CATIC Title Remains Open for Business
On Friday, March 20, Governor Cuomo issued Executive Order 202.8 which reads in part: “All businesses …shall utilize, to the maximum extent possible, any telecommuting or work from home procedures that they can safely utilize. Each employer shall reduce the in-person workforce at any work locations by 100% no later than March 22 at 8 p.m. … An entity providing essential services or functions … shall not be subjected to the in-person work restriction, but may operate at the level necessary to provide such service or function.” Click here to read
Executive Order 202.8
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Any essential business or entity providing essential services or functions is not subject to the in-person restrictions. Executive Order 202.6 includes a list of essential businesses. Banks and related financial institutions are designated as essential, as well as “vendors of essential services necessary to maintain the … essential operations of ….essential businesses” and “vendors that provide essential services … needed to ensure the continuing operation of government agencies and provide for the health, safety and welfare of the public.” Legal services are not specifically included in the list of essential businesses. Click here to read
Executive Order 202.6
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These orders will have a disruptive effect on real estate closings. On Tuesday, March 24, The New York State Bar Association is conducting a webinar discussing the effects of the pandemic on force majeure clauses in real estate contracts.
Click here for more information
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CATIC Title will work with its agents, attorneys, lenders, buyers, and sellers to help facilitate closings in escrow, by mail and/or with the use of remote audio-visual notarization. Today, CATIC Title will participate in one of the first fully remote closings to occur in New York, taking advantage of the remote notary authorization contained in
Executive Order 202.7
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At the current time we are able to perform searches, issue title commitments, and record documents. Municipal reports may be delayed or unavailable due to closure of town offices. In the coming weeks, county, city, and town offices may be closing, reducing their hours, or limiting public access. These service reductions will affect our ability to deliver reports and information to our agents. We will keep you apprised of any service disruptions.
As our nation works to navigate the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic, CATIC Title remains dedicated to its staff, agents, lenders, and other partners. We are open for business and ready and able to help you with matters that arise. Please contact our staff should you need assistance. While most of our staff is working remotely, we continue to handle phone and email requests as quickly as possible. Our staff list can be
seen here
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CATIC Title’s New York Team realizes that the weeks ahead are transformative for our industry. We are here to help you find innovative and creative solutions as issues arise.
Stay safe, stay healthy, wash your hands. We’ll all get through this together.
From all of us at CATIC Title, we wish you and your family well.
