2021 ALTA/NSPS Standards
A new version of the ALTA/NSPS Minimum Standard Detail Requirements will become effective on February 23, 2021. This is the tenth edition of the Minimum…
Category: News
LTAMS End of Year Review – 2020
To say that 2020 was a whirlwind year is an understatement. We started the year trying to find new and innovative ways to meet the…
Manufactured Homes and the DOR Record Inquiry System
Do you close a lot of real estate transactions that involve manufactured homes? If so, then there’s a service offered by the Mississippi Department of…
Beneficial Ownership Registry Becomes Law
On a rare New Year’s Day session, Congress voted to override President Trump’s veto of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The president objected to…
ALTA Says Use of RON Increased Substantially in 2020
A survey conducted by the American Land Title Association of major vendors working in the Remote Online Notary (RON) space indicated use of RON has…
FHA Reminder: Wire Transfers Not Accepted to Pay Off Reverse Mortgages, Partial Claims
On Dec. 8, the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) issued a bulletin reminding lenders and settlement agents that it does not accept wire transfers to pay…
Fannie Mae Extends Relaxed Appraisal, Lending Standards
Mortgage giant Fannie Mae extended its relaxed lending and appraisal standards put in place due to COVID-19 into the new year. The flexibilities surrounding verbal…
Member Highlight – Government Employee: Angela Blake Thrash
After 28 years working in the Harrison County Chancery Clerk’s office, Angela Blake Thrash is the “go to person” for coordinating the business of the…
FHFA extends foreclosure and eviction moratorium to Jan. 31
The Federal Housing Finance Agency extended its moratorium on foreclosures and evictions for borrowers with mortgages backed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac until Jan.…
Lawmakers Clinch Deal on Decade-Long Fight Against Shell Companies
The most sweeping overhaul of financial crime safeguards in decades is poised to be attached to must-pass defense legislation in the coming weeks — a…
Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac Conforming Loan Limits Increase for 2021
The Federal Housing Finance Agency announced a new baseline conforming loan limit for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in 2021: $548,250. This is a 7.5%…
Free Webinar: What You Need to Know About the 2021 ALTA Policy Forms
Want to get ahead of the curve and learn more about upcoming changes to the ALTA policy forms? You are in luck! ALTA is offering…
Trustee in Deed of Trust is Nominal Party for Diversity Jurisdiction
Anderson v. Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., 953 F.3d 311 (5th Cir. 2020) – Pro se plaintiff Anderson filed multiple lawsuits alleging that her lender improperly…
Member Highlight – Associate: SoftPro
Associate Member Hank Keeping is a sales consultant for SoftPro, the nation’s leading provider of title, closing and escrow software. Offering an award-winning suite of…
Lack of Authority to Assign Deed of Trust Does Not Support Wrongful Foreclosure Claim
Helmert v. Cenlar FSB, 802 Fed. Appx. 125 (5th Cir. 2020). Helmert refinanced his home in Lafayette County, Mississippi with Merchants &Farmers Bank and granted…
Legal Malpractice: Special Considerations for Real Estate Attorneys
The following excerpt is from an article written by James M. Tyrone (and Michael W. Ulmer) titled Legal Malpractice in Mississippi: Causes of Action and…
Filing Foreign Judgment in Mississippi Did Not Renew Judgement for Purposes of Mississippi Statute of Limitations on Enforcing Judgments
Will Realty, LLC v. Isaacs, 296 So. 3d 80 (Miss. 2020). In 2009, Mainsource Bank obtained a judgment against Mark and Sarah Isaacs in Kentucky.…
Video: How to Report Wire Fraud to FBI
ALTA has created a two-minute video explaining how to submit a wire transfer fraud complaint with the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3). Filing a complaint…
Creditor Required to Convey Land Back to Judgment Debtor Because of Unconscionably Low Purchase Price at Execution Sale
Dedeaux v. Coastal Developments Inc., 295 So. 3d 476 (Miss. Ct. App. 2019). Ruth Dedeaux obtained a judgment against Coastal Development for $33,419 plus interest…
Elder Abuse: What would you do?
Kelly Kretchmer, with Fidelity National Title in Redding, California, dealt with a situation that quickly spiraled out of control. An elderly mother was selling her…
