Estates And Probates: Are All The Heirs Present?
By Mauri Hawkins It is difficult to admit it, but we are all getting older 鈥� day by day. For many of us, and for our family members, we must actively think about how we may want to distribute our…
Real Estate
Federal Tax Law: What The 鈥淥ne Big Beautiful Bill鈥� Means For Real Estate
By Elyce Schweitzer You鈥檝e probably heard a lot of talk in the news about the federal One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA). Are you aware of the key real estate-related provisions included within it? As of Friday, July 4, 2025,…
Real Estate Market Softens In Face Of Slower Job Growth, Inflation Fears
By Syndie Eardly On the strength of a growing economy and softening inflation in 2024, real estate sales looked promising coming into 2025. But burgeoning economic instability has dialed back expectations for both economists and consumers. In May, the World…
Two 暗网吃瓜 Agents Take the Fight To Fraudsters
暗网吃瓜 agents are proving to be a valuable vanguard against real estate crime Although 2025 is barely a quarter old, independent agents have already been hard at work detecting, deterring and preventing fraudulent activity. At 暗网吃瓜, we鈥檙e proud…
FinCEN鈥檚 Final Anti-Money Laundering Rule For Real Estate Reporting
The buzz is in the air with more questions than answers. FinCEN published its Final Anti-Money Laundering Regulations for Residential Real Estate Transfers on August 28, 2024 (鈥淔inal Rule鈥�), throwing the entire real estate industry into a state of high…
Beyond GTOs: FinCEN Proposes Expansion Of Industry Reporting Requirements
The U.S. Department of the Treasury鈥檚 Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) on Feb. 7 to expand its efforts on a permanent basis to combat and deter money laundering through the residential real estate sector. According…
Optimizing Opportunity at the Closing Table
Showcase your firm鈥檚 strengths at the closing table. Many title agents spend money and time on marketing and sales efforts to increase directable business. While most campaigns are effective, and certainly essential, one of the best opportunities to showcase your…
Flagging Fraud (Part 1): Know These Indicators of Transaction Fraud
Every year the U.S. government comes out with a growing list of warnings on cyber fraud, real estate fraud, email fraud 鈥� the list goes on. Some warnings are common sense: delete suspicious-looking emails, don鈥檛 give away banking information or…
Don’t Even Hover Your Cursor Over an Unknown Link if You Want to Stay Safe from Wire Fraud
The title and settlement industry is blessed with great people, and that makes sense because our industry is built on being helpful. We all want a smooth, efficient transaction for everyone involved. Unfortunately, our desire to be helpful and to…
Escrow Fraud Remains Low Risk, High Reward
Several months ago, title agents across the country observed an uptick in attempted escrow fraud. In many cases, fraudsters posed as other participants in the transaction and attempted to trick agents into wiring funds to fraudulent accounts. The vast bulk…