Virginia Title Center and the Courthouses will be closed on Monday, June 19th in observance of Juneteenth

June is National Homeownership Month

from National Association of REATLORS®

June is National Homeownership Month, when we promote the benefits of homeownership and recommit to creating opportunities for future homeowners. REALTORS® strive to ensure all Americans have the opportunity to achieve homeownership, the centerpiece of the American Dream and the pathway to economic well-being and intergenerational wealth-building. Click HERE to learn more.

ALERT!!! Seller Real Estate Fraud is On the Rise

Don't Get Caught in the Scam!

by Paul E. Denbaum, Underwriting & Escrow Counsel,

Investors Title Insurance Company

As professionals in the real estate and title insurance industries work to identify and combat various forms of fraud, fraudsters are constantly changing their approach and coming up with new ways to defraud our customers. One fraudulent scheme that is gaining popularity is “Seller Fraud” or “Seller Deed Fraud”.

The perpetrators of this type of fraud impersonate an owner of real property and then convince a real estate brokerage to list the property for sale. Once the fraudulent seller has an offer, a contract is executed, and the perpetrator is on their way. A deed is given by the “seller” at closing as well as wire instructions to receive the proceeds of the sale. If nobody picks up on the fact that the “seller” isn’t who they say they are, the fraud could go unnoticed until well after the closing. The result is that the buyer never actually takes title to the property, the lender doesn’t have a mortgage or valid deed of trust and the title insurance company is staring down a claim. Click HERE to read on.

Know the red flags, take precautions, ask questions to avoid falling victim to this scheme!

Click HERE for a detailed brochure outlining red flags at every step in the process.

Check out this Seller Impersonation Fraud Flyer from the American Land Title Association

The Power of Small Rituals

from the Eblin Group



At what point in your day or your week do you fully unplug? It’s an interesting and perhaps a challenging question since, for most of us, our phones and all the data streams they provide are almost always in reach. Without some sort of intentional interrupt scheduled into your day, it’s easy to stay plugged in from the time you wake up in the morning until the time you fall asleep at night. With that sort of rhythm, your thoughts are never truly your own. Click HERE to learn the power of adopting a small ritual to positively impact your physical, mental, relational, and spiritual self to live and lead at your best.

Breaking the Cycle of Self-Sabotage: How to Overcome the "Golden Larva Syndrome"

By Manfred F. R. Kets de Vries

Fear of failure, fear of success, imposter syndrome, perfectionism and behaving like Peter Pan can all contribute to the “golden larva syndrome". However, there are several steps you can take to combat this self-sabotaging behavior. Breaking the cycle of self-sabotage is a difficult yet achievable task. Focusing on something greater than you, whether volunteering for a worthy cause, getting involved in community affairs or simply assisting a friend in need, can help you find a sense of purpose and fulfillment that transcends personal achievement. Click HERE for a roadmap for identifying and overcoming the self-defeating habits that hold you back.

Beyond TRID: Safeguarding Compliance on Every Loan

from Housingwire

With lenders competing for every purchase transaction, some may be dusting off products they haven’t used in years or expanding their credit box to accommodate more borrowers and increase access to homeownership. Ensuring that creativity doesn't compromise compliance takes serious research and constant QC system updating. We’ve asked Phillip McCall, president and chief operating officer at ACES Quality Management, how lenders can keep up with new and upcoming regulations to maintain loan quality in this very competitive environment. Click HERE to gain insights from the interview.

How Early Life Lessons Shape Us

from Leadstar

Remember what it feels like to be down and support others when they experience low points. Remember what it feels like to be on the outside looking in. It’s not an experience you quickly forget, and you gain much perspective from it. We’ve all been down before. One of the best lessons from tough times is the value of doing your best to lift others. You’ll always win when you’re doing right by people. Click HERE to read more about how defining moments from your early years shaped the "you" you are today, and how have they shaped the way you lead.

How Banks Can Stay Ahead of the Fraudsters

by Dave Scola

With more Americans relying on payments that are getting ever closer to real time, banks should be looking at how they can enhance their fraud detection and prevention activities now more than ever. To achieve this, banking institutions need the technology and capacity to actually deal with real-time payments. The temptation might be to focus first on putting a system in place to handle real-time payments and then turn attention to fraud. But managing fraud risk shouldn’t be a secondary consideration when banks are looking to modernize their payment activity. Click HERE to read on.

How to Apologize to a Customer When Something Goes Wrong

by Tim Riesterer

Businesses are bound to make mistakes and disappoint their customers. But how you build your apology message and your careful attention to executing it appropriately can make the difference between losing those customers or increasing their loyalty. When delivered well, your apology message can improve the customer relationship to the point where it is stronger than if the mistake had never happened — a phenomenon known as the service recovery paradox. Click HERE to read about the five steps for writing an effective apology message, and why it’s important to share the apology process internally and with external stakeholders.

NEW! Virginia Title Center Keeps You Safe From Wire Fraud with CertifID

Digital banking makes moving money easier for everyone — including cyber criminals, who are getting more cunning every day. Every wire transfer you send or receive is at risk. Yet many ask if wire fraud is really that serious? Wire transfers continue to be the most frequently reported payment method for fraud with a reported aggregate loss of $2.4 Billion and an average loss of $120k per victim. And, did you know that one out of every three real estate transactions are targeted for wire fraud?

At Virginia Title Center, we take the safety of your money and your client's money seriously and now offer wire fraud protection through a partnership with CertifID. This offers end-to-end protection to keep customer information secured and insured at all times through a suite of services. CertifID makes it easy for us to securely send our wire instructions to clients and lenders; allows us to safely collect bank details from home sellers and other partners; verifies the bank details that have been provided are accurate and not tampered with; and, offers PayoffProtect to validate the authenticity of wiring instructions to ensure loan payoff payments aren't sent to fraudsters. All wire transactions are backed by Lloyd's of London and insured up to $1 million. Click HERE for a flyer you can share with your clients, and talk to your settlement processor to learn how using CertifID can protect you and your clients.