Through October 31, Men's Wearhouse will accept "gently used" suits, sportcoats, pants, ties, and belts in return for a 10% discount coupon and tax receipt.
The previously owned clothes will be donated to men who, for whatever reason, are transitioning into the workforce.
Every day, thousands of unemployed and low-income Americans attempt to transition back into the workforce - but they face a big challenge: acquiring the professional attire necessary for job interviews and roles in a business setting. At Men's Wearhouse, we know that personal appearance affects not only how people are perceived but how they feel about themselves. We believe looking and feeling one's best is critical to becoming self-reliant.
The National Suit Drive is an example of corporate social entrepreneurship at it's very best. I can think of no project more deserving of praise and participation. The company appropriately describes the donations as a "hand-up, not a hand-out."
For those of you who don't me from previous exploits on Active Rain, I worked in the title industry for a very long time. I now work for the Men's Wearhouse and am extremely proud to be involved with the National Suit Drive.
We like to think that societal woes such as addicition, mental illness, or incarceration couldn't possibly affect us, our family members, our friends. Think again! As we transition through the mysterious cycles of life, we encounter challenges and questions that would have been unthinkable in the past.
We all have clothes sitting dormant in closets and wardrobes; clothes that we'll never wear again. Take the time to make a difference in the life of another by delivering your "gently used" garments to the Men's Wearhouse nearest you.
When we help others, we are, in fact, helping ourselves.
Last night, my son and I drove to the Conowingo Dam located just above Havre de Grace, the Maryland town in which we live. We were greeted by a crowd that included news teams and other curiosity seekers.
Storms in New York state have swelled the Susquehanna River to flood levels forcing authorities to open the flood gates at the dam.
I happen to live near the imaginary line where the river converges with the Chesapeake Bay. The river continues to rage this morning while water levels appear to climb slowly.
Havre de Grace is in no immediate danger, but I understand that a small town on the opposite shore, Port Deposit, has flooded.
I plan on contributing a significant number of short posts featuring links to facts and opinions about mortgage fraud, foreclosure statistics, the housing meltdown, etc. that you won't find aggregated in any other place. BusinessWeek had an article last week that bashed the Clinton administration for abusing public policy, visa vie HUD, to intentionally inflate domestic housing statistics.
It's an interesting perspective when you think about it. We know that the housing mess had it ugly origins in the mid 1990's. It's also safe to assume that failed public policy somehow initiated the mad rush to make every American a homeowner regardless of qualification or sustainability.
The article offers a plausible explanation that's not easy to discredit.
The photos on the sideboard were taken at Loews Ventana Canyon Resort, located north of Tucson, where I spent several wonderful days this past week.
I was invited by my new friends at TitleServ National to give a presentation on leveraging the power of relationships. It was a great opportunity and a great time.
The use of photos in my blogging efforts is a new direction for me. I've noticed that Tom Peters does it and decided to experiment with the concept on Title-opoly. I'm thinking that photos from my travels might personalize the site making it more interesting for readers. We shall see!
I heard from Lola Audu, my friend from Grand Rapids, Michigan, who shared the link to her exciting new Squidoo Lens. Great job Lola! I hope that everyone is taking advantage of the tremendous opportunities offered by Squidoo. I'm assuming that Seth's newest project Mayor of your zip code is common knowledge to all of you. It's a powerful tool designed specifically for real estate agents.
Last week, I posted about title theft, an obviously growing category of crime that often targets the elderly. Long story short, fraudsters take title to vacant properties using forged deeds. The properties are then quickly resold or stripped of equity visa vie mortgages originated using falsified identity documents.
The reported cases are becoming to numerous to list, but a scenario presented in NapaValleyRegister.com serves as a representative example.
John and Anita Greerty used stolen identification documents to, in turn, steal the title to an 11 acre tract in California's lush and pricey wine country.
After entering into three separate sales agreements with legitimate buyers, the criminally motivated duo was able to successfully close on two of the deals before the scheme was revealed. Their take was roughly $745,000.
Scott Perry has been doing a tremendous job explaining the nexus between automated land records and the startling rise in crime statistics relating to real estate fraud that requires identity theft. Pay close attention to his message. Scott knows what he's talking about.
I've received and accepted a kind invitation from Gene Wunderlich to join a new group with an emphasis on mortgage fraud and real estate crimes that prey upon the elderly. I hope you'll consider joining Mortgage, Foreclosure & Elder Abuse Housing Fraud as well.
I have access to a lot of information that will be made available to the group as time permits.
Finally, this week will find me poking around Active Rain quite a bit. I'll be hosting the Mortgage Week in Review which is of course the brain-child of our very own FHA expert, Jeff Belonger.
I spent the day fine tuning my talking points for a presentation that I'm giving in Tuscon next week. For the first time, I've decided to include fraudulent deed transfers to the ever growing categories of real estate fraud that I discuss with audiences.
The decision was based on information gathered from three different sources that I encountered this past week.
First, I received an e-mail from Dave Wirsching containing a link to a Philadelphia Daily News article portraying title theft as a minor epidemic in the City of Brotherly Love.
An alarming "122 stolen properties" were reported in Philly in 2006 and it's believed that many cases go unreported. Local authorities are concerned about having adequate staffing to handle the investigations and convictions.
Finally, my research uncovered an online service launched by McHenry County, Illinois to alert homeowners if documents containing their names are submitted to county clerks for recordation. Subscriptions are available for $12.99 for one year or $29.99 for three years.
The elderly are particularly vulnerable to this heinous form of fraud when their homes sit vacant. Using quitclaim deeds and forged signatures, fraudsters transfer title to properties into another name. The stolen properties are then quickly resold (flipped) or mortgaged to strip the rightful owner of any equity.
It's interesting to note that a number of accused offenders in Philadelphia were stupid enough to use their own names.
Fraudulent deed transfers are something to think about if you have elderly parents or loved ones whose homes are sitting vacant for any reason. You might consider asking your title company to periodically verify title or do it yourself using online records.
All in all, it's a frightening and sophisticated type of criminal activity that's best prevented by legislation that promises tough prosecution and lengthy prison sentences for offenders and accomplices. Think about it: a notary has to be part of the scheme.
Needless to say, Fran dignified the title industry by commenting intelligently and honestly about a very complicated dilemma with far reaching implications.
I found this photo of Fran and myself taken roughly a year ago at the presentation where we met.
The Library of Congress has generously made a collection of 3,100 photos available on Flickr. Photos were selected that "have long been popular with visitors to the Library." Best of all, the photos have no known copyright restrictions and can be copied and distributed at will.
I spent several enjoyable hours viewing this remarkable photographic trek through history. My father, who died when I was a high school freshman, served on a Coast Guard transport during World War II. Some of my favorite childhood memories are of my father sharing his wartime experiences in the South Pacific. A fair number of the photos in the collection are from those ominous times during the 1940's when brave Americans risked their lives to preserve the freedoms that we cherish. Others represent the face of rugged determination. Others are simple representations of everyday life like the one below of a car leaving Romney, WV.
Hopefully, some aspect of this priceless historical compilation will spark a memory of something special from your past. Enjoy!
The credit for the link provided in this post belongs to Joe Ferrara of the Sellsius blog.
I work with visual presentations almost every day. I'm always on the prowl for innovative ways to deliver messages effectively. GoldMail is a product that you need to look at closely if you want to communicate with authority.
The presentation below was crafted (from scratch) using the free version of GoldMail. I didn't upload a previously prepared Powerpoint file. It represents my first experiment with the product and took roughly 30 minutes to complete. I'm now a believer. The presentation can be emailed to clients or seamlessly added to web-sites or blogs. GoldMail is downloaded to your computer with a thorough tutorial making it possible to immediately start making powerful slide shows. Best of all, you get to add your own voice to the slide show and control the transition of images to coincide with your spoken message.GoldMail offers a remarkable opportunity to connect with others in a big way.
Make sure your computer's speakers are turned on.
GoldMail offers a professional package with enhanced features for $10 a month.
For now, I'm going to continue toying with the free version which seems a nearly perfect tool without any use restrictions or expiration date.
A special thank you to Lenn Harley for writing a stellar post about the offshoring of title searches. Check out Lenn's diagram. I love it! Thanks are also due to all of you who commented and showed concern. Offshored title searches are a particularly complicated matter that have become something of a personal cause for me and a rapidly growing number of others.
I've prepared a slide presentation highlighting the spirit of Lenn's post for Title-opoly and decided to give friends on Active Rain a sneak preview. Following Jeff's advise, I'm experimenting with eyejot and hope to embed a meaningful message in the Title-opoly post.
As a title company owner, I had two first hand experiences with costly litigation stemming from title claims. As an expert witness, I was retained once by a title insurer and another time by the insured's attorney who had filed suit against the title insurer. Homeowners involved in title claims often feel that they haven't been properly represented by title insurers and hire their own attorneys.
Claims council working for title insurers have a duty to protect the interests of corporate shareholders. I don't know of a singe instance where a homeowner was painlessly compensated for losses after notifying their title insurer of a pending claim. The terms of title policies, which are rarely explained or understood, give title insurers a significant number of advantageous rights including the latitude to thoroughly investigate any and all allegations, possible relationships, prior knowledge, etc. It's standard practice for insurers to conduct lengthy investigations to eliminate any possibility that parties to a claim might be in collusion. I once had a client who, as the defendant named in a title related cause and the seller of a Maryland property, was unable to consummate a contract of sale for well over year while a title insurer investigated the joint ownership of a boat in Florida. Sad but true: a pending sale means nothing to claims council who pursue their own agenda.
Title claims equate to litigation, depositions, court dates, piles of legal documents, subrogation of rights, etc. Consumers subjected to title claims couldn't possibly be compensated for the sleepless nights and emotional trauma they're forced to endure, nor do title policies allow for the payment of punitive damages.
I'm often asked why the offshoring of title searches remains an increasingly prevalent practice in light of the elevated claim's ratios reported by title insures. I don't have an answer.
I do know from experience that a thoroughly (locally) searched and examined title rarely results in a claim.
It's a matter of trust when you really think about it. Title companies are expected to act in the best interest of consumers. Offshored title searches raise serious questions about the integrity of companies that use them.
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Through October 31, Men's Wearhouse will accept "gently used" suits, sportcoats, pants, ties, and belts in return for a 10% discount coupon and tax receipt. 
I heard from 
An alarming "122 stolen properties" were reported in Philly in 2006 and it's believed that many cases go unreported. Local authorities are concerned about having adequate staffing to handle the investigations and convictions.
