INDUSTRY EVENTS
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INDUSTRY NEWS
On October 15, developer Robert Shapiro—who pleaded guilty in August for leading a $1.3 billion real estate Ponzi scheme—received the maximum sentence of 25 years in prison.

FDCPA & FCCPA / Debt Collection Activity / Monthly Mortgage Statements: Monthly mortgage statements required by TILA and sent to plaintiff did not amount to “debt collection” because they did not include strong demands for payment.

The slew of iBuying companies that have popped up in the last two years aren’t low-balling sellers, but they don’t appear to be making much of a profit, either.

The four proposed bills would provide the community and elected officials with the tools to make informed decisions about developments in their neighborhoods.

We are writing to express our strong support for S. 2563, the “ILLICIT CASH Act,” which would require American companies to disclose information about the actual people who own or control them (often called the “beneficial owners”) at the time they are created.

I'm constantly hearing from heirs of reverse mortgage holders who are wondering what they should do now that the last borrower on the loan has passed or had to move to assisted living.

LEGAL NEWS
Much to the delight of borrowers and guarantors, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, in 2014, issued a decision granting summary judgment to the defendant guarantor declining to hold the guarantor fully liable for the unpaid loan amount due to “foot faults” triggered by the filing of liens.

Anglo-American legislators and judges have been dealing with the treatment of debtors’ transactions that adversely affect their creditors at least since the Sixteenth Century. 

In cities and towns across Pennsylvania, it is familiar story—a Good Samaritan homeowner, fed up with overgrown weeds and accumulation of old tires and televisions, decides to clean up a neighboring lot which belongs to an absentee owner.

My nephew, hearing a knock on his front door, found a real estate broker asking if he knew Robert and Marianna Polson, my parents.

There is a trend that was addressed in this column about two years ago, but that deserves another look since it is a problem that will likely get worse before it gets better.

TECHNOLOGY & SOCIAL MEDIA
One afternoon last month, as I was crossing a busy four-lane street that runs through the University of Pittsburgh campus, I looked up to see a robot blocking my path.

A D.C.-area title agency has partnered with Earnnest to offer digital transfers of earnest money deposits (EMDs) through the latter's technology platform, the company announced.

WORLD NEWS
Rapid urbanization, climate change and scarcity of resources, coupled with global trade wars have had and continue to have an unprecedented impact on human lives. These changes have compelled us to develop and embrace technology, which combines data and analytics.

TITLE AGENCY & PEOPLE IN THE NEWS
A former real estate and title insurance executive has received the longest prison sentence in the college admissions scandal so far.

FRISCO — Land Title Guarantee Co. will host a food bank and animal supply drive from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, Nov. 15, and Saturday, Nov. 16, at its locations across Summit County.

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
The world’s first post-car real estate developer, Culdesac, today announced the company and its plans to build the country’s first car-free neighborhood from scratch in Tempe, AZ.

How would it have been if America’s most populous city had not been called New York, but something completely different? Such is the question explored by a new documentary being screened in the city itself this month.

With the next census, for the first time ever, respondents will be able to fill out their questionnaires online. This marks a major transition for the count, which guides the apportionment of seats in Congress and the disbursement of hundreds of billions of dollars in federal funds.

Chicago, Ill.– Today marks the public unveiling of the largest Starbucks brick-and mortar in the world, the Chicago Starbucks Reserve Roastery (646 N. Michigan Ave.), a five-floor, 35,000-square-foot “retail experience.”

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