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This is an interesting way to ensure that neighborhoods blighted by the foreclosure crisis aren’t permanently damaged. The Indiana General Assembly is considering a bill that would provide that a person who repairs, cleans up or maintains a neighboring abandoned structure is entitled to a lien on the property.

Some title agents working in Washington, D.C., soon may be sharing information with the district’s Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking (DISB). The DISB is planning to send a questionnaire to a sample of agents in the district to learn more about how the industry operates in the district.

A title insurer filed an adversary proceeding against a debtor in bankruptcy court for failing to disclose a $1.9 million deed of trust on the property that the title insurer eventually had to pay off. The case eventually went before the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals. Read on for more details.

The Florida Senate is considering a bill that seeks to revise procedures and requirements related to the recovery of assessments from title insurers, revise provisions related to surcharges collected in excess of the assessment and revise requirements for the payment of excess surcharges to the Insurance Regulatory Trust Fund. Read on for more details.

A real estate and tax attorney from Texas turned himself in to authorities following the return of a federal indictment alleging he and others participated in a mortgage fraud scheme involving properties in Surfside and Freeport, Texas. Read on for more details.

Owners of a home in Pebble Beach, Calif., sought coverage of a lawsuit brought by Coastal Commission, alleging that the suit was a direct result of their title insurer’s efforts to address a previously undiscovered open air easement. The title insurer sought to dismiss the complaint in federal court. Read on for more details.

The New Mexico legislature is considering a bill that, among other things, would require title producers in the state to own, operate or control an abstract plant as a requirement to hold a title insurance producer license in the state. Read on for more details.

The Utah Legislature has approved a bill that would clarify the duties of the insurance commissioner and the Title and Escrow Commission. Read on for more details.

The Oklahoma State Legislature is considering a bill that would authorize title insurance companies to recover penalties against mortgage holders who don’t release mortgages within a certain amount of time after the mortgage has been paid off. Read on for more details.

The Oregon Legislative Assembly is considering a bill that would require closing agents to withhold and pay county property taxes that are outstanding as of the date of conveyance in conveyances to tax-exempt government transferees. Read on for more details.