🐐 Junk Fee Laws, CRM Calls, & AI Automation Hauls
This Week in the Title Underground (8-Feb-2026): From Likes to Liability, Don't Let Social Media Run Afowl of RESPA, US Gov Open (Again), & Liens that Surivive Foreclosure
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📜Title Archive: Educational Resources
🐐FIRPTA Refunds, Clearing Child Support Liens & How to Work with Designers
🌍 Foreign Tax CPA: Most Common FIRPTA Questions and Straight Answers
🎥 Money Laundering in Escrow: Risks, Red Flags, and Compliance Responsibilities
🎓 Basics of Title Insurance (MS) (CE) ($)
🎙️New Junk Fee Law in MA Might Have Ripple Effects For the Rest of the Country
🎓Fifth Revised Indemnification Agreement Self Study Online Course (FL) (CE) ($)
🎥 Real Estate Transaction Secrets: Avoid Suspicious Activity Reports!
📄The MISMO RON Standards: What Every Online Notary Should Know
💬 Join the Conversation
🕵️♂️Underworld Intel
📄The Truth About Investors Title Co: Why Quiet Money Is Suddenly Watching ITIC
📄American Eagle Title Insurance unveils online education platform in Florida and Texas
⚖️Regulatory & Policy Updates
National
🎥 Analysis of Kevin Warsh pick as next Federal Reserve Chairman
📰From likes to liability: How social media habits can trigger RESPA scrutiny - This must read draws attention to things you’ve probably never considered could get you in trouble! Patterns of praise, tags, likes, drinks, closing photos and public gratitude all start to resemble influence. And influence is what attracts examiners.
📰Full Year HUD Funding Signed Into Law, Ending Short Partial Government Shutdown
Key to the package was legislation that reauthorizes the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) through Sept. 30, 2026
State Regulatory Changes
📰A new California law requires deed notifications to combat property fraud
📰N.J. Attorney General Preserves Disparate Impact Theory of Lending Discrimination for Borrowers
📰Commissioners decline to declare private driveway a county road for title insurance; county law limits noted - Bourbon County, KY
📰Density Bonus Agreement Survives Foreclosure: California Court Rules Affordable Housing Covenant Equivalent to Permit Condition - Why This Case Matters: This case alters the normal rules of priority. Recorded agreements that say they are covenants or equitable servitudes can be deemed to be permit conditions that survive foreclosures of prior liens.
📰Middle District of Florida | Title Company Owner Sentenced for Embezzlement
🤖PropTech, Cyber Security & Fraud
🎥🔒Closinglock: Frontline Fraud Fighter: Protecting Real Estate Transactions - Andy White from Closinglock
🤖 Talos Title AI: 2026 Title Automation Buyers Guide - Before you buy another “AI tool” that promises the moon and delivers a dashboard, this buyer’s guide from Talos Title AI helps title agents separate real operational value from expensive noise—so you can spot what actually reduces risk, saves time, and fits real title workflows before you sign anything.
📄Zynova Tech Launches the Title Industry’s First Automated Workshare Platform for Compliant, Multi-Jurisdictional Order Flow - the first-of-its-kind proprietary workshare platform in the title insurance industry, specifically engineered to allow licensed title agents to safely and compliantly receive and process orders from unlicensed agents and other sources.
📄Vacant Land Boogie Man Haunts a Commercial Real Estate Developer
📄When Precision Hurts: The Hidden Risk in Digitizing Title Data
🎥Blockchain & Title: Real-World Use, Legal Insights and Next Steps webinar
💸Business Growth & Operations
TIP: 🌀 Give away free stuff, but add a ridiculous requirement: Domino’s offered free pizza for life to anyone who tattooed their logo. They expected 3-4 people. But 350 did it in 5 days. The weird requirement is what makes people talk about it. HBO did it with blood donations. OnePlus did it by asking people to smash their old phones.
VENDOR TIP: 🌫️ Put a blurred screenshot behind your signup form: A/B tests showed a 94% conversion boost from adding a blurry product screenshot behind the signup form. It triggers curiosity (people want to see what’s hidden) and creates a progress illusion (feels like they’re almost inside). Works on trial pages, upgrade prompts, demo request forms, etc.
📄Five things you need to know before you do business in multiple states
🎙️Ninja in a Nutshell - An Overview of the Ninja Selling System
🎥 Email Marketing Done Right: How to Stay Top of Mind With Clients
📄Contract Clauses Addressing Social Media Use by Sales Employees
📄Expansion Is No Longer a Strategy. It’s the Cost of Admission. - Why title agencies that remain state-bound are being quietly removed from broker-led origination
💼 Job Postings
Search GlassDoor Job Postings: Title Abstractor | Title Searcher | Title Processor | Title Examiner | Escrow Officer | Title Closer | Mobile Notary Closer | Title Agent | Title Agency Manager | Title Insurance | Title Insurance Sales | Underwriting Counsel | Real Estate Attorney
Processor (TN)
Escrow Funder (TX)
Underwriting Counsel (PA)
Escrow Assistant (TX - Hybrid)
Georgia Title Examiner (Remote)
Commercial Title Examiner (Remote) (MO, KS, KY, NE)
Real Estate Closer / Paralegal (FL - Hybrid)
Title Insurance Searcher/Examiner (MO - Hybrid)
Pre-Processor (VA - Remote)
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