Wendi,

I don't see why you would want to drag the borrower into the collections issue.  If the loan closes, the borrower has paid his closing costs.  If the loan does not close, he is not required to pay most closing costs. In many cases, he has already gone through a world of frustration in obtaining the loan.  Why make the borrower hire a lawyer to secure your payment?

Would the ability to claim a lien on real property also add the necessity of signing a lien waiver in exchange for each receivable due?  That may seem far-fetched, but contractors and subcontractors have to travel to the title companies to sign waivers in exchange for funds when loan money, secured by a mortgage, is used to pay for their labor and materials.

As to the appraisers adding value to a home, I don't get it.  That is not their function.  Maybe I am missing something here.  Maybe I ate too many Stupid Flakes for breakfast. 

I hate to say it, because I have always considered it to be bad form to trash other companies publicly.  But, considering your thread below, you may have hit on an effective way to collect when all else fails.