General Counsel Blog

02/10/2016

The Unlawful Inducement Rule, Estoppel Certificates and FIRPTA Update

An Important Update from The Department of Financial Services

02/04/2016

Has TRID Really Made Transactions Easier For Consumers?

TRID Experience, Seller Financing, and Fund Assembly!

02/02/2016

Frantic pace requires vigilance! House Bill 203

One-third of the legislative session is now complete and the dual tracks of policy and budgeting are ramping up. This week, legislative committees continued a breakneck pace of hearings on proposed legislation, while the various Appropriations Subcommittees released initial budget recommendations. The substantive committees are racing to hear legislation because the House and Senate Rules require committee action in order for a bill to proceed to the floor. Without a hearing, a bill dies.

01/26/2016

Estoppel, MRTA and Homestead Exemption

Dear Members, Following a contentious, and unusual, conclusion to the 2015 Session, this year seems to be moving at a rapid pace. The Attorneys’ Title Fund Services (ATFS) legislative counsel Greg Black, of Metz, Husband and Daughton, PA in Tallahassee, reports that there has been a flurry of activity in the first two weeks of the 2016 Legislative Session. During the first week, the House and Senate quickly acted to pass priority legislation out of each chamber relating to children with unique abilities and a statewide water policy. The Governor signed both pieces of legislation with Speaker Crisafulli, President Gardiner and a number of influential legislators and stakeholders this past Thursday during the second week of Session.

01/19/2016

Miami-Dade Transactions Under Close Scrutiny

There's never a dull moment in the world of title insurance and real property transactions! Last week, an announcement from the Department of Treasury hit the press and within minutes emails were flying back and forth.

01/13/2016

2016 Legislative Session is Here!

Dear Members, 2016 is here and things are already moving quickly. The 2016 Legislature is now in session and there are several bills that we are watching closely. The Estoppel Certificate legislation is of primary interest and I have high hopes that it will successfully be enacted into law. I intend to provide weekly updates (assuming enough happens every week) of what is going on in Tallahassee that is of interest. These will be separate from my regular emails and will be clearly identified as a Legislative Update. Look for these new Legislative Updates to begin next week.

12/28/2015

Common TRID Questions and MORE!

Dear Members, Confusion resulted from last week’s email about the policy surcharge and how to disclose it properly on the Closing Disclosure. I have included the FAQ’s below with an updated (and clearer) response.

12/15/2015

Answers to Frequently Asked TRID Questions

Dear Members, There are several questions that keep popping up through the Help Desk and the CFPB Hotline. Therefore, I thought it would be helpful if I shared a couple of them with you this week, along with the answers (of course!).

12/07/2015

Congratulations, You’re a TRID Survivor!

Based on what I am hearing about your TRID closing experiences, you all qualify for the championship round of “Survivor.” The questions and comments that we are getting at the Help Desk and through the CFPB Hotline indicate that there is precious little consistency in lender practices. Kudos to you and your staff for hanging in there and getting the deal closed despite the confusion.

11/30/2015

Do you still have TRID questions?

Earlier this year, we accurately predicted that Members would have a lot of questions as they work in the new world of TRID. To support you in this effort, we created the CFPB Hotline that can be accessed via email (cfpbfaq@thefund.com ) or phone (1-844-CFPB-FAQ). The number of emails and phone calls have increased significantly in the last two weeks and we expect the high volume to continue for several weeks, perhaps several months! The calls are routed through the Help Desk with the very able support of our Member Support Representatives and Legal Education and Underwriting Attorneys.