News By Edition

A looming U.S. government shutdown could throw a wrench into home transactions during an already-suppressed volume period, creating delays in loan approval and even halting approvals in certain scenarios.

Knight Barry Title CEO and President Craig Haskins sat down with The Title Report to go over his personal experiences during previous shutdowns and what title companies can do to better prepare.

Read on to find out more information.

Idaho-based Sekady is putting forth a new payment platform, which just launched this month and is already being put to use by its first title company.

Sekady Marketing Director Seth Hanson detailed future plans for the platform with The Title Report, saying further partnerships and integrations are on the horizon.

Read on to find out more information.

Florida-based title production technology provider PropLogix has acquired a due diligence services company that also resides in the Sunshine State, leaders recently announced.

The acquired company formerly worked as a PropLogix channel partner, with the acquisition now giving users direct access to PropLogix’s range of offerings and customer service.

Read on to find out more information.

Remote online notarization (RON) provider NotaryCam, a Stewart subsidiary, has gained approval from Delaware state officials to offer RON services to publicly registered notaries.

In gaining approval, NotaryCam provided department staff with a demonstration of its platforms and features that covered specific state requirements including tamper-evident documents, an audit trail and identify proofing.

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First National Title Insurance Co. is bringing on a new Midwest region underwriting counsel who will assist agents in Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Illinois, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota and Wisconsin.

SitusAMC has made its warehouse lending system available through a cloud-based software-as-a-service (Saas) platform.

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A homebuyer on a $3,000 monthly budget has lost nearly $40,000 in purchasing power over the last year, as mortgage rates have risen from around 6.5 percent to nearly 8 percent, according to Redfin.

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Benefits of adopting technology in disaster preparedness and fraud prevention were detailed by Jaime Kosofsky, founding partner at Brady & Kosofsky, during the recent Land Title Association of Colorado convention.

Embracing tech advancements combined with due diligence from employees can go a long way in stamping out fraudulent practices such as seller impersonation scams, Kosofsky said.

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AmeriTitle, part of the Futura Title & Escrow Family of Companies, acquired an Oregon-based title agency to expand its already significant Pacific Northwest footprint.

Businesses operating under the Futura umbrella now occupy 75 offices across more than 60 counties in Idaho, Oregon, Montana, Washington and Wyoming.

Read on to find out more information about the acquisition.

AccuTitle Executive Vice President of Product Data and Management Rick Vaughan offered advice on how to navigate recent changes to Internal Revenue Service 1099-S reporting.

Vaughan detailed new IRS electronic filing capabilities as well as the government lowering its 1099-S form threshold that triggers eFiling requirements.

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Southern California-based Closed Escrow has appointed a new vice president and senior escrow officer who also carries expertise in probate, trust sales, conservatorship and Estate Act transactions.

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Real-time payment capabilities through The Clearing House’s RTP network have been implemented by Cross River Bank and paymints.io. The companies announced their partnership earlier this year.

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Divorce and finding a new job were the only two life events that a majority of respondents said are more stressful than purchasing a home, according to a Redfin survey.

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Qualia Shield, a new wire fraud detection solution from Qualia, is designed to provide title companies with the first fully integrated funding, disbursement, and fraud detection product.

The real estate industry suffered more than $396 million in adjusted losses in 2022 as a result of business email compromise scams, an increase from previous years.

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Boston-based law firms Ligris + Associates PC and Adelson, Loria & Weisman PC have announced a merger, with the combined company carrying the Ligris + Associates name.

Leaders said this merger expands Ligris’ capabilities in matters involving the purchase, sale, development and leasing of property while also bolstering title agent, title insurance and expert witness services.

Read on to learn more.

Arizona-based real estate technology company iTitleTransfer is putting forth an attorney opinion letter-based title transfer loan closing platform.

The new platform’s services include search and examination, proprietary risk scoring, curative services, insured attorney opinion letter, document preparation, escrow and loan closing, eNotary and eSign, eRecording and deed monitoring.

Read on to find out more information.

A 20-year title industry stalwart has joined Action Title Research’s sales and business development team, the company announced.

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Accruit Technologies, a provider of 1031 SaaS solutions, completed its implementation of Exchange Manager Pro(SM), for Asset Preservation Inc., a Stewart company.

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Major homeownership expenses are consuming 35 percent of average wages nationwide, reaching a decade high, according to ATTOM.

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Ohio-based Northwest Title opened Northwest Union Title, serving the Dayton market. It will specialize in serving credit unions, the company recently announced.

Northwest Title now operates more than 20 offices across Ohio and Kentucky after this addition and acquiring a southern Ohio law firm and title businesses earlier this year.

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New data from CompTIA shows significant progress on cybersecurity across all business sectors, but also “balancing act” challenges in weighing security measures versus productivity and efficiency.

Respondents also acknowledge that stakes have grown dramatically with the number of cybercriminals and threats skyrocketing alongside companies taking on more data.

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Stewart National Commercial Services has promoted from within to find a new national sales director and brought on a fresh face as regional manager for southern California.

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Settlor, a title, closing and escrow accounting suite, has integrated with underwriters First American, Stewart, Old Republic and Fidelity, the company announced.

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Redfin reports Sacramento, Calif., and Las Vegas, which grapple with extreme heat, are the most popular destinations for relocating homebuyers.

Read on to learn more.