There’s not a day that goes by without hearing news about a security breach or incident involving large companies like Equifax and Marriot; but what about incidents that are rarely publicized but just as damaging? Wouldn’t you like to know if an incompetent vendor lost your email or other personal information? I would, and I …Read more
Interest rates are dropping while temperatures are rising and that likely means a strong homebuying season coming our way. Along with the recent increase in real estate sales activity, we’re also seeing more activity on the business and technology fronts. Here’s the latest: Keller Williams becomes an iBuyer starting in the Dallas/Fort Worth markets. The …Read more
If you’ve ever received an extortion email attack, it may have left you wondering: How do criminals get my email address? Let me explain how it works. There are some services, both legal and illegal, that collect valid business email addresses to use for their own purposes. Those that are collected legally are usually …Read more
Most phishing attacks are designed to do two things, (A.) steal user credentials or (B.) get malicious code downloaded to a user’s computer. But just how do you recognize an attack? In this post, I’m going to show you examples of “phishy” emails that should raise a flag in your mind. I’ll show you what …Read more
Advertising and marketing your title, closing and settlement financial services over social media is a great way to take reach a larger audience. Remember to take a closer look at what RESPA and your state laws require to ensure your compliance on social media platforms.
I get tons of questions about whether the changes taking place in Washington D.C. mean that settlement agents can forget about compliance. Simply put- compliance still matters!
The marketplace reality is that consumers expect a digital solution to improve their home buying experience. We must meet our customer needs and problem-solve a solution that allows real estate transactions to close electronically. A hybrid approach to e-Closing would allow the title and settlement industry to begin some form of e-Closings today while working with technology providers, Secretaries of State, county recorders and state legislatures to move the industry toward a full e-Closing in the near future.
The D.C. Circuit Court has granted the petition from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) for rehearing en banc (refers to a session heard before all the judges of the Court) in the PPH case and ordered a briefing that culminates in oral argument on May 24. As you may recall, back in October the District …Read more
Although this blog is avowedly apolitical, with the results of the recent election, it seems likely that one of the most significant tax benefits for real estate investors will remain intact – the 1031 exchange. A properly structured 1031 exchange allows a seller of real estate to defer taxes on capital gains on the sale …Read more
In my last blog post, I explained the job of underwriting attorneys and our role in evaluating title insurance risk and working with agents and customers to help them get the deal done, while taking risk into account. Specifically, how do we evaluate whether a title insurance risk is acceptable? The primary way is by …Read more