[FoCHAT] SB 740 is alive but if you purchased a certified appraisal or had problems with multiple PSVs, give the bill needed TLC

Thu May 22 21:11:47 PDT 2008

Summary:

  Housing Task Force of LRA next Tues., 10 AM, in New Orleans, is asked to consider a resolution in support of SB 740. 

  Short version of Finance Committee and SB 740 today: SB 740 was not approved by Senate Finance Committee yet but was close to approval despite some strong opposition by two members of the committee. It will be considered at the next meeting of the committee. This will still give time for possible passage by the full legislature.

  One critical point is about pre-storm value. I need your help by way of sending one email if you had problems with pre-storm value. Please see below.

  Dear Concerned Citizen,

  1. SB 740

  First, thank you very much for contacting senators about SB 740. We heard that the many emails or phone calls that they received were influential.

  Secondly, about SB 740, It is likely that the administrative price tag (fiscal note) for the Road Home Applicants' Bill of Rights will be reduced to zero from the previous amount (don't gasp) $3 billion.

  You can follow the progress of the bill at this website:

  http://www.legis.state.la.us/billdata/byinst.asp?sessionid=08RS&billid=SB740

  In the process, Sen. Shepherd had to agree to delete two parts of the bill, the access to court (but that is mostly covered in Sen. Murray's bill SB636, which unanimously passed the Senate) and protection against overpayments due to ICF's mistakes (for which we will advocate by an alternative means). Sen. Shepherd did a masterful job during this intense negotiation with the Legislative Fiscal Office prior to the Finance Committee considering it today; however, Don Massey's and my presence was essential for preventing the deletion of the right of applicants to the highest pre-storm valuation. It is stated in the Dispute Resolution and Appeals parts of the Road Home policy document that applicants are entitled to the highest valuation but nonetheless LRA (LRA-OCD) is arguing loudly against this part of SB 740.

  Here is where you come in.

  LRA stated that it is against HUD requirements to give applicants more than 20% of the Road Home pre-storm value (determined by desktop or drive-by valuations) just because their gold-standard valuation, a full certified appraisal, came out higher than 20% of Road Home's PSV. 

  If you purchased a certified appraisal of pre-storm value (PSV) for your grant determination and it was more than 20% higher than Road Home's PSV, please write a polite email to the Senate Finance Committee. Here are three samples. Please chose one if it is appropriate for you (copy and paste and fill in), change it, or write and email your own on Friday to all members of the Finance Committee.

  Sample 1: for those who had a field review appraisal and then got a higher PSV as a result. If you are comfortable sharing with the committee Road Home's PSV and the certified appraisal value, that would strengthen your email.

  Dear Senators on the Finance Committee,

  We appreciate the time that you are spending on the critical issue of providing basic fairness and common-sense rights to Road Home applicants and the cost of SB 740. 

  We understand that there is some confusion about whether Road Home can accept a homeowner-purchased certified appraisal to correct a Road Home pre-storm value of a house if that appraisal is more than 20% higher. 

  Road Home did accept applicant-purchased certified appraisals from November, 2007 to the end of February even if they were more than 20% higher than Road Home's valuations done by faster, cheaper, less accurate methods. They accepted them after a field review appraisal was done by certified appraiser hired by Road Home to check its accuracy.

  I had such a field review appraisal and was given an increased pre-storm appraisal as a result of my certified appraisal being verified even though this correction raised my pre-storm value by more than 20%. Therefore, it cannot be against HUD rules to continue this fair practice of field review appraisals to validate questioned homeowner-purchased appraisals even in the case of very wrong pre-storm values determined by ICF.

   It is unfair to other applicants that Road Home abruptly stopped that policy on March without informing the public. The previous fair rule about field review appraisals would be reinstated if SB 740 is made into law. 

  I urge you to approve SB 740 early next week.  This is a greatly needed bill.

  NAME
  CITY

  Sample 2: for those who should have gotten a field review appraisal, but did not get one because the policy was abruptly discontinued.  If you are comfortable sharing with the committee Road Home's PSV and the certified appraisal value, that would strengthen your email.

  Dear Senators on the Finance Committee,

  We appreciate the time that you are spending on the critical issue of providing basic fairness and common-sense rights to Road Home applicants and the cost of SB 740. 

  We understand that there is some confusion about whether Road Home can accept a homeowner-purchased certified appraisal to correct a Road Home pre-storm value of a house if that appraisal is more than 20% higher. 

  Road Home did accept applicant-purchased certified appraisals from November, 2007 to the end of February even if they were more than 20% higher than Road Home's valuations done by faster, cheaper, less accurate methods. They accepted them after a field review appraisal was done by certified appraiser hired by Road Home to check its accuracy.

  I was waiting for such a field review appraisal to correct Road Home's pre-storm value which is too low by more than 20%. This is especially frustrating because when an applicant appeals they are supposed to be able to get the highest PSV used for their grant calculation.

  The fair rule about field review appraisals would be reinstated if SB 740 is made into law. I urge you to approve SB 740 early next week.  This is a greatly needed bill.
  NAME
  CITY

  Sample 3: For those who had multiple PSV in their file and the highest was not used for grant calculation. If you are comfortable sharing with the committee Road Home's PSVs and what you think the value is of your home and why, that would strengthen your email.

  We understand that there is some confusion about whether the pre-storm value (PSV) of homes, a critical part of grant calculation, should be the highest of the values in an applicant's file. This has been a major problem in my grant determination.

  It is unfair that Road Home abruptly keeps changing the policy on which PSV numbers in an applicant's file will be used by ICF in grant calculation. What is worse, ICF interprets these policiesy in an ambiguous way. This is especially frustrating because when an applicant appeals, they are supposed to be able to get the highest PSV used for their grant calculation.

  This problem will be corrected in SB 740.

   I urge you to approve SB 740 early next week. This is a greatly needed bill.

  NAME
  CITY

  The Senate Finance Committee:

  lasen23 at legis.state.la.us, jacksonl at legis.state.la.us, donahuej at legis.state.la.us,
  alarioj at legis.state.la.us, lasen15 at legis.state.la.us, smithcheek at legis.state.la.us,
  gautreauxn at legis.state.la.us, lafleure at legis.state.la.us, murraye at legis.state.la.us
  smithj at legis.state.la.us, walsworthm at legis.state.la.us,  longg at legis.state.la.us 
  lasen27 at legis.state.la.us, thompsof at legis.state.la.us

  2. LRA Housing Task Force Meeting: 

  open to the public and the public may make 2 - 3 min of comments during the public comments section of the meeting if you ask to fill out a card at the front of the room whenever you arrive (it can be late)

  NOTICE OF PUBLIC MEETING

  The meeting of the Louisiana Recovery Authority Housing Committee has been scheduled for: 

  Tuesday, May 27, 2008
  10:00 a.m. 
  University of New Orleans
  Research and Technology Park
  Lindy C. Boggs International Conference Center
  2045 Lakeshore Drive
  New Orleans, LA 

  If you need further information, please call 
  The Louisiana Recovery Authority at (225) 342-1700.

  Thank you again for sticking up for fairness for Road Home applicants!

  Best wishes,

  Melanie Ehrlich
  chatushome.com

  If you want to call members of the Finance Committee, here are phone numbers. It is particularly important to phone those senators from North Louisiana.

    More contact information for members of the Senate Finance Committee:

                                      Committee Members
      Senator Michael J. "Mike" Michot (Chairman)
P.O. Box 80372
Lafayette, LA 70598 

(337) 262-1332
lasen23 at legis.state.la.us 
      Senator Lydia P. Jackson (Vice-Chairman)
610 Texas Street
Suite 201
Shreveport, LA 71101 

(318) 676-7029
jacksonl at legis.state.la.us 
      Senator John A. Alario, Jr.
1063 Muller Parkway
Westwego, LA 70094 

(504) 340-2221
alarioj at legis.state.la.us 
      Senator Sharon Weston Broome
P. O. Box 52783
Baton Rouge, LA 70892 

(225) 359-9352
lasen15 at legis.state.la.us 
      Senator Sherri Smith Cheek
9973 Mansfield Road
Keithville, LA 71047 

(318) 687-4820
smithcheek at legis.state.la.us 
      Senator Jack Donahue
3840 Hwy. 22
Suite 200
Mandeville, LA 70471 

(985) 727-7949
donahuej at legis.state.la.us 
      Senator "Nick" Gautreaux
209 E. St. Victor Street
Abbeville, LA 70510 

(337) 740-NICK
gautreauxn at legis.state.la.us 
      Senator Eric LaFleur
P.O. Box 617
Ville Platte, LA 70586 

(337) 363-5019
lafleure at legis.state.la.us 
      Senator Edwin R. Murray
1540 N. Broad St.
New Orleans, LA 70119 

(504) 945-0042
murraye at legis.state.la.us 
      Senator John R. Smith
611-B South 5th Street
Leesville, LA 71446 

(800) 259-2709
smithj at legis.state.la.us 
      Senator Mike Walsworth
4007 White's Ferry Rd
Suite A
West Monroe, LA 71291 

(318) 396-5499
walsworthm at legis.state.la.us 
      Senator Gerald Long (Interim Member)
P.O. Box 151
Winnfield, LA 71483 

(318) 628-5799
longg at legis.state.la.us 
      Senator Willie L. Mount (Interim Member)
P.O. Box 3004
Lake Charles, LA 70602 

(337) 491-2016
lasen27 at legis.state.la.us 
      Senator Francis Thompson (Interim Member)
P.O. Box 68
Delhi, LA 71232 

(318) 878-9408
thompsof at legis.state.la.us 

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