Team Title Guy!

Test Yourself: Liability RisksMistakes can happen when performing a notarization. All too often, Notaries remain unaware of the risks they face and the protections available to them to shield against serious financial consequences. Take our quiz and test your knowledge about liability risks and h...

The transaction involved a beneficiary to a deed of trust who would not cooperate, third parties who kept trying to influence the escrow officer to close the deal without proper instructions and a seller who went MIA. As usual, our escrow officer never wavered from sound, basic escrow practice – ...

I appreciate Cara's insight and viewpoint on this! I believe that it was servant leadership that Jesus demostrated for us all. The perfect example! If we could all strive for this more often, what a world it would be! A Servant Leader - Moving the Emphasis from Sales to Service Put plainly, a lea...

It has been about a year since the City of San Bernardino filed BK, and this is an interesting look at how it has impacted the city! This City declared bankruptcy a year ago and is trying to work things out through the courts. Remember, people who declare bankruptcy don't stumble into it they are...

SAFETY CORNER is dedicated to providing you with tips for being safe in your personal life. One of the most effective ways to protect your identity is to be sure you regularly review your credit report. A credit report includes information on where you live, how you pay your bills, and whether yo...

Online auction sites (such as eBay or Craigslist®) benefit consumers and merchandise re–sellers, by helping them find one another and creating a venue for an exchange of goods and services. The sites also create opportunity for fraud, since there is no face–to–face interaction between the buyer a...

"RUSH" is a word which often results in the opposite effect. It is a word which can make people stop dead in their tracks, especially since everything seems to be RUSH or URGENT these days. For settlement agents RUSH almost always raises a red flag. It causes you to ask: Why is this transaction a...

An independent escrow agent recently discovered their trust accounts were compromised by an outside unknown source. Through initial investigations the escrow agent realized they had become victim to unauthorized and fraudulent wire transfers. Once they became aware they immediately notified their...

It is normal and customary practice at most escrow branches to make a photocopy of the earnest money check at the bottom of the system–issued receipt and provide a copy of it to the listing agent, selling agent, mortgage broker and lender. In one escrow branch they did just that, only to find out...

California Civil Code Section 2948.5 restricts lenders from charging more than one day interest from the date the loan is funding until the date the funds are disbursed for the benefit of the borrower. In most cases, the settlement agent makes all the disbursements. As a result many lenders requi...