Appraisal Advocacy Coalition Launched

Oklahoma City-based a la mode has announced the formation of the Appraisal Advocacy Coalition, a nonprofit group dedicated to protecting and supporting residential appraisers.The announcement came at a la mode's Winter Convention in Las Vegas, and the company's founder and chairman, Dave Biggers, is donating "significant money and manpower to jump-start the new effort," the company said. However, the Washington, D.C.-based coalition will be separate from a la mode, a developer of software and online services for the real estate and mortgage industries. Ben Harris, a la mode's director of public affairs, said the coalition has been formed "to ensure that the single most important facet of the American economy doesn't fall prey to predatory lenders and shady 'appraisal alternatives'." The coalition can be found online at http://www.appraisaladvocacy.org, and a la mode can be found at http://www.alamode.com.