FTC Staff Comment for the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation "Freddie Mac" Concerning the Home Valuation Code of Conduct

Press Release, Freddie Mac, Freddie Mac Seeks Mortgage Industry Comments on New	1
Appraisal Code of Conduct (Mar. 14, 2008), available at
http://www.freddiemac.com/news/archives/corporate/2008/20080314_appraisal-comment.html. The
Code of Conduct is available at
http://www.freddiemac.com/singlefamily/docs/030308_valuationcodeofconduct.pdf.
These comments represent the views of the staff of the Office of Policy Planning and the	2
Bureau of Economics of the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC” or “Commission”). They do not
necessarily represent the views of the Federal Trade Commission or any individual Commissioner. The
Commission has, however, voted to authorize the staff to submit these comments.
UN ITED STATES OF AM ERICA
FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION
W ASH IN GTO N , D .C. 20580
O ffice of Policy Planning
Bureau of Econom ics
April 30, 2008
Home Valuation Code of Conduct Response
Attn: Senior Vice President, Credit Risk Oversight
Freddie Mac
1551 Park Run Drive, Mail Stop D2Z
McLean, VA 22102-3110
Re: Home Valuation Code of Conduct
Dear Senior Vice President, Credit Risk Oversight:
On March 14, 2008, Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (“Freddie Mac”)
announced that it is seeking comments on the Home Valuation Code of Conduct (“Code of
Conduct”) that Freddie Mac proposes to adopt pursuant to a settlement agreement with the New
York Attorney General (“NY AG”). Staff of the Federal Trade Commission’s Office of Policy1
Planning and Bureau of Economics appreciates the opportunity to file this comment on the
potential effects on competition and consumers of the Code of Conduct.2
Given the recent problems in the mortgage lending marketplace, the FTC staff generally
supports efforts to improve the lending process for consumers and, in particular, supports
proposals such as those contained in the Code of Conduct to protect the independence of
appraisals. The following comments on the proposed Code of Conduct are based on the staff’s
consumer protection experience in the mortgage market and its research on consumer mortgage

15 U.S.C. §§ 1601-1666j (requiring disclosures and establishing other requirements in	3
connection with consumer credit transactions).
15 U.S.C. § 1639 (amending TILA to provide additional protections for consumers who	4
enter into certain high-cost refinance mortgage loans).
15 U.S.C. § 45(a).	5
Materials on mortgage issues are available at the Commission’s For Consumers Credit	6
web page, at http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/menus/consumer/credit.shtm, under the category Mortgages/Real
Estate. The web page includes consumer education materials such as “Mortgage Payments Sending You
Reeling? Here’s What to Do,” “High-Rate, High-Fee Loans (HOEPA/Section 32 Mortgages),” and
“Reverse Mortgages: Get the Facts Before Cashing In On Your Home’s Equity.”
FTC v. Safe Harbour Found. of Fla., Inc., No. 08-1185 (N.D. Ill. 2008); FTC v.	7
Mortgages Para Hispanos.Com Corp., No. 06-00019 (E.D. Tex. 2006); FTC v. Ranney, No. 04-1065 (D.
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disclosures, as well as its competition experience in the real estate and other industries. Section I
summarizes FTC law enforcement and other activities addressing unfair or deceptive practices in
the mortgage lending market. Section II provides a brief discussion of the role of appraisals in
the mortgage lending process. Section III identifies the relevant provisions in the proposed Code
of Conduct on which this comment focuses. Section IV explains how these provisions raise
potential concerns regarding their ultimate impact on competition and consumers in the
mortgage lending market.
I. FTC Law Enforcement and Other Activities in Response to Unfair or Deceptive
Practices in the Mortgage Lending Market
As the primary federal agency that enforces consumer credit laws with respect to non-
depository institutions, the Commission has wide-ranging responsibility regarding consumer
financial issues in the mortgage market, including those involving mortgage lenders, brokers,
and servicers. The FTC, along with other agencies, enforces a number of federal laws governing
mortgage lending, including the Truth in Lending Act (“TILA”) and the Home Ownership and3
Equity Protection Act (“HOEPA”). The Commission also enforces Section 5 of the Federal4
Trade Commission Act (“FTC Act”), which more generally prohibits unfair or deceptive acts
and practices in the marketplace. In addition, the Commission conducts research on mortgage5
lending and related topics, develops consumer and business education materials, responds to6
inquiries about these matters from consumers, industry and the media, and works with other
federal and state law enforcement entities to protect consumers from unfair or deceptive
mortgage lending and servicing practices.
The Commission’s law enforcement actions have targeted deception and other illegal
practices in the mortgage market, focusing in particular on the subprime market. In recent years,
the agency has brought 22 actions against companies and principals in the mortgage lending
industry, involving companies large and small in various regions of the country. Several of7

Colo. 2004); FTC v. Chase Fin. Funding, Inc., No. 04-549 (C.D. Cal. 2004); United States v. Fairbanks
Capital Corp., No. 03-12219 (D. Mass. 2003); FTC v. Diamond, No. 02-5078 (N.D. Ill. 2002); United
States v. Mercantile Mortgage Co., No. 02-5079 (N.D. Ill. 2002); FTC v. Associates First Capital Corp.,
No. 01-00606 (N.D. Ga. 2001); FTC v. First Alliance Mortgage Co., No. 00-964 (C.D. Cal. 2000);
United States v. Action Loan Co., No. 00-511 (W.D. Ky. 2000); FTC v. NuWest, Inc., No. 00-1197 (W.D.
Wash. 2000); United States v. Delta Funding Corp., No. 00-1872 (E.D.N.Y. 2000); FTC v. Cooper
Props., No. 99-07782 (C.D. Cal. 1999); FTC v. Capitol Mortgage Corp., No. 99-580 (D. Utah 1999);
FTC v. CLS Fin. Serv., Inc., No. 99-1215 (W.D. Wash. 1999); FTC v. Granite Mortgage, LLC, No. 99-
289 (E.D. Ky. 1999); FTC v. Interstate Res. Corp., No. 99-5988 (S.D.N.Y. 1999); FTC v. LAP Fin. Serv.,
Inc., No. 99-496 (W.D. Ky. 1999); FTC v. Wasatch Credit Corp., No. 99-579 (D. Utah 1999); In re
FirstPlus Fin. Group, Inc., FTC Docket No. C-3984 (2000); In re Fleet Fin., Inc., FTC Docket No. C-
3899 (1999); FTC v. Capital City Mortgage Corp., No. 98-00237 (D.D.C. 1998).
FTC BUREAU OF ECONOMICS STAFF, JAMES M. LACKO & JANIS K. PAPPALARDO,	8
IMPROVING CONSUMER MORTGAGE DISCLOSURES: AN EMPIRICAL ASSESSMENT OF CURRENT AND
PROTOTYPE DISCLOSURE FORMS (2007), available at
http://www.ftc.gov/os/2007/06/P025505mortgagedisclosurereport.pdf (finding that, with current
disclosures, both prime and subprime borrowers misunderstood key loan terms and that both groups
benefitted significantly from a prototype version of improved disclosures developed for the study); FTC
BUREAU OF ECONOMICS STAFF, JAMES M. LACKO & JANIS K. PAPPALARDO, THE EFFECT OF MORTGAGE
BROKER COMPENSATION DISCLOSURES ON CONSUMERS AND COMPETITION: A CONTROLLED EXPERIMENT
(2004), available at http://www.ftc.gov/os/2004/01/030123mortgagefullrpt.pdf (finding that proposed
yield spread premium disclosures confused consumers, leading many to choose loans that were more
expensive than an alternative loan option, and created a substantial consumer bias against broker loans,
even when the broker loans cost the same or less than direct lender loans).
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these cases have resulted in large monetary judgments, collectively returning more than $320
million to consumers. These enforcement actions have targeted deceptive or unfair practices in
all stages of mortgage lending – from advertising and marketing through loan servicing – by
mortgage lenders, brokers, and loan servicers.
In addition to pursuing numerous law enforcement actions in the mortgage lending
market, Commission staff also has conducted research on mortgage lending issues, including
two recent studies of consumer mortgage disclosures. The studies were conducted, in part,8
because the Commission’s law enforcement experience has demonstrated that current mortgage
disclosures are often ineffective in preventing deception. This research builds on the FTC staff’s
substantial experience evaluating the role of consumer information and disclosures in a wide
variety of markets. The insights from the Commission’s law enforcement experience and
research informs the FTC staff’s view of the proposed Code of Conduct.
II. Appraisals in the Mortgage Lending Process
Retail mortgage lenders, correspondent lenders, and brokers compete with each other to

See Fannie Mae Single-Family MBS Prospectus, Exhibit B, n.23 (Apr. 1, 2008),	9
available at http://www.efanniemae.com/syndicated/documents/mbs/mbspros/SF_April_1_2008.pdf
(defining “retail,” “correspondent,” and “broker”).
Lew Sichelman, Loan Brokers Lose Share, But Still Rule the Market, REALTY TIMES, July	10
18, 2007, http://realtytimes.com/rtcpages/20070718_loseshare.htm; Press Release, Wholesale Access,
New Research About Mortgage Brokers Published (July 28, 2005), available at
http://www.wholesaleaccess.com/7_28_mbkr.shtml.
This comment does not address automated valuation models.	11
See 12 C.F.R. §§ 34.42(a), 225.62(a), 323.2(a), 564.2(a), 722.2(a); Uniform Standards of	12
Professional Appraisal Practice, Definitions, available at
http://commerce.appraisalfoundation.org/html/USPAP2008/USPAP_folder/uspap_foreword/DEFINITIO
NS.htm.
Appraisers also are paid to value property for appraisal management companies	13
(“AMCs”). Typically, AMCs are hired by lenders to provide appraisal and, in some cases, other
settlement services. AMCs, in turn, typically develop, and purchase appraisals from, a network of
independently contracted appraisers.
Based on publicly available information, it is not clear how extensive appraisal abuse has	14
been – particularly given lenders’ ability to monitor the quality of appraisals with automated valuation
models.
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offer loan products to consumers. In recent years, mortgage brokers have become an important9
part of the mortgage market, originating approximately 58-70% of mortgage loans. Regardless10
of which entity the consumer initially contacts, at some point in the mortgage loan shopping
process one of the parties seeks an appraisal to obtain an estimate of the market value of a11
specific property. Lenders (retail and correspondent) rely on the appraisal to evaluate the12
collateral that will secure the loan. Brokers obtain an appraisal to shop a complete loan package
(including the appraisal) to multiple lenders. Accurate appraisals therefore are important to the
integrity of the mortgage lending process.
All parties to the loan transaction have some incentive to obtain an appraisal at the
highest possible value. Borrowers want an appraisal valuation high enough that they can obtain
a loan to purchase the property at the sales price. Lenders have a strong interest in ensuring that
the property is accurately valued to assess whether it provides adequate security in the event of a
foreclosure, but they also want the appraisal to meet the sales price amount so that the loan is
made. Mortgage brokers have an incentive to obtain a sufficiently high appraisal because they
only get paid if the loan is made, and their commissions usually are based on the loan amount.
Appraisers are paid to value property for their customers, who primarily are lenders or
mortgage brokers. Lenders and mortgage brokers may have some incentive to seek inflated13
appraisals, and some of them may use coercion or pressure appraisers to obtain the valuations
they want. To satisfy and retain customers, appraisers have some incentive to provide an14

The Home Value Protection Program and Cooperation Agreement among the NY AG,	15
Freddie Mac, and OFHEO (“Freddie Mac Settlement Agreement”) is available at
http://www.freddiemac.com/singlefamily/docs/030308_freddieagree.pdf, while the Home Value
Protection Program and Cooperation Agreement among the NY AG, Fannie Mae, and OFHEO (“Fannie
Mae Settlement Agreement”) is available at
http://www.fanniemae.com/media/pdf/030308_agreement.pdf.
Freddie Mac Settlement Agreement ¶ 1; Fannie Mae Settlement Agreement ¶ 1.	16
Code of Conduct § I. The Code of Conduct specifically allows the lender or any third	17
party acting on behalf of the lender to request that an appraiser “(i) provide additional information or
explanation about the basis for a valuation, or (ii) correct objective factual errors in an appraisal report.”
Id.
Id. § I(1), (2) & (6).	18
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appraisal at or above the amount sought. In the face of these incentives, certain restrictions may
be needed to protect the independence of appraisers and the integrity of the mortgage lending
process.
III. Proposed Home Valuation Code of Conduct
On March 3, 2008, the NY AG announced settlement agreements with Freddie Mac,
Federal National Mortgage Association (“Fannie Mae”), and the Office of Federal Housing
Enterprise Oversight (“OFHEO”), the office within the Department of Housing and Urban
Development that oversees Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. The settlement agreements are the15
result of a larger investigation by the NY AG into conflicts of interest, fraud, and other
misconduct in the mortgage industry.
Pursuant to the settlement agreements, beginning on January 1, 2009, Freddie Mac and
Fannie Mae will no longer purchase single-family mortgage loans, other than government-
insured loans, from mortgage originators that do not agree to adopt the Code of Conduct with
respect to such loans.16
Section I of the Code of Conduct prohibits a wide range of conduct that may undermine
appraiser independence and thus result in inflated or faulty appraisals. Specifically, Section I
prohibits lenders, including any employees, agents, and affiliates of such lenders, from
influencing or attempting to influence “the development, reporting, result, or review of an
appraisal through coercion, extortion, collusion, compensation, instruction, inducement,
intimidation, bribery, or in any other manner.” The Code of Conduct further provides several17
examples of conduct that would be implicated by Section I, including, among others, the
withholding or threatening of withholding of timely payment for an appraisal, the termination or
threatening of termination of an appraiser, and providing to an appraiser an anticipated or desired
value for a subject property.18

FTC staff does not take any position regarding the potential impact on competition or	19
consumers of the other provisions in the Code of Conduct.
Code of Conduct § VI.	20
Id.	21
Id. § III.	22
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Other provisions in the Code of Conduct relevant to the FTC staff’s analysis include
those that prohibit the use of appraisal reports from certain market participants, as well as those
provisions that prohibit certain participants from selecting, retaining, and compensating
appraisers. In particular, Section VI of the Code of Conduct prohibits lenders desiring to sell19
mortgage loans to Freddie Mac or Fannie Mae from using any appraisal report prepared by an
appraiser employed by:
(1) the lender;
(2) an affiliate of the lender;
(3) an entity that is owned, in whole or in part, by the lender;
(4) an entity that owns, in whole or in part, the lender[;]
(5) a real estate “settlement services” provider, as that term is
defined in the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act, 12 U.S.C.
§ 2601 et seq.; [or]
(6) an entity that is owned, in whole or in part, by a “settlement
services” provider.20
In addition, lenders are prohibited from using any appraisal obtained by or through an AMC
owned by or affiliated with the lender, unless: (1) the lender has a 20% or less ownership interest
in the AMC; (2) the lender has no involvement in the day-to-day operations of the AMC; (3) the
AMC is operated independently; and (4) the lender plays no role in the AMC’s selection of
appraisers.21
Finally, Section III of the Code of Conduct addresses the selection and compensation of
appraisers and provides: “The lender or any third-party specifically authorized by the lender
(including, but not limited to, appraisal management companies and correspondent lenders) shall
be responsible for selecting, retaining, and providing for payment of all compensation to the
appraiser. The lender will not accept any appraisal report completed by an appraiser selected,
retained, or compensated in any manner by any other third-party (including mortgage brokers
and real estate agents).”22
IV. Potential Concerns Raised by the Code of Conduct
The FTC staff is concerned about recent mortgage market turmoil and its effects on
individuals, families, neighborhoods, and the overall economy. Some of the current problems in
mortgage markets may be attributable to abuses in the appraisals of residential homes. In

FTC STAFF, COMMENTS TO THE BOARD OF GOVERNORS OF THE FEDERAL RESERVE	
23
SYSTEM ON PROPOSED RULE RESTRICTING CERTAIN MORTGAGE PRACTICES 9 (Apr. 8, 2008), available at
http://www.ftc.gov/os/2008/04/V080008frb.pdf.
Given the significant roles that Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae serve in the secondary	24
mortgage market, it seems likely that the Code of Conduct will have a significant impact on the structure
and functioning of the primary mortgage lending industry.
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comments recently filed with the Federal Reserve Board (“Board”), the FTC staff supported the
Board’s proposed rule to protect appraiser independence, noting that pressuring an appraiser to
misrepresent the value of a property distorts the lending process and harms consumers. Section23
I of the Code of Conduct would provide similar protections for appraiser independence.
Prohibiting specific conduct that may undermine the independence of the appraisal
process – as Section I of the Code of Conduct would do – is the most direct means of protecting
such independence. In contrast, limiting the way in which participants in the mortgage lending
industry can contract with each other and thus imposing potentially significant changes in the
structure and functioning of that industry – as Sections III and VI of the Code of Conduct
apparently would do – is a much more indirect means of protecting appraiser independence.24
The use of such indirect means also creates concerns that, notwithstanding the laudable goal of
appraiser independence animating the requirements and prohibitions in the proposed Code of
Conduct, such provisions may have unintended adverse consequences for competition and
consumers in the mortgage lending area, including, for example, higher prices for consumers
without sufficient protections or other benefits to offset such costs.
Based on its experience, the FTC staff recognizes the need to consider all of the
implications – including both the benefits and costs to consumers – of imposing restrictions in
the mortgage lending area because of the potential for such restrictions to impair consumers’
access to mortgage credit. Thus, in considering the impact on competition and consumers of the
proposed Code of Conduct’s efforts to insulate appraisers from undue influence and thereby
protect the integrity of the lending process, it is important to assess whether the restrictions
contained therein would impede unduly individuals’ access to mortgage credit by, for example,
raising the prices consumers pay for appraisal services, increasing the costs of shopping among
potential lenders for the best loan for a given consumer and property, or reducing the availability
of timely, high-quality appraisals.
For example, a potential competitive concern raised by Section III of the Code of
Conduct involves the apparent prohibition on mortgage brokers directly ordering appraisal
reports. To the extent that such brokers rely on the ability directly to order an appraisal and then
shop around a complete loan package (including the appraisal) to multiple lenders, the Code of
Conduct would appear significantly to hamper the ability of mortgage brokers to compete in the
lending market. Even if the Code of Conduct could be interpreted as merely requiring a lender
to obtain another appraisal in addition to the broker-ordered appraisal, the cost of dual appraisals
will raise the cost of such loans for consumers. If implementation of the Code of Conduct

Code of Conduct § VI(5). Section VI(6) extends this prohibition to any entity owned in	25
whole or in part by a settlement services provider. Id. § VI(6).
Id. § III. See also id. § V (requiring certain training for lender employees or, if the lender	26
retains an AMC, employees of the AMC responsible for selecting appraisers).
Advisory Email Message to Seller/Servicers, Freddie Mac, Important Information about	27
Home Valuation Code of Conduct (Mar. 3, 2008) (emphasis added), available at
http://www.freddiemac.com/singlefamily/20080303_advisory.html.
It is unclear from the language of the email advisory whether prohibited appraisals	28
include those “done” or “ordered” by “an entity that offers any other services other than appraisals” – or
both.
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results in it being more difficult or expensive to use mortgage brokers than lenders to obtain a
mortgage, then consumers may lose some of the benefits brokers may provide as a significant
mortgage distribution channel. The FTC staff thus recommends that Freddie Mac and the other
parties to the settlement agreements fully consider the potential impact on the lending market
and, ultimately, consumers of the prohibition on mortgage brokers directly ordering appraisals.
Another potential competitive concern relates to the ability of AMCs and other
settlement services providers to offer a package of appraisal and one or more other real estate
closing-related services, such as title insurance, flood reports, and settlement services. Section
VI of the Code of Conduct would prohibit lenders desiring to sell loans to Freddie Mac or Fannie
Mae from utilizing appraisals conducted by employees of real estate settlement services
providers. There does not appear to be any language in the Code of Conduct that would25
prohibit the use of appraisals done by independently contracted appraisers on behalf of (non-
lender-affiliated or otherwise qualifying) AMCs. In fact, Section III of the Code of Conduct
explicitly provides for the ability of lenders to authorize AMCs to select, retain, and compensate
appraisers.26
Freddie Mac, however, has publicized an interpretation of the Code of Conduct that
would prohibit lenders from utilizing appraisals done or perhaps even ordered by an entity that
offers any services other than appraisals. In a March 3, 2008, email advisory to its sellers and
servicers, Freddie Mac stated: “A lender will no longer be allowed to sell Freddie Mac a loan if
the appraisal was done by an in-house appraiser, a subsidiary or affiliate of the lender (except
under certain conditions . . .), ordered by a mortgage broker, or an entity that offers any other
services other than appraisals.” It is the FTC staff’s understanding that a significant number27
of AMCs – particularly those operating on a regional or national basis – offer services other than
appraisals. Under one reading of Freddie Mac’s stated interpretation of the Code of Conduct,28
such companies would have to choose between offering either appraisal or non-appraisal
services; they could not offer lenders – and, ultimately, consumers – both. To the extent that
consumers benefit from the packaging of appraisal and non-appraisal services by AMCs and

See, e.g., FTC STAFF, COMMENTS TO THE DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN	
29
DEVELOPMENT ON PROPOSED RESPA AMENDMENTS 12 (Oct. 28, 2002), available at
http://www.ftc.gov/be/v030001.pdf (noting that the packaging of various loan and settlement services
“should lead to lower prices in the market for settlement services, increase efficiency, and simplify the
process for borrowers”).
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other settlement services providers, Freddie Mac’s interpretation of the Code of Conduct could29
have adverse implications for competition and consumers. The FTC staff therefore recommends
that Freddie Mac clarify and, more importantly, consider the competitive implications of, its
interpretation of those provisions in the Code of Conduct relating to settlement services
providers.
V. Conclusion
The FTC staff supports initiatives to improve the mortgage lending process for
consumers, including those designed to protect appraiser independence. These initiatives are
particularly important in light of current problems that mortgage borrowers are experiencing.
FTC staff hopes that this comment is useful to Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae, OFHEO, and the NY
AG in their assessment of the impact on competition and consumers of the proposed Code of
Conduct.

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Respectfully submitted,
__________________________
Maureen K. Ohlhausen, Director
Gregory P. Luib, Assistant Director
Office of Policy Planning
__________________________
Michael R. Baye, Director
David Meyer
Janis K. Pappalardo
Bureau of Economics
cc: Fannie Mae
OFHEO
NY AG