Members of the “Voice of the Independent Agent” panel held a call recently to finalize their discussion topics for the
2012 National Settlement Services and Compliance Summit. The session is scheduled for June 12 from 3:30 – 4:45 p.m. and is one of
15 sessions held over the two-day event, which will take place June 12-13 at the downtown Marriott at Key Center in Cleveland, Ohio.
Members of the Voice of the Independent Agent panel include: Chris Black, attorney, Winged Foot Title LLC; Christopher Gulotta, principal, The Gulotta Law Group PLLC; Tim Mullin, managing member, Counselors Title LLC: Andy Maloney, president, Nashville Title Insurance Corp.; and David Townsend (moderator), president and chief executive officer of Agents National Title Insurance Company.
The speakers said they would spend time discussing both the struggles and liabilities agents face as well as providing a good outlook on the marketplace and business growth opportunities.
The group agreed there are several things agents need to know about, including:
- The implications of current federal and state legislation and regulations;
- Outside fraud and how that’s affecting title companies — how to prevent and insure against fraud and internal and external threats;
- Data integrity and data breach — to what extent can you protect yourself procedurally and with insurance;
- Current marketplace and practical business improvement strategies; and
- Building better relationships with lenders, underwriters and consumers.
A strong advocate for data security measures, Gulotta said data breaches and the infiltration of threats are becoming even more of a serious matter for agents.
“For the independent title agent, a data breach is not a ‘game changer’ as it would be with a major lender or a national title underwriter, where these large companies can bring their considerable resources to bear to remedy the issue and take all necessary measures to ensure that both regulators (FTC and State Attorney Generals) and clients are assured that a breach won’t happen again. For an independent agent, a breach could be a ‘game ender,’” Gulotta said.
To register for the summit, go here or call (877) 662-8623, ext. 6611 for more information. The Marriott’s room discount rates end May 21.
For information regarding remaining sponsorship opportunities, contact Glen Stout at [email protected] or (330) 659-6101, ext. 6556.