Is the Corporate Transparency Act Still ‘Opaque’ to You?

The Importance of Surveys from California to the New York Islands Imagine purchasing your dream home, only to find out that your house was built on the incorrect lot, or that part of your home lies on your neighbor’s property,…

Determining who has authority to sign closing documents for a real property transaction, whether for a sale or refinance, is one of the most critical aspects of title work – but it also presents some challenges. Signing parties can include…

Since the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) introduced the Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) in 1989, reverse mortgages have experienced a normal ebb and flow in the finance market. While changing federal regulations have impacted the demand for reverse mortgages, we…

Did you know that the American Land Title Association (ALTA) Homeowner’s (HO) Policy of Title Insurance offers the highest level of protection for homeowners – even exceeding the coverage of ALTA’s Standard or Extended Owner’s policies? The standard Owner’s Policy…

As children, many of us dreamed of having superhero powers, such as the power to fly, the power of X-ray vision, or the power to run faster than a speeding bullet. While these powers are of the fantasy realm, there…

If you are relatively new to the housing market, you may not be familiar with the term “wrap-around mortgages.” A popular tool in the early 1980s, they seem to be making a comeback thanks to rising interest rates, waning inventory…

As title professionals, we review lots of documents. Documents and their impact are what we insure. They allow us to assess risk appropriately, determine where land is located, indicate who owns the land and identify what liens may affect that…

According to the Foundation for Community Association Research, more than 74 million Americans currently reside in communities organized under homeowners’ and condominium associations, cooperatives or other planned residential developments. The popularity of these types of communities is expected to grow…

Mortgage lenders are required to release mortgages or reconvey deeds of trust following payoff. Because this process is often delayed, the title insurance industry developed letters of indemnity (LOI) exchanges to facilitate purchase or refinance title orders when there is…

In the title insurance and settlement industry, many agents are targeted by fraudsters who attempt to divert proceeds intended to satisfy open mortgages when a payoff letter is requested. In addition to preventing fraud, agents must also remember several nuances…

You may be hearing the word “foreclosure” a lot these days. According to Black Knight, January 2022 saw an alarming 700-percent year-over-year increase in foreclosure starts, and so far this year, rates are continuing to rise month over month. These…