The Mercury Network, our server hub which routed more than 17.5 million appraisal reports in the last 12 months, and its user interface, Mercury Desktop, are too often confused with one another. One of our competitors formulates and executes entire business plans on the premise of providing an alternative for appraisers who don't want to pay to use the Mercury Network; the Mercury Network is free to use. (Don't tell them.)   Read more...

Fitch Ratings doesn't like AVMs.   Read more...

The Appraisal Subcommittee (ASC) took in $2,311,175 in fees from appraisers in 2003, and spent $2,030,382, including $791,317 in grant payments to the Appraisal Foundation. The information was released as part of the ASC's 2003 Annual Report, made available at the ASC's website March 31.   Read more...

Mortgage brokers' boom has busted, read a headline the April 10 edition of the Dallas Morning News. The premise of the story was that abating refinance activity was squeezing new brokers out of the profession, and slowing entry into the arena, so lucrative for two-plus years, to a trickle.   Read more...

Very soon we'll be announcing Professional and Enterprise level Appraiser XSites, which will add built-in merchant account/credit card order processing, advanced Themes and Flash intros, a logo builder, site statistics reports, and a built-in "marketing kit" that will help you do business - online and offline - more productively.   Read more...

The Appraisal Foundation said it is beginning its annual search for qualified candidates to serve on one of its three Boards. Completed applications for vacancies on the Board of Trustees, the Appraiser Qualifications Board (AQB) and the Appraisal Standards Board (ASB) must be received by July 15, 2004.   Read more...

ST. PETERSBURG, FLA. -- The Pinellas REALTOR® Organization (PRO) has chosen to couple a la mode's innovative Agent XSites websites along with its own internally-developed PRO/IDX tool and offer this unique bundle to its REALTOR® members.   Read more...

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has more than 4,000 returns under audit involving individuals and entities associated with the real estate business, everyone's favorite agency announced.   Read more...

We went shopping for websites for this edition of the e-Newsletter. Our Agent XSites for real estate agents and brand new Mortgage XSites have gotten some buzz lately but what about Appraiser XSites, the granddaddy of them all?   Read more...

Sen. Paul Sarbanes, D-Md., ranking member of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, opened a hearing by the Committee's Housing and Transportation Subcomittee on Capitol Hill Wednesday by citing Assistant U.S. Attorney Joe Evans' contention that bad appraisers are the "enablers" of predatory lending such as has plagued Sarbanes' constituents in Baltimore in recent years.   Read more...