YTP Industry Insight – September 10th 10:00 AM

Industry Insight is September 10th at 10 am. It is called “That’s Just How We do it” We are tackling the conversations that need to happen when our co-workers or people at other title companies are resistant to change and cooperation! We will also be covering some common examples and looking at what the rationale […]

MLTA 2024/2025 Board of Directors

Congratulations to Dave Martyn, MLTA President! The MLTA held its annual convention July 14-16, 2024 at Shanty Creek Resort, Bellaire, Michigan.  The new MLTA Board was elected as follows: Dave Martyn, President Maura Snabes, Incoming President Kristen Dankert, Secretary/Treasurer Brian Roberts, Immediate Past President Lisa Rozmarniewicz, Director Debbie Haught, Director Amy Zemple, Director Cindy Immonen, […]

MLTA PAC EVENTS 2024 Convention

Golf Cornhole Tournament Silent Auction MLTA SILENT AUCTION:  https://www.32auctions.com/mlta2024convention Both events below are a two step process – complete the form and email to Tim McDonnell AND use the PAY HERE button to pay for your registration MLTA PAC Cornhole Tournament 2024 Cornhole Tournament Registration Form *complete sheet, email Tim PAY HERE FOR CORNHOLE MLTA PAC Golf […]

MLTA Goes to Washington

This month’s legislative update is sponsored by Fidelity National Title and Westcor Land Title. We thank you for your continued support of this podcast. Jump in listen as Host Amy Zemple of Stewart Title chats with our local Lobbyist Matt Sowash, and our Legislative Steering Chair, John Bommarito from ATA National Title, about what is […]

MLTA PAC Needs Your Support!

The MLTA-PAC will be holding a silent auction at the MLTA Summer Convention at beautiful Shanty Creek Resort. We are currently in need of items for the auction. Popular items in the past have been sporting event tickets, personal electronics, spa certificates, wine baskets and other types of gift certificates. We are also hoping for […]

MLTA 2024 Convention Announced

Dave Martyn, incoming MLTA President and Chair of the MLTA Convention Committee, helped to announce the kick-off for the 2024 MLTA Convention. “The MLTA 2024 Convention will be held July 14-16 at Shanty Creek Resort.  The committee has put together a great list of topics and speakers, including two breakout sessions for Tuesday morning”.  Dave […]

Title Agent and Associate Member Town Hall Announced

Join our Town Hall! Insuring your Insurance Agency Wednesday, May 15 at 11:00 am EST   We invite you to join our upcoming town hall meeting, where we’ll delve into the critical protections that E&O, cyber, and crime policies provide our title agencies. Joining us will be a panel of insurance experts to answer your […]

Important MLTA Update – Amendment to MRTA Signed into Law

MLTA Members: On Thursday, March 28, Governor Gretchen Witmer signed Senate Bill 721, sponsored by Senator Jeremy Moss (D-Southfield), into law which amends the Marketable Record Title Act (MRTA). In short, this legislation extends the date by which a person can preserve an interest, claim, or charge in a marketable record title to September 29, […]

MLTA New Title Professionals

MLTA is pleased to offer the New Title Professional Group (NTP) for those that are 40 years old and younger or have been in the title industry for 7 years or less. In 2015, the Michigan Land Title Association established the New Title Professional’s (NTP) Committee in order foster the development of the next generation […]

MLTA PAC Spring Summit Silent Auction OPEN

The MLTA PAC committee announces that the 2024 Spring Summit Silent Auction is OPEN and can be accessed on the event page HERE

MLTA PAC Silent Auction – Fall Education Seminar

MLTA PAC SILENT AUCTION Fall 2023

MLTA Podcast – Back by Popular Demand – MLTA Member Spotlight

2023 Convention Wrap

Join us for an invigorating recap of the Michigan Land Title Association’s unforgettable summer convention on Mackinac Island! Expect laughter, learning, and community upliftment as we reminisce on our fun-filled public service event, spirited games, and the insightful talks from industry giants. Get ready, it’s more than just a conference; it’s a summer highlight you […]

Detroit Style Pizza & Career Pathways. A Perfect Combo

MLTA Public Service Comm PAINT IT FORWARD EVENT

Join the Public Service Committee as we take on painting projects on Mackinac Island during convention Monday, July 10th Dress in “Casual” attire for painting Grab Box-Lunch and meet at Mission Point Bike Rental Kiosk by 1:20pm Volunteer: 1:30pm to 4:30pm Sign-up form: https://forms.gle/WTgGf2y5CupTb7V36

Get To Know Your Legislator

The best way for you to help make a difference in our industry, is to get to know who is representing you, the constituent.  In this episode, our MLTA Lobbyist, Matt Sowash, and our Legislative Steering Chair, John Bommarito, had the pleasure of interviewing State Senator, Jeff Irwin.

MLTA Title Bytes A Whole Lotta Summer Convention

n this episode, the President Jacquie Brink and President-elect Brian Roberts chat about the upcoming Summer Convention.  Be sure to listen until the end for more “Get to Know Your Board Members” trivia.

Full on Nerdy

Your current MLTA President goes full on Nerd with the Tech Committee, shares some fun facts, and Matt Sowash provides a Legislative update from Lansing

MLTA Volunteer Opportunity

Talkin Bout the Spring Summit

Get Back In and Giddy Up! – MLTA Title Bytes Howdy Folks! Hop on your horse and sway back into this episode for a fun update from your current MLTA President Jacquie Brink, as well as a Legislative update from our Lobbyist Matt Sowash, of Michigan Legislative Consultants.

MLTA Announces 2023 Events and Sponsorships

2023 MLTA Spring Education Summit March 7 & 8, 2023 Crowne Plaza Hotel, Lansing MLTA Boot Camp April 18, 2023 H Hotel, Midland MLTA Convention 2023 July 9-11, 2023 – Mission Point Resort MLTA Fall Education Summit November 6-7, 2023 Embassy Suites, Grand Rapids PROSPECTUS (DOWNLOAD) MLTA 2023 sponsorship and advertising prostpectus 2023 Sponsorship Commitment […]

MLTA TitleBytes Podcast Announced

MLTA announces the inaugural TitleBytes Podcast – An interview with MLTA President Jacquie Brink. Contact TitleBytes Podcast Committee:  titlebytespodcast@milta.org

Fall Education Seminar Registration open

Wednesday, October 5th – DoubleTree Grand Rapids Airport Wednesday, November 9 – Marriott Detroit Livonia CLICK HERE FOR AGENDA AND REGISTRATION

MLTA Gives….and Gives

By:  Kristen Dankert Membership response to the Public Service Committee’s MLTA Gives 2022 campaign was outstanding! Those attending the Summer Convention donated at total of $412 to the campaign. This generous response allowed the Committee to purchase an additional 417 bags to donate to the Michigan Foster Care Closet. In total, members donated $794 to […]

MLTA-PAC SUMMER CONVENTION FUNDRAISERS A SUCCESS

The MLTA-PAC Committee held several fundraisers at the recent Summer Convention at Crystal Mountain Resort. The overall total raised for the MLTA-PAC at the Summer convention was about $7,200 after PayPal fees were netted out from the online contributions so all in all it was a good weekend for the MLTA-PAC. TRIVIA NIGHT The first […]

Thank you 2022 Convention Sponsors and Exhibitors!

June 2022 Legislative Update

By: Matt Sowash The Michigan Legislature is working toward finalizing the State’s FY 2023 budget. While the fiscal year does not start until October 1, there is a statutory requirement to have a state budget in place by July 1. This is especially important for school districts as their fiscal year starts July 1. Items […]

The Joy of Serving

By: Lisa Rozmarniewicz Many years ago, I took a class on anxiety and worry and the different ways that people handle those situations when they arise. I’ll never forget one statement the teacher/counsellor said; “Worry and anxiety is often due to people who have a lot of idle time on their hands, where all of their […]

MLTA Convention Registration Closing

As you know, the MLTA 2022 Convention is only 2 weeks away!  Be sure to check out our agenda, speakers, and fun events. Do you wish to register??  If yes, please do so no later than Thursday June 30th to be included! You can review the convention agenda and register HERE

MLTA 2022-2023 Membership Dues

The MLTA sent out membership dues notices to the attention of the designated company contact. We urge everyone to check and make sure your 2022.2023 Membership Dues are paid! Thank you in advance for your trust in our association!

MLTA 2022 Convention Silent Auction

WOW – be sure to check out the amazing items we have in our 2022 Convention Silent Auction!  You don’t have to attend convention to place a bid!  Be sure to check out all the items on auction HERE before it is too late!  Support the MLTA PAC – bid high and bid often!

April 2022 President’s Report

Eileen LaPlante-Elliot, MLTA President “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say nothin’ at all” – Thumper from the movie Bambi. While that may be overly simplistic, as the world we live and work it in sometimes requires the delivery of bad news, it is still possible to present and discuss undesirable information in a […]

MLTA-PAC FUNDRIASER PLANS FOR THE SUMMER CONVENTION

The MLTA-PAC Committee is planning several fundraisers for the MLTA Summer Convention at the fabulous Crystal Mountain Resort and Spa in picturesque Thompsonville, MI. This year’s Summer Convention will be held from July 10th to July 12th. The 2022 elections are approaching quickly and we need to make sure that we have sufficient funds to […]

MLTA Spring Summit Recap

By: Alyssa Allen, VP, Underwriting Counsel, FNF MI Agency MLTA’s Spring Summit was held on March 15th and 16th at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Lansing. Our esteemed President, Eileen LaPlante informed the attendees that it had been 726 days since the last in-person MLTA event (and for this author, it was the very first […]

MLTA PAC SILENT AUCTION AT THE SUMMIT WAS A BIG SUCCESS!

The MLTA PAC Committee held a Silent Auction in conjunction with the MLTA Summit in Lansing on March 15th and 16th. There was a total of 11 items donated for the auction by 19 members. The total donor value of the items donated was $1,750.00. We had many great items including a lottery board, gift […]

MLTA Affidavit of Affixture Legislation

By: David Martyn, First American Title Insurance Company, VP Midwest Agency Regional Underwriting Counsel (East), Regional Underwriting Director – Midwest One of our industry’s challenges over the years has been handling transactions involving mobile homes, and securing an Affidavit of Affixture from the Secretary of State.  MLTA recently succeeded in having legislation passed which should […]

MLTA-PAC SALUTES THE MEMBERS WHO CARE!

Several years ago, the MLTA PAC started the Member’s Who Care program. This program recognizes all members who give at least $100 each year to the MLTA-PAC. The recognition period each year runs from July 1st through the following June 30th. As we get back to in-person events, the familiar “Member Who Cares” ribbons will […]

MLTA GIVES 2022 PROJECT

Recently, Kristen Dankert made a short presentation at the MLTA Summit where she introduced MLTA Gives 2022. Through this ongoing effort, the Association would focus its efforts for 2022 on the Michigan Foster Care Closet through the “Give a Bag, Change a Life” program! As Kristen explained, a single dollar bill, buys a reusable shopping […]

MLTA Announces 2022 Sponsor and Exhibit Opportunities

MLTA is pleased to announce the 2022 Sponsorship Prospectus. MLTA plans to host all 2022 events live and in person.  As everyone knows, things can change, however the board is committed to our member safety and will follow all state and federal guidelines at the event time. We are excited to see everyone and make […]

Recap of the 2021 MI Real Estate Forum Event!

By: Cindy Immonen, NTP, CLTP, VP, Account Manager of FNF MI Agency On a cold Wednesday, December 1st we held in person the MI Real Estate Forum! The room was filled with many members from the Michigan Association of Register of Deeds, Michigan Mortgage Lenders Association, Community Bankers of Michigan, and the MLTA. We had […]

2021 Fall Education Seminar Re-Cap!

By: Cindy Immonen, NTP, CLTP, VP, Account Manager of FNF Our Education Committee planned an amazing return of our Fall Education Seminar… yep virtual, and it was valuable education! We hope you were able to dial in to listen and watch. We hosted four topics all us Title Geeks would find interesting with Association updates […]

Affidavits of Affixture

By: Lavinia S. Biasell, Esq. Chief Legal Officer, Transnation Title Agency MLTA Steering Committee Over the last couple months, MLTA was invited to participate in two meetings with the Michigan Department of State (the “Department”) regarding changes to the Affidavit of Affixture Process for manufactured homes. The Department announced that the Department of Licensing and […]

ALTA One “All-In”

By: Eileen LaPlante-Elliott My first observation as the plane prepared to land at the Louis Armstrong Airport in New Orleans, was how very many blue tarps were covering the rooftops of a city so recently hit by hurricane Ida. Please note that the ALTA Good Deeds Foundation raised and donated an additional $5000 to the […]

Mental Health Matters in the Office!

Employee stress costs US companies over $300 billion annually due to absenteeism, diminished productivity employee turnover, etc – read on to learn how you can help your employees improve their work/life balance. https://www.michiganstateuniversityonline.com/resources/leadership/12-ways-managers-can-reduce-employee-stress-and-burnout/

New MLTA President, Eileen LaPlante

Questions Posed to the New MLTA President, Eileen LaPlante: How did you find your way into this industry and the MLTA? Like most people in the title industry, except for those whose families owned, or worked for title companies, I discovered the industry by accident. I don’t know many children who grow up saying, “I […]

For 120 Years Old…We Look Great!

The Michigan Land Title Association was founded in 1901 which means we are celebrating our 120th birthday this year.  The bylaws state that an annual meeting is required, so we very well may have just had our 120th Annual Meeting this past July.  Mazal Tov! In a quick look back to 1901, the Detroit Tigers […]

MLTA Legislative Update

By:  Craig Ryan, MLC Legislature on summer recess; plenty of work left to do as budget deadline looms this fall. The legislature broke for the summer in early July, though each chamber is expected to be in intermittently in August. They’ll return to their “normal” schedule after Labor Day. When they return, the budget will […]

MLTA Membership Notes

2020-2021 certainly turned out to be an irregular and interesting time in the Membership world of MLTA. Most members had business levels unseen before in our industry, taxing staff, companies, and resources to their utmost. On top of that, we were all functioning in working conditions also unseen in our industry, with people working remotely, […]

MLTA-PAC SUMMER CONVENTION SILENT A SUCCESS

By Tim McDonnell, MLTA PAC Chair Along with the virtual Summer Convention, the virtual MLTA-PAC Silent Auction was a success. The MLTA-PAC Committee is looking forward to the day that we can all get back together for one of our crazy in-person fundraisers; but in the meantime, the new online silent auction platform has been […]

Giving From the Heart Results

Not only did you accept the challenge, you exceeded our wildest expectations! Member donations totaled $5,730 and with the Board’s donation of $1,000, this challenge poured $6,730 into local communities. This challenge was the first of its kind, a request to members to donate directly in their local community. As a statewide organization, it was […]

Giving From the Heart Results

2021 MLTA Boot Camp – The Basics of Title Search and Examination Recap

By: Debbie Wiley, First American Title/MLTA Boot Camp Committee Co-chair The 2021 MLTA Boot Camp was another huge success thanks to the hard work of this year’s MLTA Boot Camp Committee. Dustin Robbins, Mt. Pleasant Abstract & Title Family of Agencies, who co-chairs this committee. LaRee Marra, Legacy Title Agency, was our technical guru. Hollie […]

Legislative Update May 2021

By Craig Ryan, MLC MLTA Lobbyist Budget Update The House and Senate Appropriations Subcommittees began reporting budgets within their purview over the last couple of weeks. Most notably, several House subcommittees chose to appropriate on a quarterly basis, instead of the traditional method of appropriating for the entire fiscal year. State Budget Director Dave Massaron […]

MLTA’s Social Platforms are Waiting for You!

As many of you may be aware, MLTA has jumped into the social media scene with both feet.  We now have Facebook and Instagram accounts, adding to our LinkedIn account.  We haven’t seen much participation from the membership for those going and “Liking” or “Following” our accounts.  So, to make this a bit more enticing, […]

A Valentine’s Giving Challenge

Kristen A. Dankert, VC, MLTA Public Service Committee CLICK HERE TO SEE THE CHALLENGE At a time when need is most keenly felt because of the pandemic, we cordially invite you to participate in “Giving from the Heart” with the #MLTAGivingChallenge. Take the challenge and support your local community by giving to a person or […]

MLTA Education Update

Join us HERE for the February MLTA Minute, highlighting the upcoming educational offerings. Also – just in – did you miss the MLTA Winter Education Series?  No worries, find out how you can view below. MLTA Winter 2021 Education Series Videos Available: 1. Go to milta.org 2. Log-In under the Members Tab 3. Click on […]

Lansing Legislative Update February 2021

Craig Ryan, MLC Legislature kicks off the new year after a slower than normal post-election, end of year session A great deal has happened since our last update as the legislature wound down the 2019-2020 session and has now begun to ramp up the 2021-2022 term. The week before Christmas, the legislature passed a supplemental […]

MI Real Estate Forum – How cross industry collaboration evolved and flourished during the pandemic

To hear more about how cross industry collaboration has evolved and flourished during the pandemic – click here: https://vimeo.com/509905208

MLTA is Getting Social!

By Lisa Rozmarniewicz, Communications/PR Committee Chair The Association along with the Communications/PR Committee have some exciting news to share. Beginning in March, you will be able to find the MLTA on Facebook and Instagram! These two new accounts will join the LinkedIn account that already exists. Administration, content development and posting to these accounts will […]

MLTA Announces 2021 Sponsorship & Advertising Prospectus

The MLTA has posted available sponsorship & advertising opportunities for 2021!  We are so thankful to our past sponsors and advertisers and we hope to see them back this year! 2021 sponsorship advertising prostpectus

Why Say Something in a Few Words That Can Be Said In 10,000? – Allan G. Dick

By Jacquie Brink, SVP- Great Lakes Division, WFG National Title Insurance Company Vince Lombardi once said, “The harder you work, the harder it is to surrender.” I believe Allan G. Dick felt there were no true words spoken. If you haven’t already heard, Allan will be officially retiring on December 31, 2020, which will mark […]

MLTA 2020-2021 Goal Update

The MLTA’s commitment to supporting our members’ efforts to provide the public with the highest quality land title evidencing, title assurance, and settlement services has never been more needed and evident than in the past few months. Our Board and Legislative Steering Committee leaders continue to work closely with our lobbyist and state legislative representatives […]

Important Changes to the MLTA Professional Designation Program

By Maura Snabes, CLTP, MLTA Professional Designation Chair If there one thing that stays the same, it is change. And the Professional Designation Program is no different. We have already seen a multitude of changes to the program; from the testing, to the criteria, done not only in response to MLTA member suggestions, but also […]

November 2020 Legislative Update

Craig Ryan, MLC MLTA Lobbyist House Bills 6294-97 Signed into Law while Legislature Prepares for Post-Election Lame Duck Session On Thursday, November 5, Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed House Bills 6294-97. The bills amend the Estates and Protected Individuals Code, the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act, the Uniform Real Property Electronic Recording Act, and the Michigan Law […]

Top 10 Free Marketing Hacks for Your Title Agency

Lisa Rozmarniewicz, Director of Marketing, Capital Title Insurance Agency, Southfield, MI 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 […]

October 2020 MLTA Minute

Questions Posed to the New MLTA President, Darlene Wilsey

By Cindy Immonen, NTP, CLTP Cindy:  How did you find your way into this industry and the MLTA? Darlene:  How I made it into this industry is a small part of my story.  WHY I have stayed in the title industry for 19 years, became interested and stayed involved in the MLTA is far more […]

The Stuff That Dreams Are Made of – well, maybe not

By Jacquie Brink, SVP- Great Lakes Division, WFG National Title Insurance Company Working remotely, the thing that many of us dreamed of, has become an unexpected reality.  For those of us that have commuted to an office for years, at some point we probably have wished we could just work from home.  The thought of […]

The Lansing Report

By Patti Tremblay, Michigan Legislative Consultants I have worked in politics in Lansing since the 1990s. In my experience, this summer was unlike most summers that end in an even number. That is not surprising considering everything is different during this time of COVID-19. However, it still shocked me a bit that as much work […]

MLTA Summer Convention Wrap Up

By Tom Lico, Capital Title 2020 continues to challenge all of us, personally and professionally, each and every day. It has forced us to be more creative, forced us to try new things, and has forced us to live and work differently. Needless to say, the MLTA Summer convention could not help but get caught […]

MLTA Education in Changing Times

By Allan Dick, WFG National Title Since at least the 1980’s, education – in the form of twice each year education seminars was a mainstay of the services provided by the MLTA to its membership.  Those seminars consisted of mostly title examination refreshers and new developments, with updated underwriting considerations and guidelines, reflective of changing […]

MLTA – COMING EVENTS

The past several months have given each of us ample opportunity to demonstrate our individual and organizational resolve, agility and relevance to our peers, employees, customers and communities. Our MLTA Executive Director, Marcy Lay, board of directors and committee chairs have spent countless hours reassessing, rescheduling, and rebuilding MLTA events, to make certain we continue […]

MLTA and MARD: Working Together For YOU

By Tom Lico, MLTA President, and Allan Dick, MLTA Past-President One thing you learn while on the MLTA Board is that most Board decisions do not have an immediate impact. Most decisions that are made are analogous to planting seeds that will not bear fruit for years down the road. Several years ago, our Board […]

MLTA Summit 2020 in the Rear View Mirror

By Tom Lico, MLTA President The MLTA kicked off its second annual Spring Summit with what turned out to be inauspicious timing. Our Education and Summit Committees put together a fabulous agenda that was the perfect kick-off to what was gearing up to be a strong year for the housing market. Registration response was strong, […]

Close it Your Way!

By Lisa Rozmarniewicz, Capital Title Insurance Agency As title professionals, we are committed to the safety of our buyers and sellers as well as to our fellow employees. News and recommendations are evolving daily, but here are some measures that have been implemented by many companies that might be of interest for moving forward. As […]

COVID-19 Changes How You Sell Your Home – a May 7, 2020 Forbes article

Courtesy of Forbes and Gregg Nathanson, Esq., Couzens Lansky The COVID-19 pandemic is wreaking havoc on Michigan’s economy. The real estate industry is not exempt. Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s March 23, 2020 Order Executive Order to “stay home, stay safe” made it impossible to conduct business as usual. The Governor’s more recent Executive Order 2020-70 issued […]

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 […]