🕵️‍♂️Underworld Intel

Market Shifts

Longbridge’s Tim Wilkinson on the secondary market dynamics reshaping reverse mortgages
Mortgage Myths Persist: Buyers Misjudge Credit Scores, Down Payments
- A title agent can leverage the information from the article to enhance consumer marketing in several effective ways:
  - Educational Campaigns
  - Targeted Messaging
  - Content Marketing
  - Workshops and Seminars
  - Partnerships with Lenders
  - Utilizing Testimonials
  - Visual Infographics
  By focusing on education and clear communication, a title agent can effectively address consumer misconceptions, build trust, and ultimately drive more business in the competitive real estate market

Other

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⚖️Legal

Regulatory updates, Claims, Lawsuits, & Enforcement

National

🚨 BREAKING 🚨

Treasury has officially appealed the Texas decision vacating the FinCEN real estate reporting rule nationwide.

FinCEN isn’t backing down.

The appeal could decide far more than whether this rule survives — it may shape how much AML authority FinCEN has over real estate transactions going forward. Full breakdown coming Wednesday. 🐐

🎥 FINCEN’s New AML Proposal; What Escrow, Title, and Lending Professionals Should Understand
- ⚖️ FinCEN Proposes Rule to Fundamentally Reform Financial Institution Programs Designed to Fight Illicit Finance
📰 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act update:
- A bipartisan housing bill that passed in the Senate is facing significant revisions in the House, risking its chances of becoming law before the midterm elections.
- The House has proposed changes that would reduce restrictions on institutional investors’ ownership of single-family homes, including redefining “single-family home” to allow more purchases by large firms. The definition of a single-family home now would exclude manufactured housing and homes that have been renovated for sale, among others.
- Removes a provision that would require institutional investors to sell rental homes after seven years.
- The legislation also maintains a five-year ban on the Federal Reserve issuing a digital dollar and includes provisions to support community banks.
- However, it omits several Senate provisions aimed at enhancing affordable housing initiatives.
- The bill must return to the Senate for final approval before reaching the president.
- 📰 Mortgage leaders back revised 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act
- 📰 House Changes to Investor Restrictions Threaten Bipartisan Housing Bill
📰 HUD Signals Narrower Fair Housing Act Enforcement Focus, Heightened Scrutiny of Special Purpose Credit Programs
📰 The Federal Housing Administration put an end to pandemic-era relief last year, triggering a 28% jump in foreclosures on FHA loans in the first quarter and an expected spike in defaults ahead

State

⚖️ Every business entity formed or registered in Minnesota carries a baseline set of compliance obligations regardless of size or industry. These include
- Filing an annual renewal with the Minnesota Secretary of State
- Maintaining a registered agent with a valid Minnesota address
- Keeping corporate formalities current (meeting minutes, resolutions, and records)
- Complying with Minnesota’s Wage and Hour Compliance Requirements (Minn. Stat. Chapter 181 and the Minnesota Fair Labor Standards Act)
- Properly classifying workers
- Maintaining an employee handbook
- Retaining records
- And more

Visit the Minnesota Business Compliance: A Legal Guide for more details.

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🤖PropTech, Cyber Security & Fraud

PropTech

📄 Real estate tech started like streaming and ended as a bundle

Fraud Stories

Cyber Security

Tip of the Week: Preserve Original Documentation: Retain all original documents in their native formats. This includes saving full email files, downloading attachments directly, and keeping text messages with timestamps intact. Avoid forwarding or editing files that could strip metadata.

AI

⬇️ AI Can Accelerate Title Workflows - download the white paper
📄Shadow AI and Corporate Policy: Investigating the Unauthorized Use of Generative AI - Shadow AI, however, represents an insider threat driven by a desire for efficiency rather than malice. Banning AI tools entirely often backfires, driving usage further underground as employees pivot to personal devices or hidden accounts.
📄 New capability from First American uses AI-assisted analysis to help title professionals accelerate the document review process

Blockchain

📄 What Is Form 1099-DA and What Does It Mean for Crypto Investors?

Visit Our Sponsors | 🧱 Brickhouse Consulting | 🖊️Dotted Line Signings

🎟️Events

🎟️ VLTA Night at The Diamond: An Evening with the Richmond Flying Squirrels!
- 📅 May 20th | ⏰ 7pm-9:30pm EST | 📍 Richmond, VA
🎟️2026 LANDU® Core Bootcamp
- 📅 May 28th-June 2 | ⏰ All day | 📍 Centennial, CO

See all events

💼 Job Postings

I’m looking for a social media/CRM manager. Losing my person at the end of the month. Specifically, I’m looking to post every other day, send email campaigns through Razi, follow ups, etc. Not a FT position, can pay either monthly or hourly. My email is debbie@stewarttitleagency.com.

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Stay Wicked,
Cheryl
Contact Me (or hit reply)

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🐐 TU🕵️‍♂️ : FinCEN Appeal, 43.7% of…