Zaio Hopes to Detect Fraud in Appraisals.

Byline: Anthony Garritano

Scottsdale, AZ-Given pending regulation barring lenders from having interaction with appraisers in order to mitigate fraud, Zaio here has made several significant steps in furthering its position as a way to both comply with the legislation and create a better process free from appraisal fraud and coercion.

Specifically, Zaio has added to its executive team and has expanded its national presence. At present 12 zones are now live on the platform with real data for lenders to draw from.

Douglas Vincent was recently named CEO of Zaio. Mr. Vincent brings over 20 years of combined appraisal, collateral risk, collateral automation, operations and executive-level management experience to the position. In his most recent role at Citigroup, Mr. Vincent developed an oversight structure for its real estate lending business and established policies and procedures related to collateral automation and property valuation. He leaves this role to rejoin Zaio, where he was previously a managing director.

His career includes positions as executive vice president, chief collateral officer, and national chief appraiser for Countrywide Bank, national chief appraiser for GMAC-RFC, and national chief reviewer for a joint venture involving Wells Fargo and First American Financial.

Subsequently, Mr. Vincent appointed James Kirchmeyer as president. Mr. Kirchmeyer has been with Zaio as result of the acquisition of his company in June of 2007. He will also serve as a member of the board of directors. Mr. Kirchmeyer began his career in the real estate valuation industry in 1983 as a New York State certified appraiser. In 1994, he founded his own real estate appraisal company, Kirchmeyer & Associates Inc. His company grew from servicing the Buffalo, N.Y., area to include multiple offices providing services throughout the United States.

As a complement to his company, Mr. Kirchmeyer founded Real Info Inc. in 1995, a real estate data company specializing in automated ...