Well, the Dateline article on EIFS lastnight was pretty interesting.  While
this stuff might not be meant to have a long life expectancy, I would agree
with any home owner who says the studs in their house shouldn't be mulch
within 4 years of building a home.  If there's a lot of issues with
installation and maintenance, the fault I think lies equally with the
installers, manufacturers and the home owners (I can't imagine thinking of
this stuff as foolproof, but then I'm skeptical anyway).