PrepExpress Online Users - **Important Information**

Do you use our post-closing update service? 

WE ARE EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE that beginning July 1, 2022, our new TOPS program is ready to make YOU more efficient when ordering post-closing updates. TOPS, which stands for Title Order Packaging System, works directly with CATIC’s PrepExpress software. Now, ordering and receiving post-closing updates will be clicks away - all within your PrepExpress account! 

Join us for a live demo on June 22, 2022 from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Our PrepExpress and TOPS expert Rachel DePaolo will be the presenter. Can’t make it? No worries, we will be posting the recorded video on CATIC Academy after the event. Click here to register. 

We can’t wait to show you how efficient this will make the process! 

RULONA - Revised Uniform Law on Notarial Acts

Changes to the Notary Act, Title 26, Chpt. 103 

Effective July 1, 2022, the Notary Act has been revised to incorporate provisions of RULONA that authorize remote notarization without geographic limits on the location of the signer through the use of secure online communication and identity-proofing technology.

The Notary Act of 2019 moved Vermont closer to Remote Online Notarization (RON). This change brings us yet another step closer. The revised statutory provisions set forth requirements for RON, including the need for a special Endorsement to your Notary Commission.

What's next? Before RON can be used, the Secretary of State must enact Rules that provide guidance and specifications on identity-proofing, secure technology vendors, retention, and more.

We will let you know when that happens! 

New Statutory Tax Sale Notice 

Effective July 1, 2022, section 21 of S.226 (Act number pending) requires that, not less than 60 days prior to serving notice of sale, a municipality conducting a tax sale on a primary residence shall mail the following notice to the delinquent taxpayer, advising the taxpayer of their ability to seek help with delinquent property or utility payments.

“If this property is your primary residence, you may be able to get help … through the Vermont Assistance Program (VHAP). VHAP can help you avoid tax sale and transfer of your property by paying delinquent property taxes, water and sewer charges, interest, and penalties….”

The law prohibits the sale of the property while a VHAP Application is pending.

For property sold prior to July 1, 2022 for which a deed has not yet conveyed the property, the municipality must mail the VHAP notice to the taxpayer and the homeowner may request a stay of the tax sale process or an extension of the redemption period. The homeowner is required to attest to the municipality that they have applied for VHAP funds.

Lau's Corner & Title Tips: A Message From Our Friends at CATICTrac®

The Personal/Private Lender... How CATICTrac Can Help

Personal mortgages typically take significantly more time and effort to clear from title, especially if the mortgage was paid off years ago. CATICTrac routinely tracks down the documents needed to clear these types of mortgages. Here is a recent example:   

THE PROBLEM - Our customer was selling eight parcels of land. Three of the parcels were encumbered by a 1990 seller-financed mortgage to a husband and wife who then assigned the mortgage to the wife’s Revocable Trust.

THE CATICTRAC SOLUTION - CATICTrac located the private lenders and learned that the husband was deceased and that the wife was in a nursing facility in Florida. Digging deeper, CATICTrac located a daughter living in Maine. Working with the daughter and an attorney, CATICTrac obtained a discharge! Time from order placement to satisfaction in hand – 10 days.

The CATICTrac team of title clearers is highly experienced in tracking down private individuals / lenders and obtaining discharges, assignments, or other documentation needed to clear the lien from title.

The next time you come across a private mortgage, give us a call at (800) 842-2216. If we cannot track down the release / discharge you need, we will waive all our fees!

Click here to learn more! Learn More