title agents: The cost of compliance in 2015 - 12/26/14 10:22 PM
As we look forward to a new year we are reminded that the new Consumer Disclosures will become mandatory in August.
Those of us in the title industry have already started gearing up for the changes by updating our computer hardware if needed so that our computers are able to handle the new software, attending training and working with our software providers and our IT providers  to ensure that our updates will be ready for install in time for the August 1 deadline.
How will the changes affect you and your client? What can you expect to see in the months to come?
As  in … (0 comments)

title agents: Non Public Information, Best Practices and Title Agencies. - 08/14/14 05:41 AM
At least once a month you probably receive one or more privacy policies from companies that you do business with.  Most of us don't even bother to read these privacy policies any more because we are so used to seeing them. 
Have you ever actually given any thought to just what information your service provider is trying to protect?  Do you know what NPI is?  Do you know how yours is being protected?
What is NPI?
Non-public Personal Information is any data or information considered to be personal in nature and not subject to public availability.
Personal information includes, but … (4 comments)

title agents: Are you marketing to Realtors and Title Agents? You may want to learn more about their business - 08/30/11 09:06 AM
I work with many great companies who provide invaluable services to me.  But for some reason many of these companies just don't understand the business other than to know that their product makes our lives a little bit easier and we are a good target market for them.
What gives rise to this particular rant is the fact that today I have taken 2 calls from vendors that I do business with both of whom just wanted to "touch base".  While I love to talk to these particular sales people, I DON'T HAVE TIME AT MONTH END to have a discussion … (0 comments)

title agents: SHERLOCK HOLMES HAS NOTHING ON ME!! I A PROFESSIONAL TITLE AGENT - 08/03/11 08:51 AM

I am a PROFESSIONAL TITLE AGENT!
But, I spend my days playing detective!
Today, I am trying to solve the mystery surrounding a missing link in the chain of title. 
While I am a very good detective, having spent the better part of the last 25 years doing just this type thing every day, I am becoming increasingly tired of this role.  
In the current transaction we have a bank owned property that is under contract with a closing date of MAYBE Friday, the 5th of August.  
One would think that since there are not less than 3 title … (2 comments)

title agents: Thanks to AR my phone is ringing off the hook, BUT....... - 07/20/11 02:48 AM
Over the last several days I have taken many calls (at least 10) from a company trying to sell me front page Google Juice at the lordly price of $200/month!!
How did they come to call me I asked.  Oh, we found your blog and thought this new program we were offering for REALTORS would certainly help you get front page coverage.  Blah, Blah Blah.  WELL......  First of all, I'm not a Realtor, I'm a Title Agent.  Secondly, if you found my blog, did you bother to read anything other than how to call and annoy me with your solicitation?   I … (5 comments)

title agents: Should I make my blog more FLUFFY? - 07/14/11 08:22 AM

I haven't been blogging much lately on AR.  I became somewhat disenchanted with AR for a while because some of the blogs that were featured seemed to be just FLUFF.  By that I mean that they seemed not to impart any particular wisdom but rather just seemed to be posted for purposes of creating a blog for the day.
I do blog almost daily on other sites, these are mostly professional sites and my blogs are geared to those professionals who are driven to those sites. 
I need to make my AR blog more appealing to Realtors and to consumers, … (39 comments)

title agents: You've done your job!! It's time for the closing. What is your ROLE at closing? - 07/13/11 08:57 AM
THE REALTOR ON THE DATE CLOSING
  The realtor plays a very important role in the settlement transaction.  It is the job of the realtor to assist the buyer in obtaining financing, assist the buyer in getting inspections done ordering title work and ultimately getting the deal to closing.
 Ultimately of course, you want this deal to close and you want to collect your commission check. YOU EARNED IT.  
The realtor should always attend the settlement.  The buyer may have questions that the title agent cannot answer.  You have been involved in the transaction from the very beginning and you have … (0 comments)

title agents: Protecting the privacy of your clients. How far is too far? Banning camera phones in the office? - 06/12/11 01:32 AM
I attended the National Settlement Services and Complaince Summit in Ohio last week and learned so many new things.  But one of the most interesting comments that I heard had to do with the title industry protecting the privacy of their clients.  This same concept runs to all of us in the real estate industry, we handle a lot of sensative information in the course of a transaction.  How can we best protect our client?
In our office, like all title agent's office, we maintain a privacy policy.  Our policy basically states that we WILL NOT SHARE any information with any … (0 comments)

title agents: Buying from HUD of FNMA? What restrictions are placed on re-sale? - 05/31/11 05:26 AM
In light of the thousands of foreclosed properties on the market these days, we find more and more that investors are scooping up on some really good deals to add to their portfolios.
I have received a few contracts lately from investors who want to almost immediately re-sell the property to others. In one case, I had a client who wanted me to do an immediate "flip" into the new buyer.  I remineded him of a particular document that he signed at closing which specifically forbids this immediate "flip" The document was one of several that I am sure he was told … (0 comments)

title agents: Where is your title work being processed and how safe is your information - 05/11/11 07:54 AM
As you all may know many title agencies are using the services of off-shore companies to complete the "title searches" on real estate located in the US.  These firms do their "title searches" by going on-line to public websites to access the "chain of title", prepare a report and issue a binder from that "search"
While many jurisdictions have put a large amount of data on line, not all information is available on line and a good title search is best conducted in the field at the court house where the professional abstractor can access ALL the information need to insure … (0 comments)

title agents: The use of a POA in your real estate closing should not be your FIRST CHOICE - 05/09/11 09:10 AM
The use of a POA in your real estate closing should not be your FIRST CHOICE
I am doing a transaction on a property in Maryland with a purchase price of $550K and a loan amount of $440K. The buyers, husband and wife, cannot both be in town at the same time. The wife asked if we could do a POA
I told her that as long as the lender approved the use of a POA we could have one prepared for her, send it to her with instruction for execution and notarization, etc.  The bank agreed to the use of … (0 comments)

title agents: What do you grab as the tornado sirens go off? - 04/28/11 03:47 AM

It's been a crazy morning here in Maryland.  Tornado sirens are not something that we hear as a matter of course so naturally when they start going off it is necessary to take action.
We have always been told to have an emergency kit put together in case of inclement weather.  As the sirens went off this morning, I was fully prepared. 
I grabbed my briefcase stuffed with files that had titles I needed to review, my cell phone which enables me to have a "wireless hot spot" and my nook color so that I could communicate with my office … (2 comments)

title agents: A real estate closing is like a scrapbook page, it needs glue - 04/18/11 08:44 AM
One of my hobbies is creating scrapbooks for my children and grandchildren.  As I was working on some scrapbooks yesterday it occurred to me that a real estate closing is very similar to a scrapbook page.  The page starts with an idea, then you lay out your pictures, embellishments and so on until you have a page that is appealing to you.  Once you lay out the page you begin to glue the picture and embellishments to the page to create a permanent memorial to a time in your life or that of your loved ones.
 
 NANA and MADDIE sharing … (1 comments)

title agents: Getting back in the RAIN and I need some HELP - 04/11/11 08:51 AM
I have been very lax in posting for about the last month or so.  It's not that I haven't had anything to say, it's that I have been busy with some other things that have just been all consuming.
I have been invited to speak at the National Settlement Services & Compliance Summit to be held in Cleveland, Ohio on June 7-8.  What an honor to have been invited.
I will be presenting on the state of foreclosures and how they impact our industry.  In particular how difficult is it to insure title on foreclosed properties, what the future holds as far … (3 comments)

title agents: DEAR BROKER-YOUR EXCESS DEPOSIT CHECK BOUNCED!! SO A LITTLE COOPERATION? PLEASE? - 03/23/11 04:36 AM
THE BROKER'S CHECK BOUNCED.  NOW WHAT!!
As a title agent I often collect excess deposit checks at closing from either the listing broker or the selling broker.  I have been doing this for years and it has never been a problem.
UNTIL TODAY!!  I got a notice from my bank advising that a check that I had deposited into my escrow account had BOUNCED!

I frantically researched the matter and learned that the check that I had presented for excess deposit had been returned.
I immediately called the broker's office and was connected to her assistant.  I nicely explained that … (0 comments)

title agents: The diagnosis is in- It's not good - It's contagious and you may have the FEVER too - 03/16/11 06:39 AM
It's official.   I have spring fever!!
I have been feeling a little distracted and could not figure out just what was going on so I made an appointment with the Dr.  She told me that I was relatively healthy, but that I had probably had THE FEVER.   Evidently, this FEVER is running rampant locally and I have had the misfortune of catching it. 
For those of you who are not familiar with the FEVER let me tell you what the symptoms are:
Constantly checking your watch Constantly making excuses to go outside.  Such things as taking the trash out, getting … (1 comments)

title agents: Yesterday we had HSBC and today it's SunTrust-it will just never end I fear. - 03/03/11 04:46 AM
 
And now we have SunTrust and HSBC by CHARLENE PERRY | 2011/03/03 |
Yesterday I read that HSBC was suspending all of it's foreclosures nationwide as a result in deficiencies in their foreclosure process and then today, I read this:
An internal review by SunTrust Banks, Inc. has uncovered problems with the paperwork in thousands of foreclosure cases, according to the Atlanta-based company's annual regulatory filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
"We recently conducted an assessment of our foreclosure process in all states," SunTrust explained in the report. "Our review indicated approximately 4,000 files...contained documents with technical issues in … (1 comments)

title agents: I need a make over!! Will I ever be able to go paperless? - 03/02/11 08:17 AM
I have been unwell for the last several weeks with the Swine Flu. 
I am finally back at work and I feel so much better and I do want to thank all of you who took a moment out of your busy days to wish me well.
Being out of the office and truly not working has wreaked havoc on my desk!!  I am sitting here now at my desk which is usually pretty tidy and I am OVERWHELMED.  There is paper everywhere, I don't know what all this paper is but I do know that I don't feel like dealing … (3 comments)

title agents: I DIDN'T MEAN TO, BUT I THINK I QUIT SMOKING!! - 02/23/11 08:34 AM

I have been a smoker for my entire adult life, spanning more than 25 years now.  I have smoked upwards to 1 1/2 packs of cigarettes a day for at least the last 20 years.  That is a serious lot of smoking and no small amount of money wasted over the years.  At $65 a carton, smoking a carton a week I spent about $260/month on something that was killing me, affecting those around me and generally making my life a living hell. 
I have repeatedly tried to quit smoking by making New Year's Resolutions, promises to my self and others … (5 comments)

title agents: Is it time to replace your blankie? - 02/02/11 08:15 AM
My five year old grandaughter reminds me very much of Linus.  She has a blankie, now this blankie is not a little tiny thing that she can easily carry from place to place, NO, it's a queen size blanket that has become over the last 5 years more than a little tattered.  She particularly loves the "taggie" on the blankie, which taggie is almost gone now. Blankie goes wherever she goes, except to school.  Blankie stays in the car because she can't take it to school. She would if she could probably, but...
I was talking to her about blankie the … (2 comments)