Important Request & Reminders
Dear Members,
I have been strangely tense and anxious for a few days and today is no exception. I pondered about what was causing this angst…..and then realized it is all around OMG. IT'S ALMOST NOVEMBER 1, WHICH MEANS IT IS ALMOST THANKSGIVING, WHICH REQUIRES A LOT OF PLANNING, WHICH MEANS IT IS ALMOST CHRISTMAS AND I HAVEN'T GIVEN THAT ANY THOUGHT AND THE SHIPPING CONTAINERS ARE ALL BACKED UP WHICH MEANS I WON'T BE ABLE TO GET ANY GIFTS DELIVERED UNLESS I ORDER THEM RIGHT NOW…… Whew Once I realized this, I calmed down. I mean, no big deal, right? Hah Maybe I could look in my closets and see what can be re-gifted without too much guilt……
Anyway, on to more germain things for you.
Submission of policies and premiums by end of year. Please send in your policies and premiums as soon as you can. We think volumes in December could exceed our physical ability to process! To make sure you are credited with your premiums for consideration of the 2021 annual rankings, you need to send policies and premium in as soon as possible. DO NOT SEND POLICIES IN VIA EMAIL. These will not be given a priority and may not be processed by year-end. Here is the proper address to mail policies and premium checks:
Attorneys' Title Fund Services
Attn: Revenue Operations
P.O. Box 628601
Orlando, Florida 32862-8601
If you use one of our software solutions - DoubleTime, ePolicyManager or ECDT - and want to know how to remit your policies electronically, your Business Development Advisor can help with this. If you don't know your BDA, here is a helpful link. https://www.thefund.com/contact.aspx
RESPA compliance reminder. It is always a good idea to refresh your knowledge of the very important prohibitions in Section 8 of RESPA, i.e., no kickbacks for referral of business; don't split premium with third parties that don't provide a service. CFPB is the enforcement agency for RESPA and a new director was recently approved. The word is that there will be more focus on enforcement and penalties………… and that focus could turn to mortgage, title and settlement services - who knows? But this is a really good time for you to focus on reviewing your RESPA and TRID compliance policies and procedures. And don't forget that Florida has its own version of RESPA - the insurance code - with very similar provisions and with one very important distinction: Florida law applies to all transactions - not just residential closings with a loan transaction.
Title agency licenses terminated for failure to designate "Agent in charge" - For those of you doing business through a title agency, I hope you complied with the DFS requirement for updating the designation of your "agent in charge" by July 21, 2021. According to the DFS, all title agencies were notified by email on two occasions that any agency that did not update its title agent in charge by July 21, 2021 would automatically be terminated. The Department automatically notified those agencies on July 22, 2021. Agencies who lost their agency license must reapply for the license - no exceptions. There is no mechanism to "reinstate" a terminated license.
Protect the money! I hope you are taking advantage of the daily Cyber Security tips, learning opportunities, important links and more on our Information Security page. And if you’re looking for companies that could help your firm guard against online threats, check out CertifID, RH Technology Solutions and RYC Business IT in our Vendor Marketplace.
That's all for this week. Let me know how we can help you.
Melissa Jay Murphy
Executive Vice President, Chief Legal Officer,
and General Counsel
10/26/2021