true" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" height="344" width="425"&gt;&lt;/embed&gt;&lt;/object&gt;&lt;p&gt;SHORT SALE WITH APPROVAL SHOULD BE ABLE TO DO A QUICK CLOSE!!** Newer home south of I-10. This is a beautiful all brick four bedroom three bath home located in fox valley. Split open floor plan with extras like plant ledges, gas fireplace,double glass french doors which open into the Florida room. Thomas Home plan 2800 B. Standard features included trey ceiling in MB, fully-sodded lot, sprinkler system, walk-in closets, wide colonial baseboards, NAFCO tile foyer, 5/8 sheetrock in all ceilings, rounded corners in common areas, large plant ledges, pre-wired for security and surround-sound, On Q Home Wiring System, telephone jacks w/CAT 5 Wiring in all bedrooms and kitchen, cable jacks in all bedrooms, double vanities in MB, 30-yr. Dimensional Shingles, steel garage door with decorative glass, brick mailbox, insulated steel exterior doors, Over a 100 acres will be left in its natural state. Wood buffers seperate the back yards from one another no septics homes have city sewer. This is a wonderful place to call home. The location is an excellent location for military personnel. Sold as is. SHORT SALE PRE APPROVED DEAL!!!&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <dc:creator>Christine von dem Bach (Coldwell Banker United Realtors)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Sat, 14 Feb 2009 14:46:07 -0800</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/933714/645-territory-lane-fox-valley-subdivision-short-sale-crestview-florida-remix</link>
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      <guid>http://activerain.com/blogsview/933117/607-affirmed-court-home-for-sale-in-crestview-florida-remix</guid>
      <title>607 Affirmed Court home for sale in Crestview Florida Remix</title>
      <description>&lt;object height="344" width="425"&gt;&lt;param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/x-rDSuZihgo&amp;amp;hl=en&amp;amp;fs=1&amp;amp;rel=0"&gt;
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&lt;embed allowfullscreen="true" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/x-rDSuZihgo&amp;amp;hl=en&amp;amp;fs=1&amp;amp;rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" height="344" width="425"&gt;&lt;/embed&gt;&lt;/object&gt;&lt;p&gt;Well maintained 3 Bedroom, 2 Bath Florida home in one of the nicest neighborhoods in Crestview. Excellent location near shopping, schools and hospital. The den/office can easily be converted into a 4th Bedroom. Home has formal dining area which boasts columns and arches to give it that extra flair. Large living room with planter ledges to add to the affect. Living room with nice trim mantel around the fireplace. Kitchen is open with bar and affords a breakfast area/nook with views of the large back yard. Living, dining and kitchen is tiled throughout. Laundry room is off of double size garage. This is a spit bedroom floor plan. Enclosed patio has ample room with ceiling fan. Backyard is roomy and is totally fenced in. The porch has been totally enclosed and is extra roomy and offers additional room. New Middle School and Elementary school will be open 2009-2010 school year which is located in close proximity to the subdivision. Home warranty being offered to buyer, a $395 value!!&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <dc:creator>Christine von dem Bach (Coldwell Banker United Realtors)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Sat, 14 Feb 2009 05:38:42 -0800</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/933117/607-affirmed-court-home-for-sale-in-crestview-florida-remix</link>
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      <guid>http://activerain.com/blogsview/933098/5594-pine-lake-crestview-florida-home-for-sale-mix</guid>
      <title>5594 Pine Lake Crestview Florida home for sale Mix</title>
      <description>&lt;object height="344" width="425"&gt;&lt;param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/SHvuiO6Y9vY&amp;amp;hl=en&amp;amp;fs=1&amp;amp;rel=0"&gt;
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&lt;embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/SHvuiO6Y9vY&amp;amp;hl=en&amp;amp;fs=1&amp;amp;rel=0" allowfullscreen="true" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" height="344" width="425"&gt;&lt;/embed&gt;&lt;/object&gt;&lt;p&gt;Custom All Brick in this quiet community the home sits on a corner lot. Hardwood floors in the kitchen, breakfast room, dining room and hall ways. Sky lites in both baths. Masterbath has double vanities with walk in closet, whirlpool with custom window, &amp;amp; seperate shower. This 3 bedroom, 2 bath has a split floor plan. Large living room with cathedral ceiling and beautiful wood burning fire place with custom angled mirror that accents the mantel. This home has beautiful landscaping, a privacy fenced back yard with a 12x24 work shop with electricity. New roof and sky lites in 2006, as well as new microwave and stove,New countertops just installed Jan.2009 Come see this home today. Seller pays closing cost with acceptable offer.&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <dc:creator>Christine von dem Bach (Coldwell Banker United Realtors)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Sat, 14 Feb 2009 04:26:03 -0800</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/933098/5594-pine-lake-crestview-florida-home-for-sale-mix</link>
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      <guid>http://activerain.com/blogsview/933088/336-egan-dr-short-sale-in-antioch-estates-crestview-fl-remix</guid>
      <title>336 Egan dr Short sale in Antioch Estates Crestview FL Remix</title>
      <description>&lt;object height="344" width="425"&gt;&lt;param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/cOzmKQ6rQ9k&amp;amp;hl=en&amp;amp;fs=1&amp;amp;rel=0"&gt;
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&lt;embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/cOzmKQ6rQ9k&amp;amp;hl=en&amp;amp;fs=1&amp;amp;rel=0" allowfullscreen="true" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" height="344" width="425"&gt;&lt;/embed&gt;&lt;/object&gt;&lt;p&gt;ALL BRICK HOME HAS THE POPULAR SPLIT BEDROOM FLOOR PLAN, MASTER SUITE WITH DOUBLE VANITY SINK, GARDEN TUB, SEPERATE SHOWER/TOILET AREA AND WALK-IN CLOSET. HOME IS ALL ELECTRIC, LAUNDRY ROOM LOCATED INSIDE, FORMAL DINING ROOM, WOODEN BLINDS AND A 2 CAR GARAGE WITH OPENER PLUS WOODEN DECK FOR RELAXING/ENTERTAINING. KITCHEN HAS BAY WINDOW TO CATCH THE VIEW AND LOTS OF CABINET SPACE. BUS ROUTE EXTREMELY CLOSE FOR SCHOOL AGED CHILDREN. OWNER WILL PAINT PINK BEDROOM AND YELLOW BATHROOM IF PREFFERED A NEUTRAL COLOR, HOME IS LOCATED ON A CUL-DE-SAC. PROPERTY TO BE SOLD "AS IS".&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <dc:creator>Christine von dem Bach (Coldwell Banker United Realtors)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Sat, 14 Feb 2009 03:31:43 -0800</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/933088/336-egan-dr-short-sale-in-antioch-estates-crestview-fl-remix</link>
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      <guid>http://activerain.com/blogsview/933084/1220-northview-remix-short-sale-crestview-florida</guid>
      <title>1220 Northview Remix Short Sale Crestview Florida</title>
      <description>&lt;object height="344" width="425"&gt;&lt;param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/d7tiVQH15H0&amp;amp;hl=en&amp;amp;fs=1&amp;amp;rel=0"&gt;
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&lt;embed allowfullscreen="true" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/d7tiVQH15H0&amp;amp;hl=en&amp;amp;fs=1&amp;amp;rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" height="344" width="425"&gt;&lt;/embed&gt;&lt;/object&gt;&lt;p&gt;Located in Northview Estates convenient to Eglin, on the south end of Crestview, South of I-10, and close to shopping. Very convenient to everything! Great Neighborhood. You can tell this home has a lot to offer as soon as you pull up to the front of this home, notice the decorated landscaped yard around the very large sago palms. The back yard has been fenced for added privacy. There is also a storage shed great for projects or the handy person. This home offers lots of extras some of which include the fully converted garage. Split bedroom floor plan with formal dining room. The living room has a beautiful fireplace with a planter ledge. Master Bedroom suite includes garden tub, separate shower, walk-in closet. Open kitchen floor plan; breakfast area is off of kitchen with extra lighting from the windows. Separate laundry room. Call today to take a look.**SHORT SALE PRE APPROVED DEAL!!! PROPERTY TO BE SOLD "AS IS".&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <dc:creator>Christine von dem Bach (Coldwell Banker United Realtors)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Sat, 14 Feb 2009 03:09:19 -0800</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/933084/1220-northview-remix-short-sale-crestview-florida</link>
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    <item>
      <guid>http://activerain.com/blogsview/933073/4263-harielson-home-for-sale-in-crestview-with-guest-house-remix</guid>
      <title>4263 Harielson Home for sale in Crestview with guest house Remix</title>
      <description>&lt;object height="344" width="425"&gt;&lt;param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/rqZXjaObv4I&amp;amp;hl=en&amp;amp;fs=1&amp;amp;rel=0"&gt;
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      <dc:creator>Christine von dem Bach (Coldwell Banker United Realtors)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Sat, 14 Feb 2009 02:39:30 -0800</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/933073/4263-harielson-home-for-sale-in-crestview-with-guest-house-remix</link>
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      <title>701 Riva Ridge Remix</title>
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      <dc:creator>Christine von dem Bach (Coldwell Banker United Realtors)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Sat, 14 Feb 2009 02:23:47 -0800</pubDate>
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