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Nevada Attorney General Catherine Masto’s sued against Lender Processing Services Inc. (LPS) for its alleged involvement in illegal robo-signing activities, as well as LPS’ move to dismiss the case, began a shockwave of activity addressing robo-signing and other foreclosure-related issues.

Faced with constituents who are losing their homes to foreclosure and districts where property values are declining due to abandoned properties, state legislatures have tried their hand at addressing the problems caused by the foreclosure crisis. This year, an influx of bills have been introduced that, if passed, could greatly impact the foreclosure process in different states and cause the title industry to take additional steps to ensure that the properties they are insuring are free and clear of title defects.

As required by the Dodd Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is working to craft a model mortgage statement that will be given to borrowers every billing cycle. Read on for more details.

The owner of a title company in Oakland Park, Fla. was indicted for her alleged role in a multi-million dollar mortgage fraud scheme. Read on for more details.

The Illinois General Assembly is considering a bill that would amend the state’s Conveyancing Act. Read on to find out how it plans to change the law.

Homeowners seeking a review of their mortgage foreclosure under the Federal banking agencies’ Independent Foreclosure Review now have more time to submit their requests. Read on to find out more about the program and the reason for the extension.

The American Land Title Association and Florida Land Title Association submitted an amicus brief to the Supreme Court of Florida in a foreclosure case, requesting the court clarify the protections third-party buyers of foreclosed property have from being impaired by an attack on the foreclosure proceeding. Read on to find out more.

The legislature of Washington state could be amending its escrow licensing law, adding to the definition of escrow as well as exempting licensees from the Consumer Loan Act. Read on for more details.

U.S. Sens. David Vitter, R-La., and Jon Tester, D-Mont., along with a bipartisan coalition of 41 senators, sent a letter to senate leadership urging to bring legislation to fully extend the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) to the floor for debate and passage. Read on to find out more about the bill and the senators’ efforts.

In its Mortgage Fraud Risk Report for the fourth quarter of 2011, Interthinx found an increase in the property valuation fraud risk index following a period of decline and stability in valuation-related fraud. Read on to find out more about this and other findings from the report.

We’ve heard the stats about mortgage fraud, which continues to be a troubling topic for all those involved in the real estate market. But what can a title agent do to protect himself, his company, his underwriter, the borrower and lender from being victims or unsuspecting co-conspirators in these crimes? A litigator who defends these cases for some key members of the industry shared his tips with The Legal Description.

The General Assembly of Maryland is considering a bill that would provide closing protection to borrowers, sellers, lenders and buyers who are party to a real estate transactions. Read on to learn more about the proposed coverage and how the legislature expects title insurers to cover closing claims.

A potentially large RESPA class action was filed against Old Republic International Corp. and its title insurance subsidiaries. The complaint alleges that Old Republic paid kickbacks to real estate agents in exchange for referral of settlement service business. Read on to find out more about the suit.

The National Notary Association is offering notary management training for those companies now required to implement programs to ensure, among other things, that notary laws are being complied with after a settlement was reached between 49 state attorneys general and the nations’ largest mortgage servicers. Read on for more details.

A Bergen County, N.J., lawyer admitted to participating in a mortgage fraud scheme that caused lenders to release approximately $400,000 based on fraudulent mortgage loan applications. Read on to find out more about the scheme.

Title agents in one state may have additional registration requirements, including submitting an affidavit affirming that the applicant has never been convicted of a crime of theft or dishonesty. Read on to find out more.

Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller was joined by U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan and others in announcing one of the largest federal-state civil settlements ever obtained. The settlement, reached with the country’s largest mortgage servicers will address mortgage loan servicing and foreclosure abuses that came to light in 2010. Read on for details of the settlement.

The New Mexico legislature is considering a proposal to amend Article II of the state constitution to place the regulation of insurance companies into the hands of an elected superintendent of insurance. Read on to find out more about the proposal.

Having just adopted new Good Faith Estimate and HUD-1 Settlement Statement forms, and making the necessary upgrades to software, the settlement services industry is on the cusp of another major forms change, this time to a combined mortgage disclosure. How much will these changes cost and how long will it take software providers to develop this software? The American Land Title Association recently submitted a letter to the CFPB with insight from two software providers. Read on to find out what they had to share.

Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster follows attorneys general in Nevada and Illinois in making allegations against LPS subsidiary DOCX, announcing that a 136-count indictment has been handed down against the company and its founder. Read on for more details.

An Oregon homeowner sued a title company and other parties to the foreclosure on her home, alleging that the non-judicial foreclosure proceeding was unlawful. Read on to find out more about the case and find out what the court had to say when the defendants moved to dismiss the complaint.

A man in Maryland who owned or controlled several title agencies was sentenced to time in prison for his role in a scheme to defraud lenders and his underwriter of more than $2.8 million. Read on for more details.

The Illinois General Assembly is considering a bill that would add an exception to the prohibition against a title insurance company making disbursement in connection with any escrows, settlements or closings out of a fiduciary trust account. Read on to find out more about the exemption.

New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman filed a lawsuit against the nation’s largest banks, alleging deceptive and fraudulent use of the electronic mortgage registry MERS. Read on for details of the suit and to find out who was charged.

The New Mexico Division of Insurance announced it was investigating the closing of a Farmington, N.M.-based title company, which closed unexpectedly, leaving customers without access to their accounts. Read on for the details.

Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan filed suit against Nationwide Title Clearing for allegedly filing faulty documents with Illinois county recorders, contributing to the robo-signing crisis discovered in October 2010. Read on for more details of the suit.

The General Assembly of Georgia is considering a bill that, if passed, would revise the definition of the practice of law and require a waiver of borrower’s rights for sales on property that includes the possibility of nonjudicial power of sale upon foreclosure. Read on to find out more about these and the other provisions of the bill.

Under a bill being considered in Arizona, homeowners would be able to submit affidavits for temporary stays of trustee’s sales. Read on to find out more about the bill.

A company that owned unimproved land in Florence Ariz. discovered a restrictive easement on its property after transferring the property to its wholly owned limited liability company and filed a claim with its title company to cover its loss. When the title company denied its claim, the insured sued. Find out what the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals had to say about the case when it went before the court on appeal.