Industry & Technology news compliments of Marianne Mathieu
Title Insurance Industry & Technology News 01/03/18
Compliments of Marianne Mathieu
Industry Events
Look for NEW events posted since the last issue!
Industry News
Top Insurance Journal East Stories of 2017
Insurance Journal - As 2017 wraps up, Insurance Journal is looking back on some of its most popular stories of the year while preparing for what is ahead for the insurance industry in 2018.

2018: The year of the title company
Housing Wire - The real estate industry made significant movement this year toward improved communications between all the professionals and consumers that are required for a property sale. At the core of this is a concerted effort by the title industry to apply technology to modernize and upgrade the closing process. 

47-year career involved history, puzzles
Commercial News - Nearly every day for 47 years, Melissa Virostek has had the opportunity to indulge her passion for history. In her job as search and exam representative at Allied Capital Title, she finds it interesting to track down the backgrounds of farms and businesses.

Legal News
New York State Employers Must Comply with New Paid Family Leave Law
Insurance Journal - New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has signed into law a phased-in system of paid family leave that will become effective on January 1, 2018, for New York employers.

Murr v. Wisconsin, Lot Mergers, State Legislative Intervention & A Happy Ending
JD Supra - Last week we wrote about a United States Supreme Court case Murr v. Wisconsin and its impact locally. Since that post, the Petitioner, Donna Murr contacted the author to provide us with an update to her family’s situation.

NYC May Use Eminent Domain to Deal with Homeless Issues
JD Supra - To address the homeless crisis, NY City will acquire buildings that house homeless families to convert them to affordable housing, using with legal force if necessary. It has stated that it will use eminent domain if necessary.

Tech / Social Media
New York DFS Cybersecurity Regulation Update: Lots Left to Do
JD Supra - Insurers and producers, banks, lenders and others licensed by the New York Department of Financial Services (DFS) have already had to comply with several of the requirements of the new DFS Cybersecurity Regulation, but for most, there’s a lot left to do. 

Meural’s upgraded Canvas is a surprisingly awesome showcase for art
Tech Crunch - Meural’s second-generation Canvas digital art display is now available, and I’ve been testing one out for the past couple of weeks to see how it stacks up.

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In Other News
Real estate agent donates $100 from each sale to help animals find ‘fur-ever’ homes
Inman - Calvin Acuff, a real estate agent based in Morganton, North Carolina, is a self-professed animal lover who currently takes care of six pets — dogs Charlie, Molly, Willa, and cats Bow Tie, Orville and Leo — all of which he rescued while out and about hiking and walking in gorgeous mountain scenery that surrounds his town.

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32 ridiculous, offbeat, and just plain awesome holidays we should all celebrate
The Week - To think, this whole time, you could have been celebrating National Crab-Stuffed Flounder Day. Between New Year's Day and New Year's Eve, there are hundreds of national days that go unnoticed by most people.

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Why Scientists Once Used Taste Tests as Paternity Tests
Atlas Obscura - Sensitivity to bitterness was thought to be entirely genetic. Some people are more sensitive to certain tastes, particularly bitterness, and can’t stand the sharpness of, say, brussels sprouts. 

The New Year’s Feast That Transformed Fools into Popes and Kings
Atlas Obscura - The Feast of Fools, as described by the French theologians who condemned it in 1445, sounds like a ton of fun. This New Year’s Day celebration, they wrote, caught up high-ranking church officials in a bacchanal unworthy of their exalted positions.

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