News By Edition

In the past 20 years, the title and settlement services industry has seen a significant shift in both how transactions are done and how the industry is regulated, and The Legal Description has been there for them all. As the publication marks its 20th year, industry experts shared their view of the biggest changes in that time.

Consumers who allege a kickback scheme between Bank of America and Genuine Title filed a motion to certify a class of consumers impacted by the alleged scheme. Read on for the court’s decision.

The D.C. Council passed Coronavirus Support Second Congressional Review Emergency Amendment Act of 2020, which extends certain amendments on an emergency basis until Nov. 16, 2020, including a provision allowing for remote notarization. Read on for more details.

A lender sued to determine whether a deed of trust still encumbered property after a non-judicial foreclosure sale conducted by a homeowners association and a state court declaration the lender was not party to. Read on for more details.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has again extended an order allowing for remote notarization until October. Read on for more details.

The Texas Department of Insurance issued a bulletin regarding insurer’s use of third-party data. Read on for more details.

During its Aug. 18-20 Virtual Annual Conference, the Property Records Industry Association (PRIA) elected six directors in three categories to serve two-year terms on the board of directors. Read on for more details.

The California General Assembly has moved forward with legislation that would rename and refocus the Department of Business Oversight as the Department of Financial Protection and Innovation. Read on for more details.

When a couple purchased property in Chevy Chase, Md., there were several liens on the property. During the time between their contract to purchase was signed until the transaction closed, the seller was involved in a suit regarding debt the seller owed from an unrelated investment. After winning judgment against the seller, the judgment holder argued there was a judgment lien on the property. The purchasers filed a quiet title suit. Read on for the court’s ruling.

The New Jersey Legislature is considering a bill that would prohibit deeds recorded after Jan. 1 from including a restrictive covenant regarding the ownership or use of real property. Read on for more details.

A mother and son from California were arrested for operating a $5 million mortgage modification scheme. Read on for more details.

The Division of Real Estate continues to receive calls regarding what appears to be timeshare scams targeting Colorado consumers, real estate brokers, and out-of-state consumers. Read on for m ore details.

For the ninth year, October Research, LLC, presented its annual awards for leadership, innovation and philanthropy, with some of the brightest stars in the title industry recognized for their efforts. Publisher and CEO Erica Meyer presented the awards Wednesday at the 16th annual National Settlement Services Summit (NS3). Read on for details about this year’s award winners, along with a look back to award winners of years past.

The ninth annual Make a Child Smile community service event at the National Settlement Services Summit (NS3) had a different feel this year. The event, sponsored by Adeptive Software, featured a discussion between Terri Hanson, vice president, account services at Adeptive, and Toys for Tots President and CEO Lt. General James Laster. Toys for Tots distributed more than 2 million toys, books and games already this year during the pandemic. Read on for more from the NS3 presentation.

The owner of property in the Township of Elsinboro, N.J., sued her neighbor to quiet title, seeking an order declaring that she owned property along the boundary and ordering her neighbor vacate the disputed property, arguing that the neighbor’s fence encroached on her property. Read on for more details.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development Office of the Inspector General issued a bulletin warning that, because of the economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic, more people might consider reverse mortgages and become targets of reverse mortgage-related fraud schemes. Read on for more details.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency announced that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will extend the moratoriums on single family foreclosures and real estate owned evictions until at least Dec. 31, 2020. Read on for more details.

Ohio Department of Insurance Director Jullian Froment announced the appointment of a new senior policy advisor. Read on for more details.