Issue No. 162 | March 11, 2020


EVENTS
Look For NEW Events Posted Since The Last Issue!
INDUSTRY NEWS
Effective May 1, 2020, title insurance endorsement costs, as recommended by the Title Insurance Rating Bureau of Pennsylvania, will increase. All fat rate endorsements currently less than $250.00 will double. 

A Long Island man is heading to prison after stealing a vacant brownstone worth more than a million dollars from an elderly former school teacher, authorities announced.

What if you were buying a house and received an email you thought was from your lawyer…

Governor Evers signed AB 293 today which permits parties in Wisconsin to allow the performance of notarial acts via audio-visual technology [1] for remotely located individuals. In other words, a notary public in Wisconsin does not need to be in the same room as the person for whom they are performing the notarial act--if the requirements of this new law are met. 

Foreclosure / Standing: Where plaintiff was substituted in as a party plaintiff after original note was filed with the court, introduction of original note bearing blank indorsement into evidence at trial was sufficient to establish substituted plaintiff’s standing – Wilmington Sav. Fund Soc’y, FSB v. Stevens, No. 4D19-585 (Fla. 4th DCA Feb. 12, 2020) (reversing involuntary dismissal)

The New York State Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) has issued new reverse mortgage regulations, implementing the recently-passed New York State Assembly Bill A5626. The regulations went into effect as of March 5, 2020.

The use of the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) as a benchmark rate has become ubiquitous over the last several decades. Yet LIBOR will cease to exist beyond 2021 without a single universal rate to replace it. 

Americans find murder less terrifying than having their identity stolen by a wide margin, finds a new report from AtlasVPN.com, based on a survey of more than 1,500 respondents.

Raleigh, N.C., led the nation with the highest market share of iBuying activity in 2019, followed by Phoenix, Charlotte, and Atlanta, a new study by Redfin shows. Redfin used MLS and public records data on home purchases and sales to track national iBuyer purchases from firms like Opendoor, Zillow, Offerpad, and RedfinNow.

 A Virginia federal judge ruled Thursday that Owners Insurance Co. doesn't have to cover a real estate firm's loss of funds that an employee wired to a fraudster who posed as the firm's president in emails, saying the insurer is not obligated to cover voluntary transfers of money caused by fraud.

LEGAL NEWS
Infrastructure fees are a common battleground between landowners/developers and local governments. The Supreme Court decided a case this week that counts as a “win” for the local governments, reversing a Court of Appeals decision. 

In the 1980s, her husband’s hobby was finding land for which no one was paying property taxes — and claiming it for himself and his wife. Under state law, it’s perfectly legal. 

Copano Energy, LLC v. Stanley Bujnoch, Life Estate, et al. asked whether an enforceable easement had been established by email. The trial court and court of appeal said yes (here is our report), holding in favor of landowner the Bujnochs. The Texas Supreme Court reversed.

A subcontractor has liened the property although the owner has paid in full for its work. The general contractor has disappeared. What should an owner do next? And will its attorneys’ fees be recoverable?

The United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas recently held that an insured’s claim regarding a mechanic’s lien was excluded from coverage under the title insurance policy under Exclusions 3(a) and 3(d).

The property owners on St. Pauls Street are bringing a criminal trespass charge against Mike Bateman, who’s built an elaborate structure on the property.

We on Quail Trail were pleased you read our recent letter in the Eagle, Mr. Hutchcraft. We were even more pleased when, having ignored several emails asking for the return to public use of Quail Trail on the grounds that it is a public right of way, you now agree that it is indeed a public right of way.

The Massachusetts Appeals Court yesterday revived a lawsuit over who gets to use a three-foot-wide alley between 204 and 206 Hanover St., just around the corner from Cross Street, ruling that a Superior Court judge had made a legal error in granting sole rights to the owners of one of the buildings.

TECHNOLOGY & SOCIAL MEDIA NEWS
TikTok is quickly becoming the social media platform of the moment, with recent statistics showing the app has now been downloaded over 1.5 billion times globally.

There are many benefits of using LinkedIn within your business including showcasing your experience, skills, and career achievements; sharing content for thought leadership positioning; building and nurturing a network; and accessing job opportunities.

WORLD NEWS
A property developer has made a $1.4 million dollar windfall on an abandoned Sydney home that he claimed squatters rights for.

TITLE AGENCY & PEOPLE IN THE NEWS
There is nothing more powerful than owning land in the United States. Because of this, the real estate industry has become an extremely lucrative business. For Osei Rubie, it means earning the chance to create a million-dollar company and passing that legacy down to his son.

Simple Title Closing and Escrow PLLC will be offering their closing services in Rhode Island beginning in March.

Since 2002, the team at Serenity Title & Escrow has dedicated themselves to giving every one of their customers the sense of security necessary to turn a house into a home or a site into a headquarters.

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...

OTHER TRENDING NEWS
Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal has introduced a bill aimed at thwarting landlord efforts to warehouse apartments as new housing regulations start to bite.

OPINION — Every time I get thinking that I know the full stories behind what happened at the Malheur wildlife refuge in Oregon in 2016, I’m reminded that there’s still a lot I didn’t know.

San Francisco’s city government now requires private property owners to give non-profits the first right to purchase most multi-family residential properties with three or more residential rental units.

City officials in California are looking for ways to protect tenants against evictions if they fall behind on rent during any potential fallout from the COVID-19 scare.

For anyone who dreams of quitting their job and living in paradise, there’s no fantasy more enticing than the idea of owning your own private island.

Marianne Mathieu, NTP
Vice President/National Agency Accounts
Fidelity National Financial
(347) 987-0677