Industry & Technology news compliments of Marianne Mathieu
Title Insurance Industry & Technology News 12/27/17
Compliments of Marianne Mathieu
Industry Events
Look for NEW events posted since the last issue!
Industry News
Financial Services Dept. Delays Portion of New Title Insurance Regulation
New York Law Journal - The New York State Department of Financial Services is delaying implementation of a portion of new title insurance regulations after lawmakers urged the regulator to slow down the rollout.


#MeToo: Signs of Disrespect
Commercial Observer - Women are still treated like amateurs in the boys’ construction club—and it’s enraging

Tax Reform For REITs And Real Estate Businesses
JD Supra - The Tax Bill has many provisions that will impact real estate investment trusts (“REITs”) and real estate businesses. We have summarized the most important provisions ...

Identity Fraud in Mortgage: The Threat is Real . . . and Growing
DSNews - Fraud is not a new topic for the mortgage industry. But our familiarity with it has, perhaps, dulled our vigilance when it comes to a massive new threat.

Water starts flowing in multimillion-dollar swimming pool
Crain's New York Business - About 350,000 gallons of water every day for more than 100 days will flow into one of the most expensive and ambitious amenities Northeast Florida has ever seen.

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60 years and not yet ready to retire
West Plains Daily Quill - Even after 60 years working in land title and escrow closings, Margaret Keister said she has no plans on retiring.

Legal News
The Algorithm Did It: The Evolving Legal Landscape of the Internet’s Favorite Tool
JD Supra - In a time where “fake news” is common parlance and tensions rise in response to the smallest media slight, is it time for algorithms to take the place of humans in moderating news? This New York Times article seems to think so.

Troy Kelley Guilty Of Possession Of Stolen Property, Not Guilty Of Money Laundering
KUOW - Former Washington State Auditor Troy Kelley has been found guilty of possession of stolen property, making false declarations and filing false tax returns, but not guilty of money laundering.

Land Title Opinions
JD Supra - The Texas Supreme Court recently heard oral argument in three intriguing oil and gas cases. Here’s what you need to know about two of them (We’ll address the third case soon).

Eccentric, Sure. But a Violent Criminal? Staten Island Puzzles Over the Case of Richard Luthmann
The New York Times - In the tightknit circles of the Staten Island courts, the lawyer Richard Luthmann has always been a kind of local oddity, styling himself as the borough’s version of a Nixonian dirty trickster.

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Tech / Social Media
How to Create a Social Media Calendar: A Template for Marketers
Social Media Examiner - Do you want a better way to plan, organize, and publish your social media content? Looking for a solution that doesn’t cost a lot of money?

This iced tea company’s name change sums up everything about the bitcoin craze of 2017
The Washington Post - When Wall Street types are optimistic about something, like a business or a trend, they're often said to be “long” on it — meaning they're inclined to invest in hopes of a profit. These days, a lot of folks in the financial sector are excited about bitcoin and its underlying technology...

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Nationwide will pilot blockchain-based proof of insurance. Will title insurers follow suit?
Digital Insurance - While the crypto-currencies that spurred the development of blockchain technology skyrocket in value, the underlying platform, which decentralizes records in order to make them tamper-proof, is being explored by insurance carriers for several use cases.

Maptitude — Powerful Software For Realtors To Enhance Landscape Knowledge
Realty Biz News - What Is Maptitude? It’s actually a mapping software developed by Caliper Co. that enables realtors to view, edit and add maps. The technology is designed to smooth the progress of geographical visualization along with analyzing either custom data or included data.

Using Location-Based and Future Reminders
QuickAndDirtyTips.com - Not all reminders fit simply into a to-do list. But luckily (for once) our to-do list apps aren't simple. Use location-based and future reminders to remember the complex things in life.

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In Other News
11 things you didn't know about Christmas lights
The Week - 'Tis the season of turkey, gifts, delicious cookies, Santa Claus and, of course, twinkling lights of all shapes and sizes. In America, roughly 150 million light sets are sold each year. We're obsessed!

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A Brief History of Evil Developers in Movies
CityLab - From Mr. Potter in It’s a Wonderful Life to the Bradys’ nemesis in The Brady Bunch Movie, the real-estate developer is a typical foil for plucky heroes-next-door.

12 unbelievable real estate facts that will make you question everything
Inman - Think you’ve seen and heard everything in the real estate business? You might be surprised to learn about some of these fascinating real estate facts from around the world.

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The bewitching creepiness of Jerusalem's giant spider webs
The Week - A surreal phenomenon has taken hold of a Jerusalem forest. On the banks of the Nahal Soreq creek, just west of the holy city, white blankets of silk cocoon the dense vegetation.

This site lets you know if a film is linked to sexual misconduct allegations
Metro - Ever wonder if your favorite movie was directed by someone accused of sexual misconduct? Or, if a character you used to cherish as a kid was played by a now-alleged predator?

Title Agents Go Nationwide
For agents interested in growing their businesses by expanding into multiple states, we’re here to make the process simple and profitable. We offer you one point of contact to streamline your options and solutions.


Marianne Mathieu, NTP
Vice President/National Agency Accounts
Fidelity National Title Group
347-987-0677