A Look at the Year Ahead for MLTA 2020

By: Darlene Wilsey, MLTA President-Elect All (Members) Welcome! Michigan Land Title Association Board and committee members are anxiously awaiting your arrival at our 2020 association events! Association leaders and committee members have worked countless hours, to offer our members timely, content-rich industry education events, impactful legislative networking opportunities, and role-specific training workshops. So, whether you […]

You Don’t Say…. Voice Cloning Technology

By Cindy Immonen, NTP, CLTP  The FBI reports that direct financial losses caused by business email compromise (BEC) and email account compromise (EAC) has surpassed $12.5 billion worldwide! The frequency of these attacks continues to grow at staggering rates, impacting more than 90 percent of organizations, and affecting nearly 1 percent of all emails sent. […]

State of the State, and then some …

By Patti Tremblay, Michigan Legislative Consultants Over the last few weeks Lansing has been full of activity. As I write this, I have watched three major presentations in the span of ten days. The Governor gave her State of the State speech, the State of the Union response, and the state budget presentation. The Governor […]

The Federal Cannabis discussion and debate continues …

Allan Dick, WFG National Title A recent MLive article on the January 28, 2020 federal conviction of a former owner of medical-marijuana dispensaries in several Michigan cities (Hydroworld dispensaries) reminds us of the ongoing conflict between state laws, like Michigan’s, and the as yet unchanged federal laws classifying marijuana as a Schedule 1 controlled substance. […]

Improve Your Workflow by Leveraging Your Technology

By: Ethan Powsner, Esq., Vice President of Technology and Market Development, Fidelity National Financial In my meetings in the Midwest and Mid-south, I frequently see many opportunities for title agents to take advantage of their existing software to improve their workflow. If these agents could invest a few dollars in software, hardware, and some training, […]

Yikes, Multifactor Authentication?!?!

By Cindy Immonen, NTP, CLTP One of the updates to ALTA’s Title Insurance and Settlement Company Best Practices that goes into effect in January requires the use of multifactor authentication (MFA) for all remotely hosted or remotely accessible systems storing, transmitting or transferring non-public personal information. Think about all the staff working remotely within your […]

The ALTA ONE Conference – from Austin to NYC … and Holiday Greetings from the MLTA

Tom Lico, MLTA President Hundreds of title industry participants gathered the week of October 21 – 26 at the American Land Title Association’s ALTA One conference at the Fairmount Hotel in Austin, Texas. The Grand Opening Session introduced Diane Tomb, the new CEO of ALTA. After an 8-month long search to replace the departed Michelle […]

Money Mule – another type of scam you may not recognize

By Allan Dick, WFG National Title In the February, 2019, TitleBytes covered a story regarding an Oregon homebuyer, Aaron Cole, who was scammed out of his life savings and the proceeds from selling his current home, as he prepared to buy a new home for his family, approaching the holidays. FBI Special Agent Yaqub Prowell […]

A Michigan Legislative Overview

By Tim Ward, Michigan Legislative Consultants As the first year of Governor Whitmer’s administration comes to a close, let’s take a look in the review mirror before looking ahead to 2020. Not unexpectedly, the pace of governance has abated with a divided government, the first one in eight years. A couple contributing factors to this […]

Got A Minute?

Tom Lico, Capital Title If you think about it, “time” is the only thing in life we are all given equally. It doesn’t discriminate. Ironically enough, it’s the one thing we all complain that we don’t have enough of. The reality is: time is all we have. We all get 1,440 minutes each and every […]

Have you thought of Digital Marketing?

Sources: NAR and ALTA, courtesy of Cindy Immonen, NTP, CLTP Having a website that’s mobile friendly and being able to connect with clients on their smart phones is vital these days, according to a new report from the National Association of Realtors. This shouldn’t be a surprise to you. In the newly released “Real Estate […]

ABSTRACTIONS and an Education Update

By Allan Dick, WFG First, a recap and report on the September 11th MLTA Boot Camp – Escrow Basics, presented at the H Hotel in Midland. A throng of attendees, including a cross-section of title folks, representing both title and escrow, industry veterans and several first timers newcomers, were treated to a multi-media styled attempt […]

ALTA Applauds U.S. House for Passing Landmark Cannabis Banking Legislation

ALTA applauded the U.S. House of Representatives for passing the SAFE Banking Act (HR 1595), which provides a safe harbor helping banks, insurers and other financial services providers serve businesses in the cannabis industry. HR 1595 was the first standalone bill on marijuana to reach the House floor and passed by a vote of 321-103. […]

The State Budget – It’s Complicated!

Funding for Grants to Assist Counties with E-Recording Shifted to Other Programs The 2019-2020 general government budget, as it was passed by the Legislature, contained funding that would have provided counties with a one-time grant funding opportunity to either implement or upgrade their e-recording capabilities. The program was established under the Department of Labor and […]

JOIN ALTA’s ‘Coalition to Stop Real Estate Wire Fraud’

In 2018, there were at least 11,300 victims of real estate wire fraud who lost a total of nearly $150 million. According to the FBI, this number is even higher because only a small percentage of all wire fraud incidents is reported. This is still very widespread in residential and commercial transactions today! While the […]

Not JUST Another Boot Camp – It’s Escrow Time!

By Allan Dick, WFG National Title Insurance Company Just as 2013 opened a new era in MLTA Educational offerings with the first (Title 101) Boot Camp, this fall of 2019 – specifically, Wednesday, September 11, at the H Hotel in Midland , MI, the MLTA unveils its first ESCROW BOOT CAMP – the MLTA Escrow […]

Education, fun, comradery, comedians and the yellow brick road – Oh MY!! The MLTA 2019 Summer Convention Recap

By Debbie Wiley, NTP, CLTP, First American Title Insurance Company Another successful and fun filled MLTA Summer Convention in the history books. The 2019 version was held at the Grand Traverse Resort in Acme, Michigan. We were certainly blessed with some beautiful northern Michigan weather this year, and the only time we had rain and […]

Meet the President

By Lisa Rozmarniewicz, Director of Sales & Marketing, Capital Title Insurance Agency You know him as the guy that likes to laugh and inject humor into everyday life, including his public speaking. Tom Lico, President and COO of Capital Title Insurance Agency first began doing open mic nights at local comedy clubs after taking a […]

No Summer Session, but Plenty of Activity Behind the Scenes

By Cami Pendell, Michigan Legislative Consultants Although the legislature scheduled numerous Session days throughout the months of July and August, it has not yet formally met to take action on bills. It is expected that the earliest it will meet is the week of August 26th. However, just because Session hasn’t been taking place, that […]

More Technology Talk

By Ethan Powsner, Esq., VP of Technology and Market Development, Fidelity National Title Group Robocalls: Many of you receive phone calls on your smart phones where it appears that the phone call is originating from the United States or from within your home state. It didn’t take long for you to figure out that these […]

Head Up For A Grand Time at Grand Traverse

By Tom Lico, MLTA President-Elect We’re a little more than a month away from MLTA’s Annual Summer Convention to be held at the Grand Traverse Resort. We have fun, education, and time for relaxation on the agenda. The evening of Sunday, July 14 will be our welcome reception and dinner. In an effort to engage […]

Suffer a Data Breach? Here’s Your First 24-Hour Checklist

Acting quickly and strategically following a data breach can help you regain your security, preserve evidence and protect your brand. According to Experian, it’s important to collect, document and record as much information about the data breach and your response efforts, including conversations with law enforcement and legal counsel, as you can. Once a breach […]

How to Prevent Wire Fraud

By Tom Cronkright, Co-founder and CEO of CertifID Preventing wire fraud essentially comes down to three things: • Educating transaction participants about the threat of fraud and what to watch out for; • Preventing fraudsters from accessing email and other communication-based accounts to obtain critical information about a transaction; and • Ensuring parties have accurate, […]

MLTA Sponsorship Committee

By Jamie Scheett, Star Title Agency, LLC The MLTA Sponsorship Committee diligently works with the MLTA Members and Affiliate Members, as well as outside Attorneys and Vendors to obtain sponsorship funds for the various MLTA Summit, Convention and other Education Sessions held through-out the year. The funds raised assist in keeping the cost of the […]

Another Successful Capitol Day for MLTA

By Cami Pendell, MLC In early May, MLTA held its legislative advocacy day where members got an opportunity to meet with their legislators and share information about the association. We had a great turnout of MLTA members which helped to make our day a success! Because of the number of new legislators and staff serving […]

Recap of the first MLTA Education Spring Summit

By: Debbie Wiley, NTP, CLTP, First American Title Insurance Company The first ever MLTA Education Spring Summit was held at the Crown Plaza Lansing West on the afternoon of March 5th and all-day March 6th and was a great success! This new Summit was designed to replace the prior MLTA Spring Seminars that would be […]

Cyber Insurance – It Isn’t What it Used to Be

By: Ethan Powsner, Esq., VP of Technology and Market Development, Fidelity National Title Group. Those of you who follow CertifID® and your respective title underwriters’ bulletins, as well as trade journals and the publications of the Michigan Land Title Association, are up-to-speed on the types of cyber frauds and their evolving nature. You and your […]

Communications/PR Committee Spotlight

By Lisa Rozmarniewicz, MLTA Communications/PR Committee Chair The Communications/PR Committee serves the association in order to improve favorable public opinion about the title industry in Michigan as well as positive information about the Michigan Land Title Association (MLTA) and its services to the membership and those in the industry.   Our main vehicle for this is […]

International Women’s Day

International Women’s Day is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. On March 7th ATA National Title Group celebrated the day with their annual International Women’s Day luncheon. Invitees attended from all facets of the real estate industry: Register of Deed’s, County officials, Real Estate Agents, Lenders and Title […]

House Committees Named and DIFS Priorities Shared

By Cami Pendell, Michigan Legislative Consultants Since the first 2019 edition of TitleBytes was issued, the Michigan House of Representatives has named their committees and membership for the new legislative cycle. Even though there are 45 new members in the People’s Chamber, it was great to see a lot of returning legislators named to the […]

Michigan Law Updates

Gregg A. Nathanson, Esq. In the waning hours of the last Michigan Legislative session of 2018, the State passed a flurry of new laws. In the last issue of TitleBytes, Bill Robinson provided an excellent summary of 2018 changes in Michigan real estate law. This article focuses on three of those changes and how title […]

MLTA Spring Summit – March 5-6, 2019

The MLTA is excited to announce the 2019 Spring Education Summit, to be held at the Crowne Plaza in Lansing, Michigan on March 5th and 6th, a two-day conference replacing the usual Spring Education Seminar. It will start at 1 pm the first day and end at 3 pm the second day. The 2019 Fall […]

The Practical Impact of Recent Michigan Legislation

By William L. Robinson, Jr. MLTA Legislative Steering Committee Chairman Much has been written about the recent “lame duck” legislative session in Lansing. One might incorrectly assume that our legislature only passes controversial laws and only does so when term limits are about to be effective. In reality, we’ve had a wide variety of new […]

Wrapping Up a Successful 2018 and Starting the New Year

By Cami Pendell, Michigan Legislative Consultants MLTA closed out 2018 with great success! On the last day of Session, the House passed SB 671 (clarification to the Marketable Title Act) and the Senate concurred in it. This bill was one of the last 10 bills to move during the 22-hour marathon Session. There were a […]

MLTA Membership Committee Update

Beccy Clennan, MLTA Membership Chair Hello and a big 2019 welcome from the MLTA Membership Committee! Hopefully, we are all seeing a great start to the year and looking forward to what lies ahead. 2018 was productive for our committee. The MLTA Board had challenged us to find a way to enhance and improve the […]

Homebuyer, Scammed Out of Fortune, Hired by Title Company

Aaron Cole lost his entire down payment to scammers, but a deal with his title company allowed him and his family to move into their new home just in time for Christmas. Nothing seemed amiss when Aaron Cole, 30, received an email with instructions to wire the $122,850 down payment for his new home. So […]

Three Perspectives, from ALTA ONE

By MLTA Directors Eileen LaPlante, Tom Lico and Darlene Wilsey Fast and the Furious ALTA ONE Attendee, Eileen LaPlante, 2018-2019 MLTA Director ALTA One is always packed with information and learning opportunities, this year in LA was no exception. Imagine the land title industry meets the Fast and the Furious and that is the pace […]

Technology Talk

Ethan Powsner, Esq., VP of Technology and Market Development Fidelity National Title Group While there is a lot of discussion in the title media about cybersecurity and safe wire practices, there are other technology issues that a prudent title agent should be aware of. These issues, while not as glamorous or as dramatic as wire […]

New Year, New Government Leadership

Cami Pendell, Michigan Legislative Consultants By now enough time has passed that you are aware of the results from the November 6th election. Governor-elect Gretchen Whitmer already has her transition team in place and they are working hard so she can hit the ground running in 2019. But, you may not be aware that the […]

IT’S NOT JUST A ONCE-A-YEAR ACTIVITY!

By Meredith Weingarden, Esq. MLTA Legislative Committee Chair Now that the dust is settling from the election and the passage of Proposals 1, 2 & 3, attention will be again drawn to the legislative process. For that’s what it is – a process, a process of review, debate, often revision and sometimes compromise. MLTA’s annual […]

MLTA Gives Back

Tom Lico, MLTA President-Elect In the last issue of TitleBytes we reintroduced to you the Public Service Committee and mentioned that we would be expanding our financial outreach to additional home related charities. In addition to our annual donation to Habitat for Humanity of Michigan, we have added Safe Haven Ministries, Friends of Foster Kids, […]

Cybersecurity Awareness Month!

Cindy Immonen, NTP, CLTP Do not ignore cybersecurity practices – Educate, Educate, Educate. Routinely update all your devices, systems, browsers, and plugins. Do not download anything from an untrusted source. Implement a multi-layered security approach including configuring accounts with maximum-security controls and conducting training. WiFi Don’t allow your device to auto-join unfamiliar networks. Always turn […]

FIRPTA – What’s it all about and why do we care?

By Allan Dick FIRPTA (the Foreign Investment in Real Property Tax Act of 1980, as amended), seems to have been a hot topic of late. In response to attendee requests, the MLTA Education Committee included FIRPTA presentations in the 2016 MLTA Spring Seminar, and again this past Spring Seminar. So, what exactly is the issue […]

November Election Just Around the Corner

By Cami Pendell, MLC Because of the upcoming November election, the Legislature has had a very disjointed Session schedule during the month of September. However, even though they didn’t have a lot of Session days, there was still a considerable amount of legislative work taking place behind the scenes. As a matter of fact, MLTA […]

Michigan Supreme Court Finds Oral Commission Agreement May Be Enforceable

By Gregg A. Nathanson, Esq. The Michigan Supreme Court recently confirmed that the statute of frauds does not bar a real estate broker’s commission claim based upon the equitable doctrine of promissory estoppel. The Statute of Frauds The Michigan State Legislature has determined that it is good public policy to require the parties to a […]

Public Service Committee Update

Dave Moldovan, MLTA PSC Chair Hello from the Public Service Committee! Hopefully all of you are aware of who the Public Service Committee (PSC) is and what it does- for those of you who may have forgotten here is a quick refresher. The Public Service Committee was originally formed with the hopes of providing assistance, […]

MLTA Upcoming Events

2019 May 1, 2019 – MLTA Legislative Day – Lansing July 14-16, 2019 – MLTA Convention – Grand Traverse Resort, Acme September 11, 2019 – Boot Camp – H Hotel, Midland October 16, 2019 –Fall Education Seminar-DoubleTree, Grand Rapids November 6, 2019 – Fall Education Seminar – Livonia Marriot, Livonia

The 2018 MLTA Summer Convention

By Tom Lico A trip to Mackinac Island is a step into the past, while the MLTA Summer Convention was a nice glimpse into the future. The conference started on Sunday evening with a welcome reception on the lawn of the Mission Point Resort overlooking the Straits of Mackinac. Almost akin to a class reunion, […]

NOTARIZATION – ELECTRONIC & REMOTE

By John Bommarito On June 28, 2018, Governor Snyder signed HB 5811 (PA 330 of 2018) which essentially authorizes Remote Online Notarization (RON) in Michigan. The law is effective September 30, 2018 and when effective, authorizes the Secretary of State (SOS), along with the Department of Technology Management and Budget (DTMB) to review and approve […]

Meet the New MLTA President, Philip (Phil) Savich

An interview with Lisa Cicinelli 1. How long have you been in the title business and where have you worked? About 30 years. I started in the industry in 1988, when I and a partner opened a law office and title agency in the Upper Peninsula. We also opened a bakery, but that’s another story. […]

The August Primary and Looking Forward

By Cami Pendell, MLC When Cami submitted this article, it was just before the August Primary Election. As I’ve been travelling around the state meeting with candidates and their staff, they all have one thing in common. They can’t wait for the August 7th primary election to be over. While we tend to look at […]

MLTA-PAC SUMMER CONVENTION FUNDRAISERS A SUCCESS

By Tim McDonnell, MLTA-PAC Committee Chairman The MLTA-PAC held two fundraisers at the Summer Convention at Mission Point. The always popular Silent Auction and a new event—a bicycle Scavenger Hunt on Mackinac Island. But before I get to those results, I want to thank all of the MLTA Members who stepped up to the plate […]

Protect Your Company by Knowing How to Identify Valid and Suspicious Email

From ALTA Title News Online – May 10, 2018 Protect Your Company by Knowing How to Identify Valid and Suspicious Email While companies may have spam filters and antivirus software, spam and phishing emails can still slip through employee inboxes. Email recipients are the most critical element in preventing an attack. Here are some tips […]

MLTA Under the Dome

Cami Pendell, Michigan Legislative Consultants This year, MLTA held its Capitol Day on May 2nd and we had fantastic participation by association members. Because members took time out of their busy schedules to meet face-to-face with policy makers, that helped us to educate legislators and staff on issues important to the title industry. Our advocacy […]

MLTA 2018 Convention – Register Now!!

MLTA has opened registration for the 2018 MLTA Convention. This year’s event will be held at Mission Point Resort, Mackinac Island on July 15-17. We are excited about our lineup of speakers and events. Here are a few highlights: • Anirban Basu is Chairman & CEO of Sage Policy Group, Inc., an economic and policy […]

MLTA Technology Committee

By Brian Roberts, ATA National Title Group The MLTA Technology Committee was formed back in 2016 by the MLTA Board as an Ad Hoc committee. At that time, the board felt the need to have a group helping our association with the ever growing demands of technology in our industry. When the board started, one […]

Views from the Riverside

By Rob Ford, Riverside Title As I enjoy my last few months of artificially cooled or heated and fluorescent light illuminated small town Title Company atmosphere, I pause to thank whatever force in charge of this universe for having steered my life’s path through the title world. (Editor’s note: Rob will be retiring at the […]

GOING MOBILE (with apologies to The Who and ALTA InfoSec)

Mobile Device Security Tablets and smartphones have become the tools we use to enable our ever-increasing technology-laden personal and professional lives. These devices are mobile and very easy to use and give us the choice of countless numbers of apps to make us more available to communicate and productive. These devices and apps also open […]

Mineral Rights? Oh NO! (think Mr. Bill)

Geoff Pritchard, Chair of the MLTA Abstractor & Title Agents Committee One phrase that makes most Title Agents (and underwriters) cringe is the inclusion of oil, gas, and mineral rights to a property. This is because not every time mineral rights are transferred do they appear on public record. Most realtors are now requiring mineral […]

Take Your Business to the Next Level

The 2018 ALTA SPRINGBOARD “Take Your Business to the Next Level” was held on March 20-21 at the W Midtown Hotel in Atlanta, GA. Several MLTA members attended the SPRINGBOARD this year and not only enjoyed the conference but also walked away with some very valuable information. They were collectively contributors to this report. The […]

The Solution to Age-Old Post-Closing Problems? Title Companies Can Help!

By Michelle Wilsey, Regional Director, Simplifile Trailing or missing documents after closing are a problem seemingly as old as the mortgage industry itself. When documents go missing post closing, lenders pay in the form of regulatory penalties or investor “holdbacks,” and title companies are on the hook for tracking and re-mailing some of the most […]

MLTA’s Marketable Title Legislation Passes Senate

By Cami Pendell, Michigan Legislative Consultants In the last TitleBytes legislative update, I shared information on SB 671 (Jones). That is MLTA’s legislation which helps to clarify and strengthen the Marketable Title Act. Currently, the Marketable Title Act does not specifically define what kind of reference must be in a document to continue previously created […]

“Weed” Control”

By Phillip Neuman A “burning” topic these days is marijuana. Currently (as of November 30, 2017), 29 states and the District of Columbia have enacted laws to legalize the use of medical marijuana. Nine states and the District of Columbia have voted to legalize the drug recreationally, and Michigan will have a ballot proposal this […]

Leveraging Technology in 2018

Lisa Rozmarniewicz, Capital Title Insurance Agency “If we, as an industry, are able to keep our focus on how to continually leverage technology for our clients and our business, everybody wins,” Ben Niernberg, EVP, business development Proper Title, LLC. So, how can we leverage new technologies, and keep the customer experience in the forefront? I […]

Education Committee, Our Work and Our Mission

The Michigan Land Title Association’s education committee has a job to do and we are on a mission to do it. The committee is responsible for organizing and developing the educational offerings of the association, long considered one of the major benefits offered by the MLTA. To accomplish this mission we work tirelessly to ensure […]

Think Spring, Better Yet – Summer!

The Michigan Land Title Association will be hosting their 2018 Convention on July 15-17 at the Mission Point Resort on Mackinac Island. If you have not attended this event in the past, it is a must do. Our event is filled with impressive speakers, topics and of course networking, not to mention an idyllic setting! […]

Lansing Report

By Cami Pendell MLTA’s Marketable Title Legislation has Committee Hearing Prior to the Legislature’s winter break, SB 671 (Jones) was introduced and referred to the Senate Local Government Committee. SB 671 is MLTA’s legislation which helps to clarify and strengthen the Marketable Title Act. Currently, the Marketable Title Act does not specifically define what kind […]

The Second Annual ALTA ONE Conference – a Report

By Tom Lico and John Bommarito In the opening session of the ALTA One conference this past October in Miami, Florida – Michelle Korsmo, ALTA’s CEO, revealed the Association’s Our Values initiative. Beginning with a Roy Disney quote, “It’s not hard to make decisions, when you know what your values are,” Michelle outlined the three […]

Young Title Professionals

The Young Title Professionals committee of the Michigan Land Title Association is an ad hoc committee that is open to those in the title business who are either 40ish years old and younger; or have been in the title industry seven years or less. The Young Title Professional committee is a group of passionate, young-ish […]

ABSTRACTIONS

By Allan Dick, WFG National Title Doing my best impersonation of the TitleBytes editor, I thought it might be time to dust off my old Abstractions column once more (maybe not). As usual, I have a few bits of news and observations to report. First, in case you missed the news, (1) Tim McDonnell became […]

MLTA Priority Legislation Introduced

Cami Pendell, JD Michigan Legislative Consultants The Legislature recently returned from its fall break and a flurry of activity is taking place before it goes on its winter recess, which is scheduled to begin on December 15th. One very important action that took place was Sen. Jones introducing SB 671 , which is MLTA’s priority […]

Through the Eyes of Christmas

Thomas Lico, Capital Title Insurance Agency The garland and lights are wrapped around the lampposts lining Main Street. The shopping malls are decorated as well and the newspapers are littered with the Christmas sales. We have all enjoyed this view of the holiday, but have you ever had the fortunate experience to see Christmas through […]

CYBER CRIME AND SECURITY – A Couple of Suggestions

Editor’s Note: I reached out to a couple of active MLTA members for their insight or tips relative to the lurking cyber problems and issues. Here is a combination of two articles, the first by Brian Roberts (ATA National Title Group) and the second from Brandon Hunt (Mid-American Title). Thanks, guys! We are well aware […]

MLTA President’s Report

By John Bommarito, MLTA President Education and Representation are two of the primary values the MTLA brings to its members. So far, it’s been a busy time on both fronts since our July convention. On the education front, the Education Committee is busy setting the agenda for all the education seminars through 2018. They are […]

Professional Designation – Changes on the horizon

By Maura Snabes, CLTP, PDBOR Chair, Corporate Settlement Solutions We all have heard about our Michigan Land Title Association’s Professional Designation program, but many of our members who may qualify for application to the designation program have not yet applied and others who do not yet qualify are ready and willing to apply. The Professional […]

Politically Busy Summer followed by the Legislature’s Return to Fall Session

By Cami Pendell, Michigan Legislative Consultants As term limits take greater hold in Michigan, we are experiencing many more special elections than in the past due to vacancies occurring in House or Senate districts for various reasons. Just this past summer, there were special primary elections in two state House districts. One occurred in the […]

View from the Riverside

By Rob Ford, Riverside Title Last month I was at a wedding. Sitting in one of those little white folding chairs, killing fifteen minutes before the ceremony and in a fit of responsibility, I remembered to turn off my phone and in the process, scanned through my emails. Among all the other stuff in the […]

Meet the President (It’s Not Fake News)

By Jacquie Brink, AVP Midwest Region WFG National Title and Heather Moldavan, VP National Operations, ATA National Title Group If you thought you knew the incoming MLTA President, think again. Not only is John C. Bommarito a tenacious and compelling individual, he’s passionate about our organization and industry as a whole, and may have a […]

Encryption and Safeguarding Your Data

What is encryption? Encryption is the method of protecting data from being accessed by an unauthorized party putting our customers and partner’s privacy in jeopardy. As an example, if you have customer data not encrypted on a laptop and the laptop is stolen, the data can be recovered and accessed by unauthorized person. If the […]

2017 MLTA Summer Convention Recap

By – Bob Wuerfel, CLTP – Lighthouse Title Group Over 135 MLTA members along with approximately 40 guests, vendors and exhibitors attended the Summer Convention held at Great Wolf Lodge in Traverse City July 16-18, 2017. Sunday evening saw great weather for the welcome dinner and the cigar tent. As the evening chilled, the campfire […]

Legislature Recessed for the Summer and Upcoming Special Primaries

Cami Pendell, JD Michigan Legislative Consultants As of July 12th, the Legislature started its summer recess. Prior to leaving, the legislature tackled many notable pieces of legislation and passed the state’s budget for Fiscal Year 2017-18. Of direct interest to MLTA, the legislature passed and the Governor signed into law legislation which will eliminate the […]

Michigan Court of Appeals Affirms Trial Court Ruling That Homeowners Association Membership Requirement Expired

Phillip J. Neuman, a partner at Couzens Lansky, represented the plaintiffs in the case On June 22, 2017, the Michigan Court of Appeals issued a unanimous per curiam decision affirming the ruling of the Oakland County Circuit Court that membership in a homeowners association became voluntary when the recorded restrictions requiring membership expired by their […]

Top 10 Free Marketing Hacks for Your Title Agency

Lisa Rozmarniewicz, Director of Marketing Capital Title Insurance Agency We’ve all thought it or even said it out loud, “But, I don’t have dedicated personnel, time or resources to market my agency.”  Many small title agencies struggle with traditional marketing without even a thought about eMarketing. To assist you with broadening your marketing horizons, I’ve […]

MLTA Annual Convention Preview

John Bommarito President-Elect At the time I write this, we’re just about 6 weeks away from our annual convention held in Traverse City this year. This coming July 16-18, 2017 the MLTA membership will convene at Great Wolf Lodge in Traverse City for our annual convention. This year, we will move back toward more of […]

Reflections from the MLTA President

Debbie Wiley, NTP, CLTP MLTA President When you step into a new role in life one would like to believe that they know what lies ahead. That is what I thought as I took the podium at the 2016 Summer Convention as the newly appointed President of our great association. As my year as the […]

ALTA to Launch ‘Whatever You Call Home’ Campaign

Coinciding with National Homeownership Month in June, ALTA will launch an ad campaign titled “Whatever You Call Home” to help educate consumers about the closing process and the benefits of title insurance. As the centerpiece of the promotion, ALTA will once again target 25- to 34-year-olds in specific markets on Pandora. The streaming and automated […]

Another Successful MLTA Capitol Day!

Cami Pendell, JD Michigan Legislative Consultants On May 10th, MLTA held its annual Capitol Day which connects MLTA members with their legislators to discuss the association’s priorities. This year, over 30 MLTA members took time from their busy schedules to invest it in Lansing to discuss issues impacting the title industry. Between meetings with legislators […]

Court Finds Oral Commission Agreement May Be Enforceable

Gregg A. Nathanson, Esq. The Michigan Court of Appeals recently determined that the statute of frauds does not bar a commission claim based upon promissory estoppel. The Facts Brokers worked with St. John Providence to develop a concept that required a particular type of property. The Brokers believed that a property Howell Public Schools had […]

Legislative Work Picking Up Speed

Cami Pendell, MLC It’s natural at the beginning of any new legislative cycle that there is a lull on bill activity as committee assignments are announced, committees organize and then begin to hear presentations from departments that they will tend to work with over the course of the next two years. Recently, the Department of […]

Views from the Riverside

Rob Ford, Riverside Title The short story is that we opened our brand new title company in 1,000 feet of rented space on the busiest downtown corner of the sleepiest little town in northern Michigan on April 1, 1992. Interest rates were hovering between 8% and 10%, an entry level owner’s policy could be purchased […]

Beware the Cyber-Jungle

Geoff Prichard, Title Express Navigating through communication in the Real Estate Industry can be a challenging experience. Constant emails, text, and calls from real estate agents, lenders, buyer’s, seller’s, and even other title companies can take up ones entire day, added to routine daily tasks. Sometimes the overwhelming communication can lead a person to overlook […]

ALTA Springboard 2017

ALTA Springboard— the new name for what was formerly ALTA Business Strategies. Springboard , this year in Fort Worth, Texas, offered a new interactive approach, sharing ideas, and collaborating with attendees from across the nation. ALTA CEO Michelle Korsmo opened Springboard by quoting Ms. Frizzle from the educational cartoon “The Magic School Bus” where viewers […]

The Demise of Dower in Michigan

By Phillip J. Neuman, Esq. Dower (the right of a woman to elect upon her husband’s death to take a life estate in 1/3 of any real property he owned in fee title during the marriage) has been around in Michigan in some form since at least 1846.  The issue of dower has generated countless […]

ABSTRACTIONS

By Allan Dick, Editor This is the fourth edition of the revamped MLTA newsletter/BLOG, TitleBytes, replacing the two decade old Title Examiner. It will be issued more frequently (bi-monthly. at least for now), electronically, in a more abbreviated format – more concentrated on current developments and industry non-fake news and advisories, while still reporting on […]

MLTA closes out a successful 2015-16 Legislative Cycle and Looks Forward to the New 99th Legislature

By Cami Pendell, Michigan Legislative Consultants MLTA was able to end 2016 on a very positive note with the Legislature passing and the Governor signing legislation that eliminates dower in the state of Michigan.  The new laws will accomplish the following: Public Act 489’16 – Abolishes a wife’s dower right in both statute and at […]

MLTA Contributes to Habitat for Humanity

On December 12, 2016 a special presentation was made to Amy Smitter, CFO, Michigan Habitat for Humanity. On behalf of the MLTA Membership a check for $2000 was presented.  Amy discussed the financial coaching that began last year and how this is helping families buy or begin to save for their home.  In 2016, 598 […]

ALTA Alert: Watch for Fake Dropbox Emails Sharing ‘Closing Disclosure’

Fake Dropbox emails are circulating once again urging recipients to sign in to access and view documents. Prior to implementation of the TILA-RESPA Integrated Disclosures (TRID) rule, the fraudulent emails were infected with a file called “final HUD-1.”  In this scam, the email says that “You have a new document sent to you ‘Closing Disclosure.pdf”. […]

MLTA 2017 ANNUAL CONVENTION PREVIEW

While we’re still several months away and just entering the winter season, it’s never too soon to begin thinking about warmer times, such as summers in Northern Michigan. This coming July 16-18, 2017 the MLTA membership will convene at Great Wolf Lodge in Traverse City for our annual convention

Election Results, Legislative Leadership for 2017-18 and Lame Duck

November’s General Election held many unexpected results for members of the state House of Representatives. It was widely expected that the Republicans would hold their majority in the House, but by a much slimmer margin than what they currently have this legislative cycle.

WARNING – Don’t Be Spoofed!

You’ve read the warnings: “Don’t wire funds in response to an email without using call-back procedures!” In other words, call the party who appears to have sent the email at a known, safe phone number and confirm that they actually sent the email.

Member Spotlights–Perseverance has its rewards

There are those in our industry that come in each day, do their jobs and go home. Then, there are those in our industry to strive for more—to push themselves to become more involved, to seek more knowledge and to lead by example. One of the ways this is accomplished is by earning the highest designations available for title insurance professionals at the state and national levels.

MLTA 2016 Year in Review

2016 has certainly proven to be an exciting and busy year for the Michigan Land Title Association!

On March 18th the newly developed “Legal Description Basics Bootcamp” was presented to a packed house at the Kellogg Center in Lansing and proved to be a huge success.

We held our 2016 Legislative Lobby Day on April 12, 2016 in Lansing where MLTA members met with various Michigan House and Senate members to help them understand two very important bills that we wanted to see passed. Our efforts were rewarded with both bills being passed into law this year!!

Governor Signs Condo Legislation Amendment into Law

Cami Pendell, MLC SB 610 Signed into Law and Legislature Briefly Returns Back to Session MLTA Board members were able to join Governor Snyder, Sen. Margaret O’Brien and members of the Realtors Association for a ceremony marking SB 610 being signed into law. Sen. O’Brien sponsored the legislation which amends the Michigan Condominium Act.  As […]

Michigan Court of Appeals Ruling

Gregg A. Nathanson, Esq. Michigan Court of Appeals Upholds Lease Termination but Not Applicability of Full Credit Bid Rule in Judicial Foreclosure Action The Michigan Court of Appeals recently ruled that a foreclosing mortgage terminates all leases at the end of the foreclosure redemption period, but that the full credit bid rule does not apply […]

Young Title Professionals (YTP) Meet in Grand Rapids

Brian Kasiborski, Esq. On Thursday September 15, the Young Title Professionals committee of the Michigan Land Title Association hosted a fall social mixer in Grand Rapids. The Young Title Professionals committee is open to those in the title business who are either 40ish years old and younger; or have been in the industry seven years […]

It Won’t Happen To Us

Jacquie Brink AVP and Midwest Agency Representative WFG National Title Insurance Often times we see and hear about natural disasters on the news and immediately think we’re immune to such things. It is human nature to believe that it won’t happen to you. However, not only is this natural inclination to ignore such potential dangers […]

Recent Changes to Farmland and Open Space Act (PA 116 Agreements)

“On June 27, 2016 the Governor signed a change to the Farmland and Open Space Act, (PA 116) law that impacts the way our office will process PA 116 Agreements and the way you may participate in that process.  These changes, listed below, will take effect for any requests received by our office on and […]

Views from the Riverside

Rob Ford Riverside Title My youngest son plays the bass guitar on a professional level. A few years ago, he was hired as part of a small ensemble to play the late comedienne Joan Rivers on and off the stage at one of northern Michigan’s finest casinos. For two nights he actually got paid to […]

Introducing TitleBytes

Considering the increasing amount and frequency of information being conveyed to MLTA members by their customers, vendors, and underwriters alike, the Michigan Land Title Association’s Board of Directors committed themselves to exploring options, to assist its members with obtaining relevant information, in a more timely and convenient manner…

Governor Signs MLTA Priority Legislation into Law

Governor Snyder has signed the flat recording fee package and legislation that makes revisions to the Condominium Act into law. These issues were the top legislative priorities for MLTA and were the central focus of this year’s Capitol Day. All of our hard work has successfully resulted in the creation of many new Public Acts.

MLTA President’s Interview

Allan Dick MLTA Editor Introducing the MLTA President for 2016-7: Deborah (Debbie) Wiley. Debbie has been a long time dedicated contributor to the MLTA, since her early days with Metropolitan Title (then Debbie Fitnich) before Metro was acquired by First American Title Insurance Company, and is a fitting successor to the role of MLTA President. […]

Electronic Closings – Update

You will be reading more and more headlines about how ‘E-Closings are Around the Corner’ or ‘CFPB Pushes E-Closings’ or ‘Millennial Buyers Asking “Where’s the Technology?”’

Don’t panic. There isn’t even a common definition of what constitutes an ‘E-Closing’—does it mean ‘all documents’ or ‘some documents’. Further, there are still significant State-level legal and County-level procedural hurdles that need to be overcome before everyone will be closing real estate deals on an iPhone using an App. So where are we?

MLTA Convention

Geoff Prichard Title Express Agency The Michigan Land Title Association Summer Convention began Sunday evening, July 17, with food, laughter and entertainment, before turning to business and a series of distinguished speakers. The laughter and entertainment centered on the latest MLTA-PAC FUNdraiser, featuring five teams in a spirited Lip Sync Battle. Those teams, representing Capital […]