As the holiday season approaches, we would like to express our heartfelt gratitude for your continued loyalty to CATIC. This holiday season, we wish you and your loved ones an abundance of joy,

good health, and happiness.

We look forward to working with you in the coming year.

Upcoming Seminars

It has been a pleasure seeing so many of you at our county seminars! Thank you for attending. We hope that you have found the seminars to be informative. We have three county seminars left: Bennington, Windham and Washington/Lamoille. The topic of discussion will be Current Developments in VT Real Estate (2 Hours of CLE for Attorneys licensed in VT). Click here for additional details and to register. Please be sure to register prior to the event.

Have a Topic of Interest for a Seminar? We gain a lot of knowledge from your offices about what you are seeing out in the land records and experiences you are encountering with your transactions. Thank you for the valuable information! Please continue to email/call our office with anything you are hearing or experiencing. We love hearing from you!

6 Steps To Success in Today's Turbulent Market

CATIC is excited to announce Steve Richman, world-class keynote speaker, will be hosting a webinar for our CATIC Agents.

Topics for discussion will be:

• Turning education into edu-action;
• Converting transactions into relationships;
• Being more than a title agent to your customers;
• Applying the concept of powerful positivity;
• The true definition of showing up; 
• And much more!

Steve Richman is not just another speaker, just like you are not just another Title Agent. We live in the commodity conundrum and Steve Richman will help you find your own unique voice and help you differentiate yourself from the competition.

Closing Protection Letter Fee Increase

By now you have most likely heard about the Closing Protection Letter fee increase for lender policies issued in VT with an effective Date of Policy of on and after January 1, 2024. Please click here to read the important bulletin we began circulating on November 3rd.

1099 Season Is Approaching, Are You Ready?

The filing season for 1099-S forms is fast approaching. For your reference, the filing deadlines this year are as follows:

• Copy B or Substitute Form 1099-S to each transferor by 2/15/24 (if not given at the time of the closing.)
• Paper Filings to the IRS (anyone with less than 10 filings) by 2/28/24.
• E-Filing with the IRS by 4/1/24.

Interested in peace of mind or saving time and money? The CATIC 1099-S service is perfect for you. Click here for more information and to sign up. CATIC's 1099-S Filing Service will remain open for enrollment through December 31, 2023.

It's That Time of Year Again. American Land Title Association - Policy Forms License

Title insurance agents issuing title insurance policies are required to hold a Policy Forms license ("License") granted by the American Land Title Association (ALTA). This License authorizes issuance of ALTA copyrighted policy forms. Renewal is required every January and is based on the number of policies signed the prior year. Keep in mind that an MP and OP issued in the same transaction count as 1 policy only. Apply for a license online at the ALTA Store (login and password required; pay through the online portal). If you currently hold a license, you should receive an invoice in December prompting you to renew. 

Please note that ALTA is no longer utilizing the occasional use waiver as part of the Policy Forms Licensing Structure for 2024 and going forward. The Policy Forms License for limited use can be acquired for $50.00.

Please visit the ALTA site for more information. If you have questions or concerns, please contact ALTA Staff at 800-787-2582 x 333 or licensing@alta.org.

ALTA Wire Fraud Resources

Authorities report that recovery of funds is more likely in the 24-48 hours following the initiation of a fraudulent wire, so the sooner the fraudulent activity is discovered and reported, the more likely it will be prevented. While we have provided resources and tools, we thought we would share a few additional resources. Click here for more information.

Lau's Corner

2021 ALTA Forms

The 2021 forms are loaded and available in PrepExpress! If you are using a third-party software like Qualia, E-Closing or SoftPro and the forms are not available, be sure to reach out to your software provider to have the forms loaded. Also, be sure to update your packages to reflect the 2021 forms. 

Let's Have Some Fun!

In the past we have hosted events at the VT Lake Monsters and at Thunder Road. We are thinking about switching it up a bit but want to hear from you. Click here to rank the ideas we came up with (1 being your first choice) and/or use the blank space to add your own. Please keep in mind that the event will be for 100+ people.

Underwriting Question? 

To streamline underwriting, please email UnderwritingVT@catic.com which will automatically go right to Liz and Steve's inbox.

Career Network

We often hear of firms who are hiring. While we welcome phone calls or emails, we have added a career network post under News and Announcements (bottom right-hand corner) on the VATC website.