Solidifi, a provider of collateral valuation and risk management services to the mortgage lending industry, expanded to a national appraisal service much sooner than it previously planned. According to the company, the response from experienced appraisers coast-to-coast since Solidifi launched its registration process less than two weeks ago surpassed initial goals and is driving the development of the fastest growing network of quality appraisers in the U.S. today.

Solidifi's National Appraiser Network is founded on the principle that a fully transparent technology platform will ensure appraiser independence while also giving lenders access to a full range of performance metrics. The depth of transparency allows Solidifi's clients to identify appraisers demonstrating the professional competency required to meet their requirements for specific assignments in addition to the level of quality as measured by past performance. Transparency expands further with display of the full fee set by the appraiser.

"The key to success in the collateral valuation business lies in the quality of the appraisal network," said Jason Smith, the chief-executive-officer of Solidifi. "The Solidifi National Appraiser Network is built on the first technology platform specifically designed to be fully transparent to give lenders the information they require while protecting the appraiser from client pressure. Solidifi's full fee business model attracts the kind of expert independent appraisers sought by our lender clients in these turbulent times. Lenders are provided with all of the performance and report quality information required to manage their risk effectively while ensuring appraiser independence."

For several years, appraiser pressure has been an area of critical concern for the industry and has led to a number of new initiatives, including the Home Valuation Code of Conduct. Solidifi was founded in 2004 on the idea that a truly transparent platform is the only way to avoid the problems that have plagued traditional AMCs. The company expanded into the U.S. market and has invested significant resources preparing its Solidifi ValuesTM collateral management service, offering mortgage professionals, lenders, and investors solutions that are flexible and provide transparency in collateral valuations.

"Quality and transparency were our highest priorities when we developed our platform," Smith added. "Many lenders are surprised to find out that we can provide our level of quality, complete transparency, allow appraisers to earn their full fee and still provide bottom line savings to our lender clients. But that's exactly what has happened as we have rolled out this platform to top tier lenders in North America over the past 2 years."