As a title insurance advisory organization, the CLTA made several form filings in the first quarter of 2019 for use by CLTA member title companies. The filings are briefly summarized below ...

Legislation to limit rent increases statewide to 5% annually plus the Consumer Price Index (CPI), AB 1482 (Chiu), passed its first committee in the Legislature on a 6-1 vote. Afterwards, Governor Newsom issued a ...

Pursuant to Governor Newsom’s Executive Order, the California Department of General Services (DGS) has compiled an inventory of vacant state-owned lands that are potentially available for the development of ...

Legislation that would expand a consumer’s ability to bring a civil action for violations of the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018. and that would remove the ability of a business to cure an alleged violation of ...

Senate Bill 326 (Hill) establishes a mandatory inspection regime, at least once every nine years, for exterior elevated elements (EEEs), such as balconies, decks, walkways, stairways, and railings, within HOAs. A licensed structural engineer or architect would ...

The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) renewed its Geographic Targeting Orders (GTOs) that require U.S. title insurance companies to identify the natural persons behind shell companies used in all-cash purchases of ...

by Steve Tjaden, Senior Vice President, Operations Advisor (April 19, 2019).  Cannabis is still very much in the news. Thirty-three states across the U.S. have adopted some level of legalization of marijuana, and 10 of those plus the District of Columbia have fully adopted it for recreational use. With so many states legalizing marijuana at some level, where is the title industry on this topic? ...

A recent CFPB (Consumer Financial Protection Bureau) factsheet answered the question of whether a Loan Estimate and Closing Disclosure are required for assumptions of mortgage loans. The CFPB concluded that ...

The American Land Title Association has named Diane Tomb as its new Chief Executive Officer. Ms. Tomb previously served as the executive director of the National Rental Home Council. She also served as president and CEO of the 

According to A.M. Best, blockchain technology won’t replace title insurance but can improve the process for digitizing records and transactions. The report noted that to realize the value of blockchain technology ...

The ALTA has summarized the first quarter earnings reports for the major insurers ...

According to Redfin.com, in March only nine of the 85 largest metro areas Redfin tracks saw a year-over-year decline in their median price, including a 13 percent drop in San Jose and a 1 percent dip in San Francisco. At the same time ...

Intercontinental Exchange, which owns various stock exchanges, including the NYSE, as well as MERS (the Mortgage Electronic Registrations System), has agreed to acquire Simplifile. Simplifile is in the electronic ...

Last Week’s Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey showed fixed rates for mortgage loans dropping slightly. ...

According to Freddie Mac’s April Forecast, the mortgage market is expected to see favorable mortgage rates for the remainder of the year, which will help homebuyer affordability. ...

Taniguchi v. Restoration Homes (A152827). The court held that after a loan modification, in order to cure the default and reinstate the loan under Civil Code Section 2924c, the borrowers do not have to pay the amount of the ...

Black Sky Capital v. Cobb (S243294). The court held that where a lender who holds both a senior and junior deed of trust nonjudicially forecloses on the senior lien and wipes out its junior lien, the lender may enforce the ...