🐐 Title Underground: ITIN Nightmares, Foreclosure Changes, a Boat Load of Regulatory Updates 23-Feb-2025
The Title Industry News, Stories, Events, Resources and Podcasts You Won't Find Anywhere Else
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Hi, I’m Cheryl, your guide to the Title Underground. Each week, I curate the most important news, insights, and resources—so you don’t have to. Just scan the headlines and dive into what matters most to you!
Inside this Edition:
Title Archive: Educational Resources
Underworld Intel: Must-Read Articles & Resources
Announcements
Regulatory & Policy Updates
Tips
AI, Automations other Tech for Title Insurance
Events
A Wicked Sense of Humor: Sunday Funnies
Don’t miss a thing, be sure to click at the end of your email to read the rest of the newsletter!
Title Archive: Educational Resources
🐐Sponsored By The Wicked Title Forum🐐
🐐Streamline Your Process: How to Order a Mortgage Payoff Efficiently
🌍 Foreign Tax CPA: ITIN Nightmares: How Title Companies Can Prevent Foreign Seller Closing Disasters
📄The Impact of Senior Lien Foreclosures on Non-IRS Junior Federal Liens
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Underworld Intel: Must-Read Articles & Resources
Announcements
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Regulatory & Policy Updates
📢Special Reports
🐐Who’s Really in Charge? White House Gains Power Over Formerly Independent Financial Regulators: A new executive order extends White House control over independent financial agencies like FHFA and CFPB. Learn how this shift could impact mortgage regulations, consumer protections, and real estate market stability. Read the full analysis.
🐐New Executive Order Targets Banking Oversight: Deregulation’s Potential Impact on Real Estate: A new executive order reduces federal oversight of banking and mortgage regulations, eliminating key advisory councils. Learn how these changes could impact real estate transactions, mortgage lending, and title insurance professionals. Read the full analysis.
🪄Update Feb 2025: FinCEN Beneficial Ownership Interest Reporting (BOI) - It's Back On (Most title agencies are exempt)
Federal Agencies
HUD/FHA
📰DOGE claims to have ‘recovered’ $1.9B in ‘misplaced’ HUD funds
📰HUD, FHA staffing cuts would undermine housing, union warns
Massive FHA cuts would create dysfunction for mortgage industry, homeowners: ex-official
Functions of HUD Offices Targeted for Mass Firings
Civil Rights Enforcement
Investigates housing discrimination under the Fair Housing Act
Issues charges against violators
Housing Market Research and Data Collection
Collects and analyzes housing data
Supports policy development and program improvements
Disaster Recovery
Provides long-term recovery aid for disaster-affected communities
Distributes disaster recovery grants (CDBG-DR)
Supports FEMA and connects disaster victims with housing resources
CFPB
Other Policy Changes and Impacts on Real Estate
State Specific
📰Massachusetts AG sues Hometap over ‘illegal reverse mortgage’
📰Hawaii bill seeking state-run reverse mortgage program appears dead for now
State Level Regulatory Updates
Pennsylvania License Clarification and Modernization (effective Feb 12, 2025)
Rhode Island will allow the Title license class to be appointed and terminated electronically (effective Feb 14, 2025)
Rhode Island is updating its appointment expiration dates on the Producer Database effective Jan. 15, 2025. The current date of March 1, 2026 will be updated to Jan. 1, 2026 and all future 2025 appointments will automatically update to that date going forward.
Illinois Switching to In-Person Licensing Exams Only (effective Jan 17, 2025)
Louisiana Department of Insurance (LDI) reminds agents of Tittle 22 requirements (Sept 2024)
Alabama Amends Title Insurance Renewal Procedures (effective Oct 1, 2024)
Application of Utah Title Insurance Laws to Affiliated Title Insurance Businesses (March 2024)
📢TIP: Can’t wait till Sunday?
There is a continuous industry newsfeed on the website.
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AI, Automations other Tech for Title Insurance
📄Deepfake Dangers: How AI Trickery Is Targeting Real Estate Transactions
📄AI-Powered Solutions for Title Agents: How AI Can Transform Your Title Agency
📄Qualia Shield Just Got Stronger: New Features & Insurance Coverage
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Upcoming Title Industry, Real Estate Industry, and Mortgage Industry events for education, networking, and business development…
February 2025
EMPOWERING Women in Commercial Real Estate - CRE Growth & Training
The Future of PropTech: Trends Reshaping Real Estate in 2025
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Stay Wicked,
Cheryl
P.S. Checking hundreds of blogs, podcasts, YouTube Channels, and Social Media outlets each week is time consuming. Creating articles, guides, forms, ebooks & manuals is time consuming. I'm doing the hard work that helps you run your business and stay on top of emerging issues, so you don't have to. I'm not a subsidiary of an underwriter, or staff at a big software firm.
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**DISCLAIMER**
The information provided here is for general guidance and educational purposes only. I am not an attorney and am not giving legal advice. Information should not be considered legal, underwriting, or financial advice and is followed at your own risk. Readers should consult with their attorney and/or underwriter to obtain advice tailored to their specific circumstances.
Some outbound links may financially benefit me and the page through affiliate programs. The affiliate relationship doesn’t influence my opinion, and I would never endorse programs, products, or services I didn’t use, approve of or feel familiar with. So If you use it, I will get compensated — but there’s no additional cost to you.
