I wish I’d found your article earlier, as my situation was the same as yours & I went through the exact same process of “realization” as you. And even though Wells Fargo chose my appraiser (and I had to pay more than $350 to WF directly), and even though my appraiser listed all the updates to the property since my purchase, and even though I meet all other guidelines, I noticed the appraiser didn’t put an exact dollar amount additive to the updates — so now I’m waiting for WF to use that as the next excuse not to delete my PMI. (Btw, the appraiser they chose for me left out my entire basement the first time, as well as much square footage & then delayed me nearly 2 months while I had to appeal the appraisal and then wait for him to “get around” to returning, since he’d already been paid for unprofessional work. Needless to say, he didn’t re-do comps & his square footage still made no sense compared to the dimensions of the house. It’s been quite the experience!) So, no, regretfully, I don’t feel that the consumer is at all protected or assisted in this policy.