BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    �



                                                                      



           ------------------------------------------------------------ 
          |SENATE RULES COMMITTEE            |                     SB 6|
          |Office of Senate Floor Analyses   |                         |
          |1020 N Street, Suite 524          |                         |
          |(916) 445-6614         Fax: (916) |                         |
          |327-4478                          |                         |
           ------------------------------------------------------------ 
           
                                         
                              UNFINISHED BUSINESS


          Bill No:  SB 6
          Author:   Calderon (D) and Vargas (D)
          Amended:  7/7/11
          Vote:     21

           
           SENATE BANKING & FINANCIAL INST. COMMITTEE  :  7-0, 4/6/11
          AYES:  Vargas, Blakeslee, Evans, Kehoe, Liu, Padilla, 
            Walters

           SENATE BUSINESS, PROF. & ECON. DEV. COMMITTEE  :  9-0, 5/2/11
          AYES:  Price, Emmerson, Corbett, Correa, Hernandez, Negrete 
            McLeod, Vargas, Walters, Wyland

           SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE  :  Senate Rule 28.8

           SENATE FLOOR  :  39-0, 5/23/11
          AYES:  Alquist, Anderson, Berryhill, Blakeslee, Calderon, 
            Cannella, Corbett, Correa, De Le�n, DeSaulnier, Dutton, 
            Emmerson, Evans, Fuller, Gaines, Hancock, Hernandez, 
            Huff, Kehoe, La Malfa, Leno, Lieu, Liu, Lowenthal, 
            Negrete McLeod, Padilla, Pavley, Price, Rubio, Runner, 
            Simitian, Steinberg, Strickland, Vargas, Walters, Wolk, 
            Wright, Wyland, Yee
          NO VOTE RECORDED:  Harman

           ASSEMBLY FLOOR  :  78-0, 8/25/11 (Consent) - See last page 
            for vote


           SUBJECT  :    Real estate:  appraisal and valuation

           SOURCE  :     California Government Relations Subcommittee of 
                                                           CONTINUED





                                                                  SB 6
                                                                Page 
          2

                       the Appraisal Institute


           DIGEST  :    This bill updates Californias Real Estate Law, 
          Appraisal Law, and Civil Code, to reflect recent changes 
          enacted at the federal level, pursuant to the Dodd-Frank 
          Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act 
          (Dodd-Frank).    

           Assembly Amendments  clarify that the updates to the 
          California Real Estate Law apply only to an origination of 
          a mortgage loan, and make other technical and clarifying 
          changes.

           ANALYSIS  :    In recent years, California enacted two bills 
          intended to ensure the integrity of the real property 
          appraisal process.  SB 223 (Machado), Chapter 291, Statutes 
          of 2007, prohibits any person with an interest in a real 
          estate transaction from inappropriately influencing, or 
          attempting to inappropriately influence, the development, 
          reporting, result, or review of a real estate appraisal 
          sought in connection with a mortgage loan.  SB 237 
          (Calderon), Chapter 173, Statutes of 2009, plugs a hole in 
          California's appraisal regulatory scheme, by defining the 
          term "appraisal management company," requiring appraisal 
          management companies doing business in California to 
          register with California's Office of Real Estate 
          Appraisers, and enacting a set of allowable and prohibited 
          actions by appraisal management companies and the 
          appraisers who work for them.  

          At the same time California was changing its laws to ensure 
          the integrity of the real property appraisal process, 
          federal agencies were promulgating regulations with similar 
          intent.  Until enactment of the Dodd-Frank in July 2010, 
          California's laws were more comprehensive, and more 
          protective of consumers, than the federal rules.  Since 
          enactment of Dodd-Frank, however, California's rules have 
          fallen behind some of those recently promulgated by federal 
          regulators.  Portions of state law are also now 
          inconsistent with federal regulations in certain cases.  

          This bill updates California's Real Estate Law, Appraisal 
          Law, and Civil Code, to reflect changes made by Dodd-Frank, 

                                                           CONTINUED





                                                                  SB 6
                                                                Page 
          3

          and changes contained in regulations released by the 
          Federal Reserve Board (FRB) on October 18, 2010, pursuant 
          to Dodd-Frank.  The provisions of Dodd-Frank relating to 
          appraisals became effective on July 21, 2010.  The FRB 
          changes became effective on December 27, 2010.  They are 
          optional from December 27, 2010 through March 31, 2011, and 
          become mandatory as of April 1, 2011.

          This bill:

          1. Amends the Real Estate Law to provide that no real 
             estate licensee that offers or provides an opinion of 
             value of real property, that is used as the basis for an 
             origination of a mortgage loan shall have a prohibited 
             interest in that property, as specified, and shall 
             knowingly or intentionally misrepresent the value of 
             that property, within the meaning of federal regulations 
             implementing Dodd-Frank and the accompanying commentary.

          2. Amends the Appraisal Law to provide that:

              A.    No person or entity acting in the capacity of an 
                appraisal management company shall improperly 
                influence or attempt to improperly influence the 
                development, reporting, result, or review of any 
                appraisal, through coercion, extortion, inducement, 
                collusion, bribery, intimidation, compensation, or 
                instruction.  This bill lists several acts that 
                represent improper influence pursuant to this 
                section, and several acts which are allowable 
                pursuant to this section.  

              B.    No person or entity preparing an appraisal or 
                performing appraisal management functions in 
                connection with the origination, modification, or 
                refinancing of a mortgage loan may have a prohibited 
                direct or indirect interest, financial or otherwise, 
                in the property or the transaction for which the 
                appraisal or appraisal management functions are 
                performed within the meaning of federal regulations 
                implementing Dodd-Frank and the accompanying 
                commentary.

          3. Amends the Civil Code to provide that:

                                                           CONTINUED





                                                                  SB 6
                                                                Page 
          4


              A.    No person with an interest in a real estate 
                transaction involving a valuation shall improperly 
                influence or attempt to improperly influence the 
                development, reporting, result, or review of any 
                appraisal, through coercion, extortion, inducement, 
                collusion, bribery, intimidation, compensation, or 
                instruction, as specified.  This bill lists several 
                acts that represent improper influence pursuant to 
                this section, and several acts which are allowable 
                pursuant to this section.  

              B.    The term "valuation" means an estimate of the 
                value of real property in written or electronic form, 
                other than one produced solely by an automated 
                valuation model or system.  As drafted, this 
                definition includes both appraisals and broker price 
                opinions.

           FISCAL EFFECT :    Appropriation:  No   Fiscal Com.:  Yes   
          Local:  Yes

           SUPPORT  :   (Verified  8/26/11)

          California Government Relations Subcommittee of the 
            Appraisal 
          Institute (source)
          American Society of Appraisers
          California Association of Realtors

           ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT  :    The California Government 
          Relations Subcommittee of the Appraisal Institute supports 
          this bill, as one intended to ensure that federal and state 
          rules align on important questions of inappropriate 
          pressure on appraisers and conflicts of interest in rending 
          real property value conclusions.


           ASSEMBLY FLOOR  :  78-0, 8/25/11 (Consent)
          AYES:  Achadjian, Alejo, Allen, Ammiano, Atkins, Beall, 
            Bill Berryhill, Block, Blumenfield, Bradford, Brownley, 
            Buchanan, Butler, Charles Calderon, Campos, Carter, 
            Cedillo, Chesbro, Conway, Cook, Davis, Dickinson, 
            Donnelly, Eng, Feuer, Fletcher, Fong, Fuentes, Furutani, 

                                                           CONTINUED





                                                                  SB 6
                                                                Page 
          5

            Beth Gaines, Galgiani, Garrick, Gatto, Gordon, Grove, 
            Hagman, Halderman, Hall, Harkey, Hayashi, Roger 
            Hern�ndez, Hill, Huber, Hueso, Huffman, Jeffries, Jones, 
            Knight, Lara, Logue, Bonnie Lowenthal, Ma, Mansoor, 
            Mendoza, Miller, Mitchell, Monning, Morrell, Nestande, 
            Nielsen, Norby, Olsen, Pan, Perea, V. Manuel P�rez, 
            Portantino, Silva, Skinner, Smyth, Solorio, Swanson, 
            Torres, Valadao, Wagner, Wieckowski, Williams, Yamada, 
            John A. P�rez
          NO VOTE RECORDED:  Bonilla, Gorell


          JJA:kc  8/26/11   Senate Floor Analyses 

                         SUPPORT/OPPOSITION:  SEE ABOVE

                                ****  END  ****




























                                                           CONTINUED