Behind the Bailout, is it Really a Bad Loan, or a Lack of Confidence

Ever since the Enron mess, the government has required banks to give consumers reports that show a truer reflection of the current asset value on their books. This means when the value of a house [...]

The so-called bailout is about confidence in the American economy

I read a news article today about the bailout.  It was written for real estate agents on how to reassure their clients that everything is going to be okay. I understand the perspective, real [...]

New Legislation Imposes Stricter Guidelines on California Title Insurance Industry

by Jarrod Clabaugh,  Printed with permission from Source of Title

   

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed Senate Bill 133 into law on September 25, 2008. The legislation implements greater controls over the practice of title insurance in California. Introduced by Senator Sam Aanestad in January 2007, the bill focuses on inducements offered by title marketing representatives to real [...]

Iowa Stops Access to Online Public Land Record Documents

Due to privacy concerns, visitors to the Iowa Land Records website will now discover a statement indicating that “…until further notice all document images are restricted and cannot be accessed through this Website.” Phil Dunshee, one of the site’s project managers, said in a press release that access to the records would be suspended [...]

Watch Out for Title Insurance Fraud and Defalcations

I am, unfortunately, quite familiar with theft of funds in the title industry. I have had to remove good personnel from access to corporate accounts, just because of family illness. I once had a closer create a fictitious company, adding bogus [...]

RESPA Transaction Fees and Admin Fees in the News Again